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Before your interview, take the time to research the company you are applying to. Learn about their mission, values, products/services, and more to impress the hiring manager. This article provides helpful tips and sample interview questions.
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Research the Company Before you write your cover letter and send off your resume, research the company you are applying to. This does not have to be a big job but it is important. It is an absolute necessity prior to an interview.
Check their website • Take ten minutes to look at the company’s website. • If you were to take additional ten minutes to dig a bit deeper, find out something really interesting or a fact that isn’t just on the first webpage, you’ll stand out against the rest
Know your Audience Find out as much as possible about the company, its mission, values, reputation, products or services, clients, competitors, culture, positioning in the market place etc.
Do your homework! Hiring managers and employers are quite consistent in emphasizing that candidates do their homework before coming in to talk about getting a job
Research & Preparation questions • What did you do to prepare for this interview? • What do you know about our company? • What would you like to know about our firm? • Why do you want to work for our organization?
Strength & abilities questions • Tell me something about yourself. • Why did you apply to this job? • Why should we hire you? • What are your strongest abilities? • What best qualities would you bring to this job? • Knowing what you do about the job, what do you think are the 3 most important skills to be successful at this job?
Examples of using / developing skills on the job • Tell me about a time when you successfully used time management skills. • Describe a time when you had to manage a conflict. • Please give an example of a recent occasion when you had to prioritize jobs with multiple deadlines.
What rewards are you looking for in your career? What is most important to you in a job? Describe the most important thing you learned in your last job? Where do you see yourself in 2 years? Goals / Objectives questions:
Remember: most questions are designed to discover your KSA: Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
We are here to help you! • If you aren’t getting interviews, let's review your resume • If you aren’t getting job offers, let’s review your interview style. • Good luck in your job search
Top 10 Annoying Habits at Workby Beverly WestMonster Contributing Writer Jen Star of the Jennifer Group, a recruiting firm that specializes in placing and maintaining support staff, cites 10 surefire ways to become a workplace annoyance.
You're Unprepared "Showing up for meetings, interviews or arranged work sessions without the equipment or data that you need demonstrates a lack of respect for your coworkers and yourself," says Star. "And it wastes time. Get off on the right foot, and make like a scout and be prepared."
You’re Not Self - Reliant Only ask for help when you really need it. "Giving up on the paper jam after only one try and expecting a co-worker to fix it because you know she can does not contribute to good team spirit," says Starr. Try everything you can to solve your own problem before involving somebody else.
You, Umm, Smell Your scent is important, especially when you're working in a small, poorly ventilated space with lots of other people around. Be considerate of your neighbours by taking care not to generate strong smells that will permeate their space. For instance, don't eat eggs or onions in the office, Star suggests. And if you smoke, be sure you air yourself out before you walk back in the office. The same goes for colognes. "Fragrance is a very personal choice, so it should be reserved for those who are close to you, not 20 yards away," says Star.
You’re loud on the phone Loud telephone conversations can be offensive to your neighbours, so try to keep your voice low and even. And keep personal calls short. "Phone fights or, worse yet, phone foreplay can really drive one up a wall after a certain point," says Star. "Remember that you are not in your living room."
You’re Unhealthy If you're sick, stay home. If you have the sniffles or must come in, cover your mouth and do whatever you can to avoid infecting your coworkers.
You Walk Like an Elephant Try to move around the office quietly to avoid disturbing the people around you. And if you must speak to another colleague, keep your voice down.
Turn Off your Cell Phone Unless absolutely necessary, cell phones should be turned off while you're in the office. If you need to keep your phone on, use a soft or silent ringer or vibrate mode.
Your Computer Volume Nobody wants to hear somebody else's bells and whistles when they're trying to concentrate.
You Shake Hands Like a Fishand Avoid Eye Contact "When somebody won't look me in the eye or give me some energy in their handshake, I feel like they're avoiding me or snubbing me in some way," Star says. "I like a firm handshake and a friendly smile."
Show Enthusiasm • You are in this position to learn, so soak up as much information as possible • Learn anything and everything you can! • When you are able to demonstrate useful information your boss will be impressed and will set you apart • Asking questions reveals you are interested, and the more interested
Mistakes • In every situation, try to do things right in the first time. • If you do make a mistake though, acknowledge it with your colleagues or boss learn from it, and move on
Be professional • Iron your clothes, be 10 minutes early for work and never use profanity of any sort, even if your colleagues do. Keep in mind that they have credibility and staying power, you don’t! • Never use office equipment for personal use…it is stealing • Do not surf the internet, do not check your personal e-mail ( not even on your break)
Be aware of office politics,but don’t join in • It will be a culture shock but in some places • There is a lot of office politics. People have been working together for a long time and they know how to push each other’s buttons. Be mindful of these things and NEVER participate in gossip
Take initiative • If you don’t have enough work to do, generate a list of projects you would like to pursue and discuss it with your boss. • Show initiative – do not sit at your desk, or continuously go back to them asking what to do next – these can only mean bad things for your reference
Be nice to everyone in youroffice Your boss will pick up on how you relate to the people in your office. You need to be the person your colleagues want to deal with
Be a Team Player “ You have to be willing to pitch in when another member of the team needs help, “ Star says. “there is nothing more annoying than watching somebody do a crossword puzzle while you’re buried in work.” And if co-worker needs a little time off to run an important errand, be flexible and help out when you can, she suggests.
