Ace Your Interview: Proven Strategies for Job Interview Success, Apuntes de Técnicas Experimentales

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MASTERING THE INTERVIEW - THE EXECUTIVE GUIDE

Preface Introduction

**1. Structure of the Interview

2. The Art of Storytelling
3. The First Minute – No Second Chance to Make a First Impression
4. The Introduction – Have the Best Elevator Pitch in the World** **5. Answering Questions: Part I – the Power of Knowing Them in Advance
5. Asking Questions – Another Chance to Stand Out** 7. The Follow-Up – Send a Thank-You Note 8. Answering Questions: Part II – the Top Questions and How to Answer Them 9. Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

Before jumping into all the details of mastering the interview, we would like to explain one simple concept. If you made it to the interview stage, you almost certainly possess the right skill set for the job. While this is good news, you have one more hurdle to conquer: similarly qualified competition. To be very clear, to stand out from the whether you stand out or not is not dependent on how good your competitors are, on who the interviewers are, or as some people tend to believe, on luck. It simply depends on one thing - how well you prepare “ Interview Preparation Strategy. What you need is an.” Our research has shown that there is a strong positive correlation between the time people spend on interview preparation and the interview. Get this: the success rate of people success rate of the spending eight to ten hours on preparation is 40% higher than that of people spending less than three hours on preparation. than 30 hours gets that rate up to even 60% Spending more. That is time well-invested. Even though preparing for an interview seems obvious, the research we conducted with

job seekers has taught us the opposite. Over 95% of all job seekers preparing for an interview. We figured out why - spend less than three hours the most common reason is the false assumption that they are already fully prepared. Why do so many people fall into this trap? Simply because there is no structured guidance available to teach and show people how to best prepare. Most information on the topic is insufficient and unsubstantiated. It suggests if you know to be on time, dress properly, can explain everything on your resume, and are able to answer a few common questions such as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”, you will be well prepared for the interview. But that is simply not true. It is a complete myth that leads to a false sense of security. Candidates who are unsuccessful in their interviews often follow this routine. So, the question is, what are successful candidates doing differently?

have the SKILLS TO SUCCEED in the job, have the will FIT into the WILL TO SUCCEED COMPANY CULTURE in the job, and.

We laid the groundwork in the introduction. You now have the strategy for mastering interviews. It is based on preparation and conveying the message that you have THE WILL TO DO THE JOB, and WILL SKILLS TO DO THE JOB, THE FIT INTO THE COMPANY CULTURE.

Do you have the Do you have the skillsright mindset to do the job well? to do the job well? Will you fit into the organization?

1. STRUCTURE OF THE INTERVIEW

The First Minute

The Introduction

Answering Questions

Asking Questions

The Follow-Up

We created this guide to give you an executive summary of all our research findings. It is a bulletproof guide that provides you with step-by- step instructions on how to competition and master every interview stand out from the. While it is one of a kind, it is no secret sauce. Your success is up to you, but now you have the perfect guide by your side. By far the most important thing that we will teach you is the following: an interview is usually a bilateral conversation between you and the interviewer. If you want to convince the interviewer that you are the right candidate, you must first understand their perspective. It doesn’t matter if the person interviewing you is the hiring manager, a person from HR, or someone else, all three have the same goal. From the first second the interviewer lays eyes on you, they will try to answer these three questions:

While this is not rocket science, condensing the entire interview into three questions plays a part for your interview preparation. Everything huge you prepare should questions. What you say in the interview should revolve around these three demonstrate that you:

This entire guide is based on the most powerful tool you will ever need to master any interview: preparation. We will teach you how to best demonstrate your SKILL , WILL , and FIT. Maybe you have heard this before, but we say this to all the people we coach: “ the better you prepare, the luckier you get get started! ”. So, let’s kick things off and

The most common mistake we see in the interview preparation process is always the same. All the advice out there treats the interview as one single entity, but it is so much more than that. There are several key components that are vital to the interview. It is like any project in a company. If it is not broken down into its most important parts, it is set up for failure. Breaking things down into smaller components brings structure and thus focus to any planning and preparation process. And in the case of interviews, it makes things a lot easier. So, let’s look at the different phases of the interview:

