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GETTING AHEAD -- How to ace your job interview |
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Written by asap
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Friday, 19 May 2006 |
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As recent college grads enter the job market, it becomes painfully obvious that most schools don’t offer Interviewing 101. The first job interview -- as much a social interaction as an information exchange -- can be extremely intimidating, particularly for someone with little or no work experience.
With that in mind, asap called business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter for tips on how to ace a job interview.
“Many people haven’t been taught this, and the work world is incredbly competitive, especially for young people looking for that first job,” said Pachter, who in August will release her eighth book, “NewRulesWork: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead.”
Pachter said it’s important to prepare for the interview, present yourself as confident and reflect on your performance afterward. Here are her tips for handling yourself before, during and after the interview.
1. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW:
-- Be prepared to tell your story. Pachter advises interviewees to prepare discussion points that exemplify their best qualities. Since recent college grads might be thin on work experience, she says examples of leadership in the classroom or on sports teams can also work.
“For young people, it’s difficult to realize that many of these situations can be used to demonstrate their credibility,” Pachter said.
-- Read a book. If you’re low on management experience, reading books by business leaders can help you prepare for questions about leadership. Pachter said drawing from books can help you augment your questions if used sparingly.
“Sometimes young people don’t have a lot of the stories of their lives, so what are they going to talk about?” she said. “You can say I don’t have experience with this, but I’m really a fan of Jack Kennedy and I’ve read all his books.” Then give an example of his great leadership.
“As long as it’s not obnoxious and you don’t do it a lot, it gives you another way to answer a question.”
-- Practice for the interview. Get a friend or family member to play the role of the interviewer to help you refine your answers. Having someone to talk out questions about leadership and decision making is better than going over them in your head. It shows you where you stumble and use “like” and “um.”
“You need to say it out loud because you have to hear how it works,” Pachter said. “And when you role play with someone you get the interaction. If I’m role-playing with you, you can say ’Tell me more.”’
2. DURING THE INTERVIEW:
-- Shake hands twice. At an interview, you’re not just selling your brainpower or experience. People skills count, too. Pachter says recent graduates should shake hands at the beginning and end of the interview with everyone involved. Look each person in the eye and grip firmly without squeezing too hard.
“We make assumptions about people based on the quality of their handshake,” she said. “If you come in and shake hands and look a person in the eye, you look comfortable and confident.”
-- Don’t slouch. Be confident and enthusiastic. Ask the interviewer questions about the job to show your interest. Sit up straight, look the interviewer in the eye, smile and avoid nervous gestures like twirling your hair.
“Your resume gets you the interview,” Pacther said. “How you handle yourself in the interview gets you the job.”
3. AFTER THE INTERVIEW:
-- Send thank-you notes. Pachter said she’s talked to employers who won’t consider a prospective employee unless he or she follows up the interview with a note. Write to each of the people involved in your interview. Pachter said it’s an important part of presenting yourself as a conscientious person who has professional skills. And e-mails don’t count.
“It’s showing yourself as a polished professional. Who would you hire? Someone who showed up on time, shook hands properly and sent a thank-you note? Or someone who didn’t?”
-- Review your performance. Pachter says you can learn a lot from each interview. In fact, it doesn’t hurt to interview for jobs that you’re not interested in. The practice helps and you might put yourself in a position to get a different job at the company. After each interview, think about what went right and what went wrong. Remember specific questions for future role-playing.
“The more you interview, the more comfortable you are,” she said. “It’s a skill. Being comfortable, developing a knack for interviewing is a skill, and the only way you develop that is by interviewing.”
Jonathan Drew is an asap reporter.
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