Interview Assistant - During the Interview |
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4. How to Act during an Interview?
You should be on time! Once you are there, try to relax, realizing that you are one of the selected finalists out of a large group of candidates. Act naturally and professionally and try to come across as a colleague and not like a desperate job seeker. Try to be friendly and courteous, but not too casual. Have your thoughts and questions well organized before you meet with the interviewer.
Some general suggestions for the interview:
· Be honest and be yourself: Be honest when answering questions. Attempt to focus on the positive and give yourself enough credit for your accomplishments. Be yourself! Do not act as if you know everything about your field. Do not bring up any subjects that you have little interest in, simply to please. On the other hand, if you have a genuine interest in something, it’s a good idea to bring it up, when appropriate. Never lie in an interview! An experienced interviewer will recognize this sooner or later. If the position requires experiences or knowledge you can’t provide or the company does not meet your expectations, you probably should not work there.
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· Sell Yourself: When asked a question, take the opportunity to talk about your goals and strong points. Most of us have been taught that it is not polite to talk about ourselves, and especially not to brag about our accomplishments. But, when you are looking for a job, you are not bragging, you are merely conveying useful information to people who need it in order to make good decisions. |
If you are interviewing at a smaller, lesser-known company or organization, you might be asked “Why would you want to work here?” Think about this ahead of time! |
Wait for asking your own prepared questions until there is an appropriate opportunity to bring it up. Many time you will be asked something like “What do you want to know?” or “Do you have some questions?” You should avoid interrupting the interviewer in order to ask your own questions until he gives you a signal to do so. |
· Salary: Discussion of salaries and compensation should not be held until an offer is about to be made. This may happen not until you made it to a second interview. But always be prepared to tell your price in the first interview. Employers are shopping, trying to guess your price tag. The question how much you want to earn is one of those screening questions used to either screen in or screen out, so a response is important. Have you done your homework? What is the price for this job in the marketplace? Have you checked out classified ads or online ads for similar positions? Are you within the range, given your level of experience? Pegging yourself mentally to the right price is the first step.
The second step is sharing this information correctly. Do you have enough information about this new job to determine your salary? If not, state it and ask for the information that is needed. “Before I can discuss salary, I would like to know the reporting requirements and how many people I would be supervising. In addition, what are the skill level and experience of my staff?” You can also ask “what are others in similar positions being paid?” When you can no longer stall or seek additional information, get out of this situation with something like: ”Based on what you have told me and exclusive of other compensation elements I feel that the position would warrant a salary range of $…. to $…..”. Name a range that give both sides some wiggle room and allow for some give-and-take when benefits and other compensation is considered. If you know what you are willing to accept as salary and what the market pays, using a salary range should permit you to be negotiable. |
Next: After the Interview