Lessons to Apply to a Job Interview

The toughest part about learning how to interview better is that job seekers frequently take a job interview test but rarely receive a job interview lesson. As a matter of fact, job seekers don't even get a job interview report card. Instead candidates are simply told that they did not get the job offer, that the position has been already filed or simply never hear from the target company again. As a result, it's tough to get a sense of what a job seeker is doing right or doing wrong, and even tougher to get guidance on what to do differently going forward. A job interview lesson would ideally contain all the steps that a candidate should take to make sure that they perform as well as possible on the job interview. This process should cover everything from preparation for the interview to what kind of job interview thank you note to send afterwards, and how often to follow up.

The first point of the job interview lesson is that nothing about interviewing is a natural, organic gift that a candidate either has or does not have. Sure, some people may have a more natural rapport with their interviewers, or be better thinking on their feet, but anyone can develop these skills if they work with the right focus and effort. The second point of the job interview lesson is that every action that the candidate makes should be based on sound information position. Just like you could not reasonably expect to hit a target that you cannot see, you cannot expect to be the ideal candidate if you don't know what that candidate looks like. Consequently, a significant portion of the job interview lesson would be on how to conduct research.

More Job Interview Lessons

A job interview lesson about research would include the importance of both published research which should find formal articles like the job description and informal research which will yield significant insights about the company's real environment. The research should at the very least uncover the duties of the job, the results the job is expected to achieve, and the attributes or characteristics that the target company most values. This information can be used to create a list that defines the perfect job candidate. This list provides a solid foundation for guessing the probable questions an interviewer will ask and for shaping the answers that the candidate should give.

A job interview lesson would teach the importance of backing up interview answers with examples and proof from personal and job experience, told in the form of stories, narratives and demonstrations. These questions should be practiced extensively before the job interview, preferably in front of a video camera or tape recorder. During the interview, the candidate should allow the interviewer to take the lead and respond to questions with these developed answers as much as possible. Afterwards, he or she should write a thank you note and wait for at least ten days before making another contact with the target company.

By: Jimmy Sweeny
www.jobbankusa.com

Jobs , Career