A job interview checklist allows candidates to focus and ensure that they leave little to chance when it comes to impressing at a job interview. An earlier post outlined some tips for on the day of the interview today we concentrate on how to be best prepared for before, during, and after the interview.

　
Before the interview.

Ensure that your hair is neat.

Ensure that your nails are clean.

Be sure to dress in an appropriate manner for a professional job interview.

Do not wear overpowering perfume/aftershave to the interview.

Avoid smoking before the interview.

At the interview.

Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and friendly smile whilst maintaining eye contact.

Have answers ready for tricky interview questions such as “what are your weaknesses?”

Have relevant questions ready to ask the employer, this indicates to the interviewer that you have done research on the company.

Have examples ready to emphasize why you are the best candidate for the job.

Conduct yourself in professional manner without criticizing former employers.

End on a positive note thanking the interviewer and reinforcing your interest in the position.

After the interview.

Send a thank-you letter thanking the interviewer for his/her time and once again reinforce your enthusiasm for the role.

Using a job interview checklist will be to your advantage, it will assist as a guide to putting you in a relaxed confident frame of mind which will bode well for your chances of giving a winning interview.

3 Reasons Not To Apply For A Job Until You Know Who The Job Is With.

If you are currently in a job the importance of being made knowing in advance where your resume is being sent cannot be understated. In your eagerness to find new employment you may be tempted to apply for jobs where the client company is not specified, this could turn out to be a big mistake. If you see a job advertisement that looks perfect but has “Confidential” listed as the company then avoid applying for it until you can garner more information about the job. The following examples highlight just 3 of the dangers .

1. Your resume gets sent to your existing employer.

Yes the unthinkable could happen, you apply for a job before eventually finding out the dreaded information that the role is with your existing employer. Expect a call to the bosses office should this happen but not necessarily for the type of meeting you hoped for.

2. Your resume gets sent to a client of your existing company.

Your boss won’t appreciate getting a call from a vendor asking “What’s that employee John Smith (for example) like?, he has applied for a job here with us”. This will be met with, at the very least, disappointment by your existing employer and like above will a meeting with your company management for further discussion.

3. The job may not exist.

You read that right, it is not unheard of for companies / recruiters to want to build a database of resumes for certain positions, in order to have them on file should such a position become available through an employee leaving or company growth. It is rare in the extreme that this happens but is worth bearing in mind nonetheless.

It is important not to let your desire to find a job curtail your professionalism in seeking one, should you see a job advertised without a name do all that you can do to find out who it is with. One way of trying to find out their identity is to send an email (not from your company email address) requesting information about where the role is based, at the very least, this should help you eliminate your own company as being the employer.

Advice For A Telephone Interview

Telephone interviews normally take place when the recruiter is trying to whittle down the amount of job applicants in order to decide whom, in his/her view,are most suitable to bring forward for face-to-face interviews. They can also take place if an applicant lives a good distance away from the hiring company. Preparation for a telephone interview should be no different than that of an in-company interview, with the exception of course that you can wear whatever you like.

If the telephone interview is pre-arranged then you need to make sure that the telephone is kept clear around the time the call is expected. Ensure to take the interview in a quiet area of your house, with enough room for you to have the job specification,your resume and a notepad at your disposal, ideally on a table in front of you. On the notepad have highlights and examples of your experience in relation to the main areas of importance judged from the job spec and refer to these as you speak. Don’t read pre-written answers out in a monotone fashion, make sure your responses come across in an enthusiastic manner.

If your interview is not pre-arranged and you get an unexpected call, at work or in an unsuitable venue for a private interview, quietly excuse yourself from the room and then explain to the recruiter that you are delighted to receive the call but as you were not expecting it would it be possible for you to call him/her back later on (provide a specific time) in the day.

Once the interview begins you should try to smile as you speak this not only displays confidence to the interviewer but also allows your interview to come across in a relaxed friendly manner which will impress the interviewer.

Five questions that you should be prepared for in a telephone interview:

• What interests you about this position?
• What duties are you responsible for in your current position?
• What skills can you add to the team?
• Where do you see yourself being in 5 years time?
• Why should we hire you?

Impressing during a phone interview will be the catalyst to getting that all-important face-to-face interview so prepare well ensuring your application is a successful one.