Nailing the Job Interview

 Interview is really about one thing: Making the person across the table fall in love with you. Here are a few ideas to help you make that happen.
Don't be a Diva
The single biggest mistake many job candidates make is to walk in with attitude. Even if you think the company would be lucky to have you, and even if – based on your talents and work history – you’re right, no one wants to work with a diva. You’ve been given thirty minutes to impress the interviewer, but the wrong attitude will lose you the job in the first five.
Dress for Success
Another deal-killer is poor aesthetics. You may think you’re the next Mark Zuckerberg, and for all I know you are, but I’m not going to be impressed if you come to see me in a hoodie and torn jeans. We’re pretty casual at RadiumOne – it’s rare to see that many ties in our offices – but if you’re coming in for an interview – remember the importance of a first impression.
Body Language
Body language is also crucial. Be articulate – not boring. Sagging shoulders, slouching, fidgeting – those behaviors make people uncomfortable, and who wants to work with someone that makes them uncomfortable? Be courteous. Smile. Make eye-contact. And treat everyone with respect, including everyone you meet. After all, they may be asked for their opinions after you’ve left the building.
Be Prepared
Another common mistake is to come to the interview unprepared. I think a prospective employee should take the time to do his or her homework, and this will become evident through the quality of his questions. When someone asks who they’re going to be working with, is curious about the specifics of the job, and talks about opportunities for growth, I feel I’m dealing with a person who’s there for the long-haul, and that’s the kind of person I want to invest in.
You should also be prepared to answer the interviewer’s questions, and these tend to be fairly predictable: Why do you want this job? Where do you see yourself in three years? What are your greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses? If you aren’t prepared, and if you’re struggling to formulate answers, that’s not going to impress anyone. Think of the job interview as a test, and try to prepare for it before you come through the door.
Focus
This is a job interview; try to remember that. Small-talk is fine, but this is not the time and place for it. The interviewer doesn’t want to hear about your crazy night at the bar, about the relationship that broke your heart, or about your horrible last boss. Focus on the job, and on yourself as the right person for the job. Be professional. Inappropriate talk and inappropriate behaviors can and will be used against you. And speaking of inappropriate behaviors, remember that everything you post online is viewable to everyone - including an employer. So if you have any embarrassing pictures of yourself, don't post them. Or change your privacy settings. Better yet, change your privacy settings today.
Don't Talk Money
Another common mistake is to talk about compensation. If the interviewer brings up money, fine, but don’t go there unless invited. The money conversation will take place in due course, once you’ve been offered the job. And money shouldn’t be the deciding factor, anyway. If you take the job, you’ll have plenty of chances to show the company what you’re worth. And if you turn out to be a rock star, you’re going to get rock star wages.
Be Yourself
This may be the hardest advice of all. You’re in there to get the job, and you’re worried about blowing it. Plus there’s so much to think about: Don’t be a diva. Be prepared. Dress like you want the job. Watch the small- talk. Don’t discuss compensation.
Still, at the end of the day, you’re human. Your potential new boss wants to see the person they’re hiring, not the person you think you want to see. Don’t sell anyone a phony version of yourself. If you’re there it’s because you impressed them enough to get the interview, and they’re just as eager to get to know you, as you are to get the job. Don’t overthink the situation, and don’t try to sell a manufactured version of yourself. Authenticity always wins out.
The Follow Up
Finally, I am always surprised when people fail to follow up after the interview. All it takes is a short, polite email, in which you thank the interviewer for his time and remind him or her that you are seriously interested in the job. Sometimes a candidate doesn’t do well in the room, but I hear from them later in the day and I decide to have a second look. That call or email tell me two things: The candidate has proper etiquette, and they WANT the job.

GOOD LUCK!

Secret of Success

A young man asked Socrates the secret
to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next
morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into
the water. The boy struggled to get out
but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue.
Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man
did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, 'What did you want the most when you were there?"

The boy replied, "Air." Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted
the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.

Moral of the Story

A burning desire is the starting point of
all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak
desire cannot produce great results..

Harvard Pranks Yale With Hilarious Fake Admissions Tour

Susan Adams, Forbes Staff

After dragging my 16-year-old on 15 college tours since last spring, I was in need of comic relief when my son sent me a link to a Business Insider piece that ran yesterday, showing a hilarious prank played by a Harvard comedy group called On Harvard Time, which produces videos it posts on YouTube. The Harvard kids buy Yale sweatshirts and then march onto the Yale campus where they pose as tour guides.

