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Saturday, November 14, 2009

TIPS FOR JOB INTERVIEW PART I

TIPS FOR JOB INTERVIEW PART I


By Fareed Musa Fataki

Am inspired to write this article because of the experiences I have gone through both as in interviewee and interviewer for the last ten years. Most times we loose the job not because we are not good enough but because of simple mistakes that we could avoid.

We often fail to create or give the best impression pf ourselves to the employer by being timid and fearful, not being sure of our selves, or yes I know some interviewers can mean to be intimidating but always relax and listen to the question attentively and take your time to answer it, this way, you build confidence in you and to the employer and remember to always beg the pardon for any question not clear to you before answering it. This way you win the show and you create good impression before your potential employer.

Note that, the employer is looking for the best candidate for the job in less than an hour and that you are not alone, therefore, convince the panel members that, you are the best that there is by the way you talk, the way you answer the questions, be honest and save time by saying I do not know the answer rather than giving wrong answer to a correct question during the interview, rely more on your strength but also, show them your weaknesses and prove that, you are a first leaner who can turn these weaknesses into strength within short period of time

Before we proceed, note that, an interview is not an interrogation; it's a conversation. Thus, I believe the best way to prepare for an interview is to come armed with a multitude of small stories about the job advertised and relate this stories to your personal life.

It is important to relax and feel at home. Interviews are not really interviews at all. They're conversations. Treat them like conversations, and the tension will slowly dissolve. Remember: when you walk into that office, you don't have the job to begin with. In theory, you have nothing to lose. You either come out way ahead or back where you started. If you approach the situation with a "win-draw" mentality, most of the pressure will fall by the wayside.
You should start by developing your stories around these areas:
• Examples of when you either made money or saved money for your current or previous employer.
• A crisis in your life or job and how you responded or recovered from it.
• A time where you functioned as part of a team and what your contribution was.
• A time in your career or job where you had to overcome stress.
• A time in your job where you provided successful leadership or a sense of direction.
• A failure that occurred in your job and how you overcame it.
• Any seminal events that happened during your career to cause you to change direction and how that worked out for you.
Always know what you are being interviewed for and what type of interview you are going to be subject to. This trick is always in the terms of reference for the job contained in the advert. Always remember all that is asked for in the adverts and compare the required skills to what you have, this way, you will asses your strength and weakness and before anything, prepare to answer questions on your weaknesses more than your strength. Give clear and specific response to how you are going to work round your weakness and turn them to strength and be open to discuss weaknesses.
Competency-based interviews, as opposed to traditional interviews, have become more common today. In a traditional interview, the interviewer will ask you questions focused on whether you have the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. A competency-based interview goes further by asking you additional questions about your character and personal attributes that can better determine whether you fit their corporate culture. These are called "behavioral competencies."
A competency-based interviewer will spend about half the interview on your job skills, and about half on your behavioral competencies. He or she will be looking for evidence of how you have acted in real situations in the past. So having your stories ready to go, and discussing them during a conversation between two equals, plays very well for this type of interview.
.Attitude is everything. If you're smiling, excited and optimistic, you've already won half the battle. If you're cold, distant and uninterested, you've already lost 99% of the battle.
No matter what credits are in your resume or
how nice your CV is written, always try to be yourself. If you act like someone else and they like you, they don't actually like YOU. They like the person you're pretending to be. If you end up getting a job there, you won't be able to keep up the facade for very long anyway. Honesty and authenticity are very appealing characteristics. If both parties stay true to themselves, they'll know if they're right for each other. And in the end, that's usually what matters most.
Appearance counts. Before you meet people, virtually the only judgment you can make is based on aesthetics. What you're wearing matters. What they're wearing matters. How you sit, stand, shake hands, hold your pen and walk up the stairs counts. Not enormously, but enough. First impressions are huge. Also, how does the building look? Is the lobby clean and organized? Are the cubicles bunched together? Is the ceiling high or low? Does it look like a fun place to work? Does it invite you to come back?
All the smartness, good skills and high experience in the job mean nothing without the right fit. If your values aren't aligned with those of the company, you're doomed. If you like to have fun and they're always serious, don't even bother. Seriously. The more you fit in, the more you'll want to come back every day and bust your butt. If you're always at odds with your coworkers, you're going to hate your job. And my simple advice is for you to look for another job.
DON’T MISS THE FINAL TIPS IN OUR NEXT EDITION

The writer is the Deputy Director for Establishment/ Human Resource, with the Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation; he is also a Consultant in Peace and conflict resolution as well as a Researcher.

Ends

3 comments:

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  2. Thank you Mr. Fataki.I don't want to claim any expertise on the subject but I wish I was able to translate my interview experiences into helpful tips for someone out there. I'm glad to have been very successful in all of them without sounding quirky or arrogant. I was never the one with the longest resume or the first class type candidate but I appeared very confident, friendly but with respect and very honest but in a calculated way to bring out the best of me.
    I wish everyone the best . Christine

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  3. Thank you Christine for your comment.

    ReplyDelete

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