BE PRESENTABLE

Don’t just do what everyone else is doing – make yourself stand out

BE CONFIDENT According to research, up to 40% of messages in meetings is transmitted through Confidence is therefore key when going into an body language. interview. If you are well prepared and feel to be dressed appropriately your body language will signify confidence. Even if it is the job of your dreams and you are very excited about the opportunity, it is recommended not to show it. not undersell yourself by expressing that you’re not Do confident to be the perfect candidate for the position. You want to convey exactly the opposite: that clear eye contact YOU ARE indeed the right candidate. with your interviewer, stand tall Make and quick note on handshakes: a weak handshake upright , and have a firm handshake. Just a creates a terrible impression and is something you clearly want to avoid. Just don’t break the interviewer’s hand!

Let's start out with two facts discovered by psychologists at Princeton and Harvard University. Firstly, interviewers make their initial judgment in the first seven seconds interview. Secondly, it is almost impossible to of the reverse shot. Despite what people say, humans will that first impression. You only get one always subconsciously judge a book by its cover. As such, it is not something you can easily quantify. We have therefore studied psychological research papers on human interaction and translated those into six recommendations for making a great first impression. We call them the “ Six Bs .”

The most common, unspecific advice is to dress appropriately Well, essentially, you should base your decision. So, what does this mean exactly? of what to wear on (i) what you think the interviewer would expect you to wear, (ii) how an outfit makes you feel, and (iii) what message you want to convey. If you believe you look good, you will come across as Dress how you would if you actually had the job confident and relaxed.

• preferably even better. Make sure to do a quick check from head to toe in the mirror right before the interview starts – the final “check” as you would say. If you are insecure about which colors to wear, opt for such colors as white. According to psychological studies, those blue, gray, or are the ideal colors for job interview outfits. Blue is assuring, while white and gray suggest you’re the organized and/or logical type.

BE ATTENTIVE

Turn off your phone building or turning on your computer video. before entering the Always saying. If you do not understand a question or listen closely to what the interviewer is statement and/or miss something, kindly ask them to repeat it. If the interviewer divulges something about themselves or their career, show interest and ask a related question. By listening constructively, you demonstrate to the interviewer that you value what they are saying. Never interrupt Maintain eye contact the interviewer..

BE POLITE

The any human interaction has a very amount of attention given by someone in strong effect on how likeable someone undivided attention, it makes them feel that person is. If you pay valued, and the chances that they like you increase significantly. Increasing your likability will skyrocket your chances of COMPANY CULTURE. And it’s not that hard to FITTING in the accomplish - just follow these steps:

While this seems obvious, there are a few things you should be paying attention to. First of all, not only do you want to be nice and courteous to the interviewer but also the entrance and of course within the building, to everyone you encounter at regardless of their position. You never know who talks to whom and which person has which job. We have heard too many stories of people being arrogant or rude to someone who later turned out to be the interviewer or boss.

Don’t make assumptions showing you to the interview room isn’t always the – for example, the person assistant; often they are the boss. people is important ; many people will take notice of Interacting with how genuine your “Thank you” is to someone serving you coffee. Secondly, if you are already sitting in the interview room, stand up when the interviewer enters the room. Thirdly, people love to hear their own name (i.e., “Thank you, Mr. Smith. It was great meeting – so definitely use it when saying goodbye you”). Finally, former colleagues, employees, and employers) never speak poorly about others (i.e., unless you want to put a big red flag in the interviewer’s head. That is always a no go.

BE KNOWLEDGEABLE Prior to any interview, you should company and interviewers. This not only shows your research the interest, but it will also give you a over other candidates. Study the company website competitive edge and be mindful of what the media is saying about the company. Make sure you know about the company’s products and services, its markets, and competitors as well as its mission.

An elevator pitch is your own personal commercial of yourself tailored to the job and the company you are interviewing for.

This is a short speech no longer than two minutes, and its sole purpose is to convince someone of something. An elevator pitch is your own commercial of yourself tailored to the job and the personal company you are interviewing for. It answers the question of who you are and why you are the best candidate for the position. OK, so now that you know what an elevator pitch is and why you need it, how do you prepare one? We have created a short step-by-step exercise for you:

01 Come up with most convincing thing^ three to five of the s about yourself regarding FIT. Write them down and SKILL , WILL pack them , and into a short story.

