Job Interviews

Acing the Competency Interview

Interviewers nowadays are no longer just concerned about your social status, what you did on your last job or how long you plan to stay at the company. Now, with competition getting steeper and steeper, businesses are concentrating on finding quality workers that would help them in making the company successful. This is why they have devised different interview styles and questions to have an in depth assessment of possible candidates. One of these is competency interviews. If you are not yet sure about how well you will fare at this type of interview, then read on to ace this step to employment!

First of all, a competency interview is a style wherein your prospective employer tries to learn how you have fared in difficult situations in the past. From the name itself, the interview assesses how competent you are when faced with particularly hard situations as this would predict how competent you will be in the future – hopefully while working for them.

The right and wrong answers are usually dependent on the person asking the questions. Before a competency interview, interviewers usually study you resume, assess the skills you have written there, decide whether those skills are vital for the position you are applying for and start to form a draft of possible questions. Regardless of the job you are applying for, the usual scenario goes like this. They will first ask about:

      The most difficult part in your previous job.

      The most difficult situation you have encountered during your previous job.

      What you have done to fix the situation.

      What was the result of what you have done.

These are the major questions asked so better start preparing for it. Since its you who provides sets the stage by supplying your previously most difficult situation, then start thinking answers up right now. Good luck!

Hiring Styles You Might Not Know About

The job market is getting tougher and tougher for job seekers because of the high standards demanded by top employers. So if you really, really want that position, everything you have must scream “employable”. And I mean everything, as employers no longer just look at your clothes and curriculum vitae, nope; their inspection extends to other things as well. Here are the few “secret hiring styles” unrevealed.

Waiting Style

Are you the impatient type? That could mean disapproval on your job application as some employers deliberately put you on time out. The purpose is basically to see your reaction when they make you wait. The pass and fail grades are not based on whether you walk out or not but on how you pass the time. More specifically, if you’re just listening to your iPod instead of reviewing your job application, chances are you’re scratched off the employable roster even before the interview.

Lunch Interview Style

Well, this isn’t really a secret anymore as the lunch cum interview setting has been quite used to evaluate applicants. The real question is about the proper behavior when dealing with these somewhat awkward situations. A lunch interview basically works on the same etiquette as a simple lunch. Don’t talk when your mouth is full. When asked a question while eating: maintain eye contact, chew and swallow before answering. Don’t order too pricey meals or stay within the price range your interviewer has ordered.

Social Sites Style

Is your Friendster or Facebook or MySpace or any other social site safe? Not really. Some employers are so resourceful that they even check out your profiles so that they could assess your personality. So while job hunting, it might be best to “private” some of your photos. 

Handling an Interview-slash-Lunch

`       So you’re due for a job interview, but as it turns out, your prospective employer wants it done over lunch. It may seem simple, right? After all, gaining sustenance is a basic necessity in any life. However, a job interview over lunch isn’t just lunch, it’s a strategy employed by some employers to evaluate a prospective employee. Ergo, how you order, what you order, how you eat and a million other things are usually used to judge your character. As a rule, you can’t really pinpoint what the employer wants to see, however, there are safe zones that may help you during the ordeal.

Being The Interviewer

Most of the time, tips are created for the jobseeker, especially when they are abouto go into that dreaded “job interview”.

But what about the interviewer?

Well, if this is you first time giving an interview, then you better read this article. Like getting interviewed, the person asking the questions must also be well prepped and ready to go.

 Know what to Ask

The right questions eventually bring out the right answers. List down what you want to know about the interviewee and convert them into questions. The favorite question format: What…? E.g. what do you consider you’re greatest achievement; you’re biggest failure, what have done to…etc. The idea is to let the interviewee talk about his or her qualifications about the job.

Listen

This is very important. As the interviewer, it is your duty to listen to what the interviewee has to say. So don’t go drifting off into Neverland while the jobseeker is itemizing his assets. Even if you do have a tape recorder somewhere that could remember all those words for you, you might miss out on the body language that is an equally important factor prior to getting hired.  

Smile:

The jobseeker is nervous enough without you glaring at her or him, don’t make it worse.

Maintain a Good Posture

You’re the interviewer; the ball is in your court. Therefore, you have to assert that by maintaining good posture and knowing you’re in charge. An interviewee would most likely not take you seriously if you slouch around on the chair.

Explain what the Position Entails

Most candidates have an idea about the job, but it’s always better to give them a more in-depth view of what you are offering. This is to clear some misconceptions plus to ascertain that the interviewee really wants the job. Not too much though, just enough to get the ball rolling. Watch out for facial expressions while detailing the information.