31
Aug

Starting to Prepare For The Dreaded Job Interview

Rule number 1: Research:

Congratulations! You have been invited for the interview. Now what do you do?

The first step is beginning to research the company. Once you have done this you will be ready to prep for the interview questions, learn how to improve your interviewing skills and begin to think about what you’re going to wear to the interview.

In order to succeed in the interview you need to do your homework on the company. There is no set of rules to how to do your research but preparing yourself as much as possible will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired.

Make sure you use every available resource to help you with your preparation. By doing a basic Google on the company you can easily learn important facts about the company. Publically listed companies are easier to prepare your background research than privately listed companies as public companies are legally required to make certain information available. In the 21st century the Internet has made a lot of the pre interview research more available and easier to find. Don’t forget that you can also use other sources of information like public libraries or bookstores. Many magazines and journals can provide important and up to date information on your company and also provide you with information that your competitors who are also applying for the same job won’t know.

A true story…

A candidate of mine was applying for a job at one of the large investment banks. Out of 150 candidates the hiring manager had selected the top 10 best resumes to perform first round interviews. Every interview was 15-20 minutes long. The final question the hiring manager asked to each of the candidates was “Tell me something about the company.” Nine out of ten of the candidates rattled off information they had read from the company’s “about us page”, but one candidate stood out. After reading about the company’s strategic purchase of a new acquisition, the candidate was able to impress the hiring manager with his (somewhat different) knowledge.

The hiring manager later offered this candidate the role not because he was the smartest candidate, but because he showed his dedication by going the extra step in his interview preparation.

Your research for the job interview preparation should give you a better insight on:

The history of the business

How old the business is

The types of services the business offers

The hierarchy structure

How many offices/locations the business has

Number of employees

Career progression

The business culture

Competitors

Benefits

Check out the Competitors websites as well – they are also a good source of information for your job preparation.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.

29
May

Are you prepared to answer all the tough Job Interview Questions?


Unless you are born extremely rich and plan on spending the rest of your life lying on your own private island or you have a family business you can move into, chances are at some stage in your life you are going to have sit face to face with a hiring manager in a job interview.

The interview is your time to shine. Don’t be intimidated because you don’t think you have all the skills that are wanted in the job specification. Most businesses will teach you as you go, so lacking a certain skill will not mean you can’t get the job. If you do lack certain skills or experience, you need to work twice as hard in your interview to portray the skills that you have and can bring to the job. It is a myth to think that the most skilled person will get the job. When it comes to hiring the right person, it is about the overall package – skills, personality, confidence and also the passion you show in your interview.

The brand new Ebook from RedStarResume – “Interview Secrets Exposed” will teach you everything you need to know to easily prepare yourself for your next important job interview and most importantly be able to nail the job interview. Rather than going into the interview feeling nervous and unprepared, you can stand out from the competition and force the hiring manager to take notice. This simple, powerful formula guarantees you will be prepared for any question that comes your way.

Learn everything you need to know to prepare yourself for the interview including

  • Researching and preparation
  • How to answer Ice Breaking Questions
  • The most frequently asked interview questions and answers
  • Open Ended and Closed Ended Questions
  • General “Standard” Interview Questions
  • Behavioural questions and examples
  • 50 most asked Behavioural Interview Questions
  • Situational Questions
  • What to wear to the job interview
  • Asking the interviewer questions
  • Dressing for the Interview
  • Top 10 Job Interview Blunders
  • How to Answer Illegal Interview Questions

Plus: Bonus material “how to nail the Telephone Interview” and “following up after the Interview”

Job Interviewing does not have to be a scary experience! Research, Prepare and Practice and you are already another step closer to landing your next job.

IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD –

INSTANT ACCESS!

Time for an Interview?

Interview Secrets Exposed

Interview Questions Interview Samples Interview Tips and Advice

12
May

Position Ignition Tips to Finding Courage For Your Career Change

By Nisa Chitakasem, Co-founder Career Change Specialist Position Ignition Ltd

Creating an ending and making a shift isn’t always easy. Why? We’re used to the routine we have and the way things are. Change is scary, it’s unknown, it’s different and we have no guarantees of success. We can remain in one place due to fear of change. It requires us to take a leap of faith before we can reach a different destination and way of being. A career change is significant but it can also be life changing in a great way. Here are some key tips on overcoming your fear:

1. Acknowledgement

The first thing to do is to acknowledge your inner fear instead of ignoring it. This is the first step to dealing with it. There’s no shame in admitting that we’re scared, however old and ‘battle-worn’ we are.

