How To Understand The Basic Characteristics of your Interviewer

How To Understand The Basic Characteristics of your Interviewer

Every individual has a specific situation bothering him/her in every individual life and your interviewers cannot be left out of this experience. 

However, If you can sense an interviewer's style and build rapport with them, you’ll have confidence in providing specific information that will give you an edge over your interviewers.

Listed below are the characteristics you should take note of in your interviewers:

1.     Inattentive: There is a time that the interviewer isn’t mentally present, maybe he/she is thinking of something more important or something happened before your interview that really bothered his/her mind. It’s impossible to impress this kind of interviewer that is distracted by something. Such an individual can equally purposely try to distract your attention to make you fail miserably. It’s very important for you to keep a good impression of yourself by smiling and don’t panic. At times a scenario of an impending crisis may be created to test your attitude or how you’re going tackle such a situation in your place of work. You may equally give your best approach and offer him/her to reschedule. But make sure to give a good account of yourself address to send him/her the right message and be prepared to attend the interview if rescheduled.

2.     Friendly: This is the type of interviewer that gives jokes, smiles, and tells you to take it easy on yourself. But he/she aims for you to put in a relaxed mind in such a way that you will then unconsciously expose too much information (ones that can be detrimental to your career) about yourself. You should be kind, and friendly but at the same always remember that you shouldn’t also get carried away doing this. Stick with your goal. Remember you’re not part of them yet. You should be wary of putting yourself in a tight corner where you wouldn’t be able to scale through the interview stage while pursuing your career.

3.     Interrogator: This is a typical type of interviewer that seems not to show any emotion and inflicts tension on the applicants. The best thing you can do is stay calm, focus, and show respect and confidence. This kind of interviewer observes how you can deal with this kind of scenario. And remember that most interrogator types of interviewers often became your best advocate throughout your interview process or even into the job. These types of interviewers are always hell-bent on making sure that the company employs the best candidates for the vacant position, though they may prove too strict and rigid once you put in your best, and believe that you can make it through.

4.     Laser Beam: This type of interviewer only focuses on one topic. Like discussing quotas, this style is for line managers. When you find yourself in this type of interview, you should make it a point of duty to fulfill his/her expectations of you. Satisfy his/her judgment and move on. Don’t derail or fidgety while responding to any question(s) being asked, because those questions are not meant to make sure that you fail it is just a clear indication that they are employing the best candidates for the job. See it in that direction and stay focused.

5.     Shotgun: This is the type that wants to discuss anything. The questions are all over the place, you even don’t have a vacant time because he/she is full of questions. This is where your anxious presentation really pays off because you can involve your strengths in many distinct exposures to the job. Your experience can give you an edge in this type of interview, but yet you must be very careful in answering not to derail while responding to questions asked.

6.     Silver Bullet: Believes there's one magic question to ask -- and one magic response that determines whether you're right for the job. The Silver Bullet asks a few hasty questions about your skills. Then ask “off-the-wall” questions, which are questions you didn’t even expect. Even though these questions don’t have a wrong answer he/she decides if it’s yes or no. Simply answer every question and don’t worry about your answers too much.

While preparing for an interview, you must try as much as possible to alter your approach to different situations you may find yourself in life and in which you may equally experience with your Interviewers: You should prepare yourself to step into a situation of power when you identify the interviewer's style and adjust your approach accordingly. As you prepare for the interview, ask yourself, "How might my answers be different for different interview styles?" 

With a Laser Beam, for example, you might offer him a choice when you begin answering a question ("Would you like to talk about this aspect of the job or that one?"). An achievement story for a friendly Interviewer might focus more on your teamwork skills, and the same story for an Interrogator Interviewer, because you might begin by stating the results of your individual work. The more you show your emotional knowledge by understanding the interviewer's objective for that interview, the more likely he'll be able to listen to you.

Important Tips On How To Get The Job You Want

Important Tips On How To Get The Job You Want

Getting a job nowadays is becoming very difficult. It’s beyond preparing a well-writing resume, applying for a job, and forever hoping to get hired just like that. Well, 

I have to tell you that, it’s time to stop hoping and start really getting the job you want. Listed below are some of what you need to do to get past job searching and start working.

Carry out your own Self Analysis

To start job searching you must, first of all, analyze yourself on what you want to be. You analyze yourself on your interest, personality, strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. 

You can be a Bum, an Entrepreneur, a Young Professional, or a Student Seeking Higher Studies. If you choose to be a Bum, Entrepreneur, or Student then you should stop reading this article and continue to pursue the career path that you chose. However, if you choose to become a Young Professional continue reading because all the information you need to get hired is in this article.

Prepare yourself adequately for the job

Why do we need to prepare before job searching? Because Companies/Employers are very selective and among the numerous number of applicants they have they will choose the most deserving and who will make their company more productive. They are not looking to teach you, they are looking to get instant results from you. The other reason is competition, if you had experience in working you may have a distinct advantage but nevertheless it is still the Companies/Employers that will have the decision when hiring an applicant.