02 Read the story out loud fine-tuning it during the process. Read^ to yourself, it again and polish it once more. Repeat this process 100% convinced it is a great, until you are convincing story that flows well without any awkward pauses or rough spots.

03 P friends and get their feedback in case ractice it with your partner^ or close it needs anymore tweaks.

04 Once perfected, repeatedly in front of the mirror until it^ rehearse it becomes second nature.

WHAT NOT TO DO IN AN ELEVATOR PITCH:

FORGET TO TAILOR YOUR MESSAGE

BEING A ROBOT

LANGUAGE NOBODY UNDERSTANDS

Don’t recite your pitch as if you were a robot; simply repeating what you have memorized word for word will not do your pitch justice. It needs to sound natural and genuine! Once again, rehearsing earlier, preparation is key. will do the trick. As we mentioned

SPEAKING TOO QUICKLY

Although you have already made a template, your elevator pitch job for which should always be adapted to each you are interviewing. Always remember which message you want to deliver.

You want your pitch to be clear and precise. It is important for it to be easily understood. highly technical terms and too sophisticated Avoid language.

Make sure that the pitch can be delivered in two minutes max it is too long at normal speed. Rehearse it, and if or you need to speak too fast, shorten it. A rushed pitch because of too much information will do you no favors.

5. ANSWERING QUESTIONS: PART I – THE POWER OF KNOWING THEM IN ADVANCE Having an answer to a question straight away is a great feeling. Humans feel great if they know the answers to questions. They feel even better if they know something that others don’t. You might be wondering what any of this has to do with job interviews? Let us explain.

There is a questions that have a strong chance of showing up very common set of +/- 20 interview in any interview you will have. This is great news because it gives you the ability to prepare as well as practice the answers to these questions in advance. This is imperative for three reasons:

BE AUTHENTIC It is not advisable to pretend to be someone else in an interview. Firstly, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to believably maintain a false persona for the duration of the entire job interview. And if the interviewer doubts your honesty during the interview, it is almost certain you will not get the job. Secondly, you probably will want to have this job for at least a few years. The likelihood that you would be able to maintain this false persona without the truth coming out over such a long period is zero.

6. ASKING QUESTIONS – ANOTHER CHANCE TO STAND OUT Towards the end of the interview this question often arises: “ candidates do not realize that having questions to Do you have any questions ?”. Most ask is yet another demonstrate SKILL great opportunity to , WILL , and FIT. Moreover, it allows you as a candidate to conversation where you want it to go. We made a steer the survey asking recruiters for the type of questions they have been asked and which ones made the best impression. Instead of boring you with more numbers, let us give you the result in a nutshell. Recruiters answered that less than 5% of all candidates ever ask any meaningful questions. However, there were a few questions that they were asked that led them to not only remember the actual question but also the candidates who asked them. How come? They said the questions that impressed them the most were the ones that conveyed that the candidate had a deep understanding of the topic demonstrated the will to know how they could use ( SKILL ) and this to FIT ). We asked ourselves how asking such a create value for the company ( WILL and question could be so powerful and therefore

decided to dig deeper. What we discovered was it had less to do with the actual questions themselves, but rather the way that these questions triggered a conversation. These questions sparked a detailed discussion about how the candidate would shine in this job position. So, the key takeaways here are:

Asking the right questions can be a very powerful tool. By asking the right questions, YOU can steer the interview liking. This allows you to suddenly take control into a certain direction of your of the situation. Less than 5% of all candidates use this to their advantage.

WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE CHALLENGES FOR A PERSON IN THIS ROLE?

This question states: I am analytical. I think about problems and find

solutions. I am a doer who wants to understand how I can create value. This

is a great question that shows initiative. What’s even better, however, is that

asking this question usually ignites a discussion regarding the challenges of

the position. This gives you the perfect opportunity to have well-prepared

examples about how you tackled and solved similar challenges in the past.

Remember to describe the challenge , how you approached it , and what the

outcome was (measurable results).

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE SIX MONTHS INTO THIS JOB?

This question states: I am motivated , goal-orientated , and KPI-driven. It will

trigger a similar discussion as the question mentioned above.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE/DON’T LIKE ABOUT WORKING HERE?