2. Gain Clarity

We know that the next step is about being clear and that you’ve decided to end your old life. You need to be totally clear about what you want to do next. Otherwise the leap feels like a very huge one. It’s a leap of faith and a jump into the darkness if you aren’t clear about where you are going. However, when you have that clarity you will have reached the point at which the courage to take the leap doesn’t seem like a big step at all.  It becomes a more obvious step. Something you want to do. Something you have to do. For many, it is when and how people recognise they’re in the wrong place in their life and in their work.

3. Understand that Mistakes are Normal

Even if you make mistakes, or don’t do something in the job application process that you should have, it’s not the end of the world. Learn from mistakes and remember that you’re still evolving as a human, never mind as a job seeker, whatever your age. If you’re frightened of moving forward, you’ll never move forward!

4. Forget about Other People

Perhaps you’re scared of what others will think of you if you change careers ‘at your age’. Do what’s right for you instead of being put off by what you imagine people’s opinions to be. It’s unlikely that anyone will think a mid-life career change is strange, given the increasing fluidity of today’s labour market.

We know such a small minority of people who are clear about what they want to do early in their life. For those of us in the majority, it’s hard work to get to that point. Some people never get there. Funnily enough, when you do get clear, courage doesn’t come into it because you feel energised and your intention is so clear, it doesn’t feel courageous at all. It’s natural and it’s the right thing to do. Explore, experiment, get clear and then when you are ready take that jump and make that shift into new ground – the right new ground for you.

Author: Nisa Chitakasem is the co-founder of career consulting firm www.positionignition.com. He specialises in supporting individuals through key career transitions including making a career change, finding a fulfilling role and shaping personal life and career plans.

Time for an Interview?

Interview Secrets Exposed

Interview Questions Interview Samples Interview Tips and Advice


11
May

How do we know what questions are going to be asked in the job interview?

Have you ever sat in a job interview and been sweating uncontrollably as you stumble through the interview questions? Have you found yourself shaking hands with the hiring manager on the way out of the job interview and thinking to yourself how you just completely messed up the entire interview? Of course you have. Who hasn’t!

Why does this happen? Do you remember back in school or university before an exam you would study hard to make sure you were well prepared and ready to answer any question that could come your way. When you buy an expensive item such as a car or house you don’t just wake up one day and go to the dealership and purchase a car. You do your research. You study and become knowledgeable on the subject. Only once you have done your research and preparation do you get ready to make your purchase.

The same is true for your job interview. How many times have you walked into a job interview having done 5-10 minutes of preparation? Let me guess you scrolled through the company’s website and re-read the job description a couple of times.

Finding your dream job is no game. We spend on average 40 hours a week in the office. Over the course of a single year that is 2080 hours per year. (Minus vacation, holiday time and few more “personal days”) When an opportunity arises to seek new employment and you are invited to the job interview you have one opportunity to shine and stand out above the other job competitors who are all vying for that one vacant position. You need to ensure that you are 100% prepared for the interview and have answers ready for every question that may come your way. To quote William Wallace in Braveheart – you have “just one chance”

So how do we know what questions are going to be asked in the interview?

The answer is we don’t. There are thousands of different interview questions that may be asked. However, by planning for the interview we can be in a situation where we already have our answers ready for any type of question that a hiring manger may ask.

Here is my tip: The key to interviewing success is simply preparing a mental outline to follow when responding to each question. When you are sitting at home preparing for the interview, write a list of achievements, stories and examples that illustrate how you solved a particular problem or how you performed in an outstanding way. That way rather than going to the interview and thinking of your answers on the spot you will already have your mental list of answers ready to go.

Here is a very basic example to prove my point.

“In my previous job I was promoted to manager after 6 months because of my hard work and dedication on a particular project ….”

With this example in mind I am ready to answer any interview question that is related to my success and I have a story to emphasise my point.

Every person brings unique characteristics and value added skills to a job and as the interviewee; you need to be ready to demonstrate all the great qualities and achievements in order to succeed in your job interview.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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Interview Questions Interview Samples Interview Tips and Advice

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