5 Things You Should Do After Your Job Interview.

There are few industries where an applicant gets a job offer after one interview alone, therefore preparing for a potential second interview should begin the minute you get home from the first interview. Details of the interview will be fresh in your mind so rather than slumping into a reactive mode become proactive and begin preparations for a 2nd interview.

1. Write notes about any areas of the job that the interviewer focused on.

The interviewer will be feeding this information back to the Hiring Manager and should you be called for a second interview your note-taking will provide you with a fair idea of what element of your resume or job spec that will be scrutinized in the 2nd interview, so have answers ready to clarify these points and you will be on your way to a successful interview.

2. Send a Thank-You note.

Irrespective of how well you thought your interview went, be courteous and thank the company for their time and reiterate your interest in the job.

3. Practice your interviewing skills.

Following your interview you will be aware of the type of questions that you didn’t respond well to, the have been behavioral questions such as “Give me an example of when you had to deal with a sensitive issue in your job?” or structured interview questions such as “Where do you see yourself being in 3 years?”. Spend time practicing in order to give a confident complete interview next time around.

4. Reflect on whether it is the job for you.

If after the 1st interview you decide that you don’t think the role is what you want that’s fine, however if it is a job you truly want jot down the criteria needed for you to accept the position. Having this information in your mind will help you give a more productive 2nd interview.

5. Write down the negatives and positives of the job.

You will have a much clearer picture of both the position and the company themselves following the 1st interview. Should you be selected for 2nd interview you can be forthcoming with any perceived problems with the job and see if they can resolved and turned into positives.

Attention to detail can be the trump card when it comes to successful job interviews, remember that job interviews are as much about listening as they are about talking and remember that preparation doesn’t end once the interview is over.

5 Cliches To Avoid During A Job Interview

Knowing what to say and what not say in a job interview is important so it is key that you do not provide tired old cliches that you can bet the interviewer hears time and time again. The fear of having the interviewer think you have not prepared correctly and are on auto-pilot in effect will have a damaging effect on your interview success-rate so with that in mind let us look at 5 of the most oft-used cliches used in interviews.

1. At the end of the day.

Sporting heroes are to blame for this overused cliche, but you are in an interview so omit it from your vocabulary for the duration of your discussions.

2. I’m task-oriented (or multi-tasked).

Stating the obvious will do you no favors when being interviewed so choose different expressions that reflect on the specific tasks that are related to the interview.

3. I think outside the box.

In business-speak terms this phrase is up there with the most annoyingly common cliches used in interviews. You will be better served providing examples of how you dealt with certain situations that prove you have the know-how to get things done.

4. My resume speaks for itself

No matter how qualified you think you are displaying cockiness will harm your chances of getting the job. The interviewer will have read your resume and knows exactly what is in it so use the interview as a chance to sell yourself, your strengths and your personality not your resume.

5. This is a company I really admire.

The recruiter will think “I bet he/her says that about every company when interviewing” instead provide a reason/example of why it is a company you admire otherwise don’t mention it at all.

A proactive, vibrant interview will do your chances of getting a job the world of good, so eradicate these annoying cliches from you vocabulary and look forward to interview joy.

Information That A Job Offer Letter Contains.

If your resume was selected for interview and you then gave a winning interview, what happens next? You wait anxiously for your offer letter to arrive so you can absorb the details of the job and look forward to a new phase in your career. An offer letter can be accompanied by an employment contract or in some cases may be sent in advance of a full contract until references have been secured. Depending on the role, size of the company, the industry and other variables you may not receive one but if you do expect it to contain;

Job title.
You need to be sure that you are accepting the role that you initially applied for so be sure the correct job title is described.

Start-date.
Ensure that the date proposed on the offer letter fits in with any notice period that you may have a duty to fulfill in your current company.

Time to commence work on opening day.
Arriving late on day one will not make a good impression so be sure to fond out the appropriate starting time for your position.

Reporting details.
Expect your offer letter to provide the name and job-title of the person that you should report to.

Salary & benefits.
Ensure the salary proposed on the offer letter tallies with any offer verbally agreed.  As with salary you can expect to see most of the company benefits described in the offer letter.  Examples of benefits include bonuses, company cars, relocation expenses amongst others.

Vacation time.
Details of vacation time is regularly displayed in the offer letter along with the employment contract.

Offer letters that are deemed as full employment contracts will often contain a more formal approach outlining company policies and procedures etc. Often companies have mandatory drug screenings, if this is the case then expect that to be mentioned in your offer letter. Be sure to check that all compensations, be they salary or otherwise, that were verbally agreed in your job offer is mentioned in the offer letter.

Should you be in any way unsure about any aspect of your offer letter don’t be afraid call the HR Dept you will usually find they are only too glad assist in your queries.

How To Answer 3 Tricky Interview Questions

Interviewers generally do not ask questions to purposely have candidates tripping over themselves in their answers however they do have a responsibility to find whether you are the most-suited person for the role therefore probing questions are often asked. I’m sure you have all heard the old saying that “it’s not the questions that are hard, it’s the answers”, bearing that in mind let us look at 3 questions that for many people would fall under the “tricky” category and suitable responses to them.

I’m not the type of person that becomes stressed very easily. However, if in an extreme circumstance I did start to become stressed, I would look to the cause of it and attempt to identify a solution. I would certainly not be afraid to look to others for their input and assistance. In a working environment I think stress comes around from pressurized situations. In such cases the best solution is often one of situation management until the crisis abates. 

What are your weaknesses? How do you overcome them?

How do you feel about your current employer?

I  enjoyed my time at Sample Co Ltd. We parted on very good terms and I still have some great friends there. I learnt a lot during my stay at the company it was a very rewarding experience. I decided to leave because I wanted to move to a company with greater ambitions where I could continue to fulfill my career goals.

Overcoming questions like these in a successful manner during your interview will be of great benefit to your chances of getting the job so be prepared for questions like these and showcase your ability to respond to them in a confident manner