Many candidates are afraid to ask such a question. Don’t be - it is a great

question because it conveys two messages. First, you really want to learn

about the company , its values , and the working atmosphere. You will not

settle for just any job; you care about what kind of job (FIT ) it is. Second,

inquiring about the reasons not to work for the company sends the signal

that you have various options and choices open to you. We are using

psychology here once again. Someone who has multiple options available

will always be perceived to be more competent ( SKILL ) and more valuable.

One last thing: although asking questions is great, do not proactively ask

about salary, bonuses, perks, and holidays before entering the negotiation

phase. This would set the wrong tone and possibly give a wrong impression

of yourself.

So, now let’s look at three questions which could do the trick. These questions are twofold - they give you an advantage in the interview and help you determine if the position is right for you.

1. Tell me about yourself. / What should I know about you?

2. What are your strengths/weaknesses?

3. Why do you want this job? / Why do you want to work for us? / What kind of role are

you seeking?

4. Why should we hire you?

5. Why are you the right fit to succeed in this role?

6. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

7. Why do you want to leave your current job/Why have you left your job?

8. Why were you let go from your last position?

9. Can you explain this gap on your resume?

10. What does teamwork mean to you?

11. What are your hobbies? / What do you do when you’re not working?

12. What are your salary expectations?

13. What was the biggest challenge you have faced and how did you solve it?

14. Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn?

15. Give me an example of when you had to support others in a team. Why did they need

support? What did you do to support them? How did that change things?

16. Give me an example of when you had an important deadline. How did you manage

your time? What did you do to ensure that the deadline was met? How would you

organize your activities differently next time?

17. Describe the last time you missed a deadline. Why did this happen? How responsible

were you for this? What did you do to try to overcome this problem?

18. Describe an occasion when you had difficulties working with a team. What caused the

problems? How did you respond? What was the outcome?

19. Tell me about a time when you were able to anticipate a problem. How did you know

the problem was likely to occur? What did you do? How effective was your action?

20. Give me a recent example of a setback you experienced. Describe the situation. How

did you react to the problem?

Please note that while the questions you might be asked may differ slightly, the answers you give will essentially be the same.

By structured using theand STAR well-thought-out method, your and,answer more is importantly, will To conclude, here are the 20 most frequently hold the interviewer’s interest. asked earlier. competency-based questions promised

With these frequently asked questions, you’ll be well equipped to Master the Interview. Now you know how to tell a story, make a great impression, position yourself with the perfect pitch, and rise above all other candidates by asking the right questions and checking in with the company afterwards. This guide is your key to developing stellar interview skills and conquering one of the hardest parts of the application process – the interview.

Mastering the Interview, however, is just one out of three success factors for landing a great new job. The two others are Finding All Relevant Jobs and Getting Interview Invitations jobs you find, the more chances you have to get an. The more relevant interview, and the more interviews you get, the more opportunities you get to master the interview. These three building blocks combined are what we call the Job Search Funnel. This is why you also need to tackle the Career Blockers holding you back from seeing all relevant jobs and being invited to interviews.

Finding All Relevant Jobs The average candidates never even see over 50% of all relevant job opportunities due to the way they search. It is very hard work to find all jobs, and most don't know how to do this. Further, they frequently don't have access to the relevant headhunters, controlling roughly 15%-20% of the senior-level job market. For this reason, we developed a Job Tracking Software and a Headhunter Database Job Tracking Software scans millions of websites doing the work for you. The from Job Boards, Company Career Websites, and Headhunter Websites every day. You can define what you are looking for, and the software delivers every matching job directly into your inbox. Our Headhunter Database is your access to every Headhunter in your area and all their senior-level jobs. Headhunter Database Now Get 20% Discount on Job Tracker and

Getting Interview Invitations Your resume is one of your most important career tools as it decides if you get invited to the interview. But many professionals have no idea where to start, what to include, and what to leave off of their resumes. They also don't know the pitfalls of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which automatically filter resumes before reaching the hiring manager. guaranteed to get you more interviews to land the A professionally written resume is job you want faster. For this reason, we're here to help. We offer a free review of your resume and a writing service if you need it. Get a Free Resume Review Now

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