Get information on how to Look For a Company

Where do we look for a company that is hiring? A lot of companies post their job vacancy in, for example, newspaper ads, radio, TV, job fair, employment agencies, Internet, and if your University has College Placement Office they can provide you a job vacancy listing also. Another way of looking for a company is through Networking, when looking for a company you must always be resourceful; ask the people you know that is working for a company if they have an opening. When you find a company then you must prepare for the next step.

Prepare your resume adequately

Books, magazines, and the internet are examples of the resources you can get on how to make a presentable resume but the only point is to be true to yourself in what you will write. Don’t put on your resume that you know you wouldn’t be able to defend. State clearly all the necessary content of a good resume stating your name, academic qualification, achievements, and other accomplishments as well as other necessary information. 

Cover Letter

Just like in making a resume, there are a lot of resources on how to make a cover letter. Before you make a letter make sure that you know where to send the cover letter that you will make. It should be either on the Human Resource Supervisor, the Employer, Personnel Resource Manager.

Interview

If the Company/Employer called you for an interview, you must also prepare for it. Again, why do you need to prepare for an interview? As I have written earlier companies are very selective. So why do we need to prepare? You need to prepare well for the interview to be able to ace the interview and get the job without much problem.

Check Company

Why do we need to check the company? If you were asked by the interviewer what do you know about the company? What do you think your answer will be? It is much better if you know the history of the company as well as the product or services that they offer to their clients. You don’t exactly need to know all the information about the company, just a bit of knowledge about them is well enough.  You can get this through the company’s website, bulletins, notice board (if you have access to it), or by contacting any member of staff for the company.  You can work on any information given to update yourself about the company. This can be of great importance to you during the interview. 

What is the Job About?

You don’t apply for a job you don’t know anything about the job. It is foolishness on your part to apply for it. Before applying for the job position make sure you qualify for the requirements the company is asking for.

During the interview, the interviewer may it be, the Human Resource Supervisor, or the Employer will not just look at your credentials in your resume but also your personality as well. You must show the interviewer maturity, the right attitude, and a presentable appearance. It is important to make yourself presentable because you are offering your services to them and if they see you not well dressed they may think that you take their company for granted.

If you comply with what the company needs and they believe that you will be an asset to them in terms of productivity of their company. Automatically you will get hired and the very next day you can see yourself working in the company.

What Executive Job Candidates Should Be Careful Of

What Executive Job Candidates Should Be Careful Of

Like any process, applying and interviewing for an executive job carries with it an unspoken set of rules that distinguish an Executive Job Candidate from other categories while searching for job. Looking for high paying jobs is becoming difficult by the day, hence the need to be well prepared and avoid the common CV and interview pitfalls that could make you lose out a lucrative position.

THINGS YOU MUST DO . . .

a) It is extremely important for you to think about how you present yourself

Whether you are to send your CV through online system, telephone conversation, by email or in person, it’s important that you give a good impression whenever you communicate about the executive appointment you’re interested in. A professional image is critical to your success, and it is something that makes an immediate impact. It may seem unimportant to you, but every bit of contact that an agency or employer has with you informs their eventual decision on whether to offer the job to you or not.

b) Don’t be seen as a prospective liar, Tell the truth whatever the situation

Apparently, we’ve all been tempted to lie about our qualifications or experience. This is always a bad move, particularly if you’re applying for an executive appointment. The company will be investing a reasonable amount of money in your appointment and on your salary, and they won’t be happy if they discover you got the position by being dishonest with them. An honest candidate is much more likely to get the job, and won’t have to worry about keeping up the lies once they start work.

c) Be time conscious in your approach

Lateness should be avoided at all costs. Make sure you leave in plenty of time to get to your place of interview 5-10 minutes early. If you are unavoidably caught up in traffic, make sure you have the company contact details with you so that you can call immediately and explain your situation. Once you get to the interview, don’t spend your time moaning about the delay.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T DO.

a) Don’t Be too aggressive or offensive

Applicants for executive appointments are expected to have a certain standard of behaviour. Don’t make the mistake of being too informal with your interviewer, don’t tell rude or offensive jokes, or make comments that the interviewer may find distasteful. Limit your answers and questions to the subject and scope of the interview. Don’t ever go beyond what you are being asked and if there is any need to give extra information, do it with modesty.

b) Don’t be too over-confident

Over-confidence in interviews is often the result of nerves, and an effort to appear self-confident for executive appointments can end up looking like arrogance to the interviewer. Sell yourself by all means, but do it in a manner that shows that you can also work as part of a team and accept ideas and criticism from others.

c) Put too much emphasis on salary

If an employer thinks that you only want the job for the money, you are unlikely to get it. Any talk about salary and benefits should come right at the end of the interview. If you begin by asking about pay and conditions, you run the risk of giving the interviewer the wrong impression. Salary is an important part of all executive appointments, so stick to your guns when negotiating salary, but don’t make it the focal point of the interview. Be very cautious not to give a very bad impression about yourself.

Executive appointments is known to be an important position in any organization, because it is saddled with the responsibility of representing the company both within and outside the company. This dictates the reason why agencies and companies are looking for people who have the skills, qualifications and experience to carry on the work with utmost sincerity and commitment. You need to know that careful preparation and planning can help you to succeed.

Good luck in your job search.