Improve Your Interview Skills and Get That Job

There are four basic types of interviews thatTechnical skills: Do you have the skills to do the job,
employers will use. Arrangement interviews arehow have you used those skills and what was the
individual interview or arranged as a group. Individualoutcome.
interview on done on a one on one basis or you willIf you focus on having good answers to these 10
have to face a panel.categories you should do very will.
Agenda interviews are interviews where there are noWhen an interviewer asks you a question they will
set questions or a set of questions that are a like.want to know how you will handle these 10 basic
Focus interviews may be disorganized where theemployer concerns. When you answer their questions
employer may ask many hypothetical questions.tell the employer which of these 10 skills you used,
Some interview may behavioral, this is where thewhat action did you took, and what was the positive
interviewer may focus on past accomplishments fromresult that occurred after you took action. The
you previous employers.interviewer will want to know what positive result
The interview might be skills based where theoccurred from the action you took.
employer will test your objective skills.When answering your interviewers questions feed
The last interview process might be where you willyour answer back to the interviewer in a short story.
have to go through many interviews. The firstAny answer that shows you handled these 10
interview is establishing your qualifications for the job.business concerns and achieved a positive result will
The interviews that follow will challenge your fit withbe a successful answer.
the company.If an interviewer asked you how you handled a conflict
Many people will try to prepare for the job interviewwith a co-worker. You might respond to the
by preparing to answer questions they think aninterviewer by saying. There was a time when my
employer will ask them. There are too many questionsteam leader acted harshly to one of our new hires.
to prepare for. A simpler way of handling this challengeAfter the incident I pulled my team leader a side and
is to focus on answering a number of questions thatinformed him or her that I felt they should have asked
most employer will be concerned with. Employers willthe new hire for help instead of rudely telling the new
be concerned with how you answer these 10hire what to do, they would probable get more help
questions.from them. The result was that my team leader
Business goals: They will want to know how you willbecame more aware of the way they interacted with
help them increase sales, handle customer satisfaction,others.
are you efficient and what is the quality of your work?Think about these 10 business concerns and start
How do you handle time management and are youthinking about how you handled a situation from your
reliable: They will be concerned with your punctuality,previous employer. A good acronym to remember
how you handle deadlines, how you prioritize tasks,when you respond to the interviewer is to utilize the
and are you willing to work flexible hours?Skill, Action, Result (SAR), technique. What skill did you
Are you willing to learn: How do you handle overuse, what action did you take to handle the situation
coming your weaknesses, take criticism, and how welland what was the positive outcome or result that was
you learn on the job?accomplished?
How do you handle initiative: Are you willing to helpTry to quantify your answers as much as possible. For
co-workers, are you a problem solver and do youexample if the interviewer asks what you did to meet
take initiative?your previous employers goals. A good response
Are you a team player: How do you contribute to themight be, I can remember a time when I helped the
team, show leadership, and help co-workers?team exceed our goals when I discovered a better
How your people skills are: Can you get alone withway of utilizing our software which helped us quote 12
different people, how do you resolve conflict withnew clients a month which resulted in $120,000 in
co-workers and difficult customers?additional premium.
How your communication skills are: How are yourTo improve your interview skills focus on answering
listening, speaking, writing and reading skills?the 10 business concerns with stories that quantify
How your judgment is: Do you try to avoid mistakes,your success in handling these 10 business concerns.
do you work safe, and how do you come back whenRemember to use the Skill, Action, Result (SAR)
a mistake is made.technique. Doing this will improve your chances of
Do you have integrity: Are you fair and unbiased, dogetting the job.
you follow rules, and are you honest?