It’s not clear how they do this without the notice of the Yale admissions staff, but in the video, they attract a group of a half dozen prospective students and their parents and then proceed to give a Spiel that makes Yale sound far inferior to Harvard. “Yale is in many ways Harvard’s little, perhaps less successful sister,”  says one fake guide, who goes on to make fun of the excessive amount of Gothic architecture on campus and the Skull and Bones society. “Yale students are stupider than Harvard students, Yale students are not as successful as Harvard students, Yale students are not as attractive as Harvard students,” he says, while the touring families look on, weirdly unfazed.

The video made me laugh but also cringe, thinking of how numb these tours make you and how the perky guides all start to sound alike after the first couple of tours (“We believe in a holistic approach to admissions. You can take Statistics to satisfy the math distribution requirement.”)

Even though I’ve told my son that he shouldn’t pay undue attention to college rankings, even including the Forbes list, he can’t stop himself, which is why I especially liked a moment in the video when the guide says that Yale’s U.S. News ranking fluctuates from between “three and fifteen.” For the record, at Forbes we rank Yale at No. 4 this year, four slots ahead of Harvard at No. 8.

You can watch the video here

 

 

10 Things Recruiters Won't Tell You But ( I Will )

Recruiters have one job: Find the right person for the position.

Their performance is evaluated on how efficiently and effectively they match top talent to job requirements.

Ironically, in the current economy, recruiters are finding their jobs harder than ever.

I’m serious.

There’s too much talent for them to weed through. What used to be “finding a needle in a haystack” has now become “finding a needle in ten haystacks.”

As a result, recruiters have to determine a candidate’s marketability much quicker.

Translation: Candidates must pay even more attention to the power of the first impression factor.

People skills, attire, etc. all become more important when competition amongst talent is this fierce.

Reality check: Those who are failing to make a good first impression get put in the “no” pile and are never contacted again.

So, if you aren’t getting called back by a recruiter after either an in-person meeting or talking by phone, there’s a good chance that, in addition to the fact you didn’t have the right skills, you also might have displayed one or more traits on the “I can’t market them” list.

Now, most recruiters won’t tell you what you did wrong.

Why?

For one reason, they aren’t paid to give you the bad news. Second, they don’t want to burn a bridge. And third, as I mentioned, they just don’t have the time.

And yet, how are you going to fix the problem if you don’t know it exists?

I’ve put together the most common reasons why a recruiter writes a candidate off. You may not like what you read, but the good news is with a little attention and practice, all of them can be improved upon. So, ask yourself, “Am I guilty of the following?”

Top 10 Things Recruiters Won’t Tell You 

1.      Your interview attire is outdated/messy/too tight/too revealing/too flashy. 

2.      Your physical appearance is disheveled/outdated/sloppy/smelly/overpowering (i.e. too much perfume). 

3.      Your eye contact is weak/shifty/intense. 

4.      Your handshake is limp/too forceful/clammy. 

5.      You say ah/um/like too much. 

6.      You talk too much/use poor grammar/say inappropriate things (i.e. swearing) when you answer interview questions. 

7.      You appear overconfident/pushy/self-centered/insecure/aloof/ditzy/scatter-brained/desperate. 

8.      You talk too fast/too slow/too loud/too soft. 

9.      You giggle/fidget/act awkward/have facial tics/lack expression. 

10.  You lack sincerity/self-confidence/clarity/conviction.

So, How Do You Fix These?

Well, given 93% of communication is non-verbal, I can tell you that many of the negatives above can be improved by focusing on one thing: attitude.

If you are angry, fearful, or confused, it’s going to show. You must find a way to feel good about yourself and your ability to contribute. This comes from knowing your strengths and embracing them. It also comes from doing your homework on a company so you can articulate clearly and with enthusiasm why you would be a great fit for the job. I realize this is easier said than done, but it can be done.

Your Next Step

School teaches you everything except how to get the job. You must invest time in learning the right way to job search.

I just finished four new training videos for you – they’re all about executing an easier job search in this economy.

My videos are completely free and I’m confident you’re going to find them useful. The link to access the first one is below.

I hope I’ve convinced you to take a hard look at the 10 reasons above and to commit to finding a way to improve your first impression factor.

It’s your career.

Own your actions and take control of your professional development.

I promise, recruiters will take notice.

Your Turn

Feel free to share any reasons I missed below. Better still, if you’ve got a resource you’ve used that has helped you get over one or more of these first impression-busters, please share it below so fellow readers can use it as well.

http://www.facebook.com/707sufi

Recruiters have one job: Find the right person for the position
Read more at http://www.careerealism.com/10-things-recruiters-wont-tell-you-but-i-will/#ZqJJS1V9yCKTpMXA.99