Interview skills

xjx

Ihave a good resume, it always land me interviews, but I never got a offer, is anybody here could share some interview tips and skills ?

what is the hardest question you ever been asked ?
what is the best way to answer some of the common questions ?
what is the strangest question you ever have to answer ?
...

your help is greatly appreciated

thanks

Jun

gbhpboy

I've been to a lot of interviews in the past, have interviewed many candidates for job in the past, even been sent on a "how to conduct interviews course". I've got a 2 page document I drew up from all the best material around. If you email me your address I'll send it to you.

A question always asked, is to describe your strengths and weaknesses.
People are good at the strengths, but the last thing you want to say, is that you haven't got any weaknesses even if you honestly believe that to be true. Say something that may initially be perceived as a weakness, give an example and then turn it round to be positive.
For example, "I've sometimes thought I take too long doing things, and I could move things around faster. This is because I take great care in my work and have a good attention to detail. I remember the time where the job I was doing should have finished on Saturday evening, but it overrun until Sunday lunchtime. It was worth however because when the users came in on Monday morning and logged-on they had no problems at all".

good luck

louzam2115

I was in the same boat as you once.

I only had a year of college under my belt, no certifications but I had my personal IT knowledge and a drive to outperform and to be competitive.

I knew my resume was rock solid and I always have been "ok" at interviewing but one day I was called to come back to the second interview at a Fortune 500 help desk job. Which is big for me, since I was competing against people that have degrees and certifications.

I picked up a book called 201 Best Questions To Ask On Your Interview and it was great. I now believe that it is not fully how you anwser the questions from the interviewer but the questions that you ask the interviewer are the ones that matter.

If you can develop 1 or 2 killer questions that will blow the interviewer away then you have a great change of getting your foot in the door.

My killer question was "You were awarded "Top In Training" from Training Magazine , what does the company do to ensure that all of its are properly trained and those who want to advance recieve additional training."

Not only was my interviewer the training manager as well, this blew her away. It showed that I did research on the company, and that I have an interest in learning from them and advancing.

I also asked a question, "Do you have any concerns about me filling the responsibilities of this position", She replied Yes. I told her why to not be, and here I am, landed the job. This is a good question if you feel that you are not fully qualified or if you think that the interviewer does not think you are qualified.

Hope this helps.

xjx

thank you very much, that was great

mwgood

I really like louzam2115's response to this question.

The way I see it is that one of the goals that will allow you to succeed in an interview is to demonstrate not only your technical ability, but also that you are a peer - an equal - with the interviewer.

This is typically done by showing genuine interest in their company, the hiring process, as well as the interviewer themselves. People really do like to talk about themselves, so if you can get the interviewer's attention focussed not on the question of your competence, but back on themselves (after you've established your competence - you want them to be able to take your competence for granted) - then you've "broken the ice" and have gotten further than most. AND - there is an appropriate amount of inquisitiveness - too much can be detrimental. So - it's sort of an "art" - you have to know when and how much inquiring is the "right" touch.

It is important to remember that you are also interviewing the employer to see whether it would be a good fit for you. If you don't ask questions, then you may seem desperate for a job - which is not good in the interview process.

It's worked like a charm for me. )

One final point - always keep it positive - ALWAYS. It is true that your attitude determines your altitude in the interview process - nobody wants to hire a complainer (about anything). This also demonstrates that you take responsibility and don't excuse yourself by blaming others.