| Thought I'd take a moment or two to review another | | | | what youhope to do. |
| importantpre-interview consideration that could make | | | | My best advice is to make a list of your skills, as |
| or break theresults of your job interview. I'm speaking | | | | theyrelate to the specific job you are interviewing for. |
| of Job Interview Preparation. | | | | Listeach of your areas of endeavor, your duties, you |
| What's that? Most of us think that when it comesto a | | | | tasks. For instance, if you are a retail manager |
| job interview, we gather up our resume and | | | | interviewing for a job in that industry, your list would |
| references,don our attractive clothing, put on our game | | | | include regular tasks like "customer service," and |
| face and assumewe can present our own skills and | | | | "Vendor management," and "cash control," and "staff |
| know-how to the intervieweror interviewers. After all, | | | | training," and "store safety," and a dozen other daily, |
| they are our skills and know-how,if we can't present | | | | weekly or monthly duties. A corporate buyer mayhave |
| them better than anyone else -- who can? | | | | on their list: "price book management," "bid processing," |
| Right? Suprisingly enough, you'd be WRONG if you | | | | "vendor price negotiations," or "delivery logistics |
| believed that. | | | | management,"and more. Each vocation has its own |
| Having been involved in literally 1000's of interviews | | | | unique set of dutiesto list. |
| over thecourse of my career, I can promise you that | | | | Why list those duties? Because you are going to |
| most Applicantscannot logically present their skills and | | | | writean example for each of those duties to illustrate |
| accomplishments, let alone do it in a manner that | | | | byexample your mastery over the task in question. |
| moves the interview along to a positive conclusion. Oh | | | | Theexamples you choose will be real-life examples |
| sure, they can offer up a nice list of things to talk | | | | wherebyyou solve problems within a range of tasks. |
| about, things they can do in their respective work | | | | For instance, the retail manager enters on their duties |
| environments, and make it sound good too. But for the | | | | listthe task of "cash control." Then describes how |
| most part, too often, they neglect the important news... | | | | theysolved a problem of cash shortage on the evening |
| like what you are going to do specifically for the | | | | shiftby reassigning who worked which cash register, |
| employer with which you are interviewing now. | | | | and bytaking register readings multiple times during a |
| Employers then have to cull through your materials, | | | | shiftand reviewing results with each employee, thereby |
| including what you have to say about yourself in the | | | | identifingthe cause of the shortage and thusly saving |
| job interview, and your resume and your application, | | | | thestore from suffering a significant loss. |
| and the results from any required job assessments, | | | | That illustrates to the prospective Employer, in a job |
| and they have to patch together a pattern of | | | | interview, that you not only perform that duty, but you |
| know-how, job experience and goals that will hopefully | | | | havereal-life effective strategies to solve |
| fit the needs for which they are interviewing. | | | | problemsrelating to that specific task. And you must |
| So in preparing for a job interview, you should strive | | | | address each of your key duties or tasks, because |
| toorganize how you will present your credentials and | | | | you don't which tasks will be the most important to be |
| achievmentsand skills so it proceeds logically and fulfills | | | | discussed when you are at the interview. So you must |
| therequirements of the job -- not just so you can rattle | | | | be prepped on each. That is a much moreeffective |
| onabout what you know and what you've done and | | | | way to present your skills in an interview. |