Great Questions to Ask During Interviews!

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Of course we all are looking for the best fit for the job, right? But how often do you think about their ability to handle your particular management style? This is often an area that managers overlook when asking the candidates questions during an interview.

Here are some questions that you should consider asking in your interviews to help assess the candidate’s adaptability to different management styles:

1. Describe the perfect manager.
2. Based on your past employment, who would you choose as the best manager you’ve had the opportunity to work for? Why were they good?
3. Based on your past employment, who would you choose as your least favorite manager? Why were they your least favorite? How did you adapt?
4. How do you handle conflict with your managers? Disagreements? How do you resolve issues?

By asking questions similar to the ones listed above, you’ll find a greater understanding of how the candidate feels about different management styles. If you find that you’re for the most part the ideal manager described by the candidate then you can have confidence that you’ll work great together should you decide to hire them for the position. On the other hand, if you really like the candidate but worry about being similar to the manager that was their least favorite then you can consider ways to adapt to ensure a smooth and successful relationship if you decide to hire them on.

You shouldn’t base your hiring decision on whether or not they can or cannot handle your management style but rather use these questions to help prepare yourself for building and maintaining successful relationships with new hires.

http://trendpersonnel.com/en/news/item/145-great-questions-to-ask-during-interviews

7 Things You Should Never Say During a Job Interview

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by Catherine Conlan | Monster

1. “How much vacation time do I get?”

“How long do I have to be here before I’m eligible for a vacation?”

“How long before I start to accrue additional weeks of vacation?”

Consultant Barry Maher says he was involved in a recent interview in which these were the first three questions out of the applicant’s mouth. “What had looked like a great applicant now looked like someone who couldn’t wait to get out of work,” Maher says.

It’s important to ask questions during a job interview, but not ones about taking time off. And that’s not all. Even if you have all the right qualifications and show up looking your best, it’s easy to lower your chances of getting hired by letting the wrong words slip out of your mouth.

Before you head out to meet your next prospective employer, consider these six additional things you should never say in a job interview.

2. “Sorry I’m late.”

Even if you have to leave ridiculously early, find a way to be on time to your interview. “If you can’t be punctual while asking for the job, how late will you be after you get hired?” says career coach Alex Simon.

3. “Do you mind if I get this?”

Answering a call or a text during an interview is rude and gives the impression the interview — and the prospect of getting hired — aren’t your priorities. “Leave your cell phone in the car, at home, anywhere, but don’t bring it into the interview,” Simon says.

4. “I’m a perfectionist.”

If you get the question about your greatest weakness, don’t try to answer with a strength instead, says Jim Giammatteo, author of “No Mistakes Interviews.” “If you say you’re a perfectionist, or a workaholic, you might as well grab your briefcase and go home. Any good interviewer knows that all candidates have weaknesses. If you can’t admit it, or even worse, if you don’t know it, you’re not the person they want.”

5. “I’m applying for this job because it will give me …”

You may think talking about the skills or experience you’ll get from the job is a compliment to the company, but it just puts the focus on you. “Instead, talk about what you will contribute to a prospective new employer,” says leadership coach Susan Bernstein. “This is a very frequent and subtle mistake that often keeps otherwise great candidates from connecting with the interviewer.”

6. “I’m not sure if I’m a good fit for this job, but…”

“Everyone is unsure until they’re hired,” says Bernstein. “You’re not actually expected to be able to perform 100 percent of the job on the first day. If you can do 75 percent or more, go ahead and apply. Then spotlight your strengths, rather than your doubts or deficits.”

7. “I want to talk to dolphins.”

TalkToCanada CEO Marc Anderson is often involved with interviewing prospective employees and says one candidate he met was eager to talk about his love of dolphins. “He said that he wished for us all one day to communicate with dolphins as they can awaken our spirituality.” The revelation didn’t help him win the job.

Information about odd aspects of your personal life can make the interviewer feel awkward, which is bad for your job chances, says Anderson. “Have all the weird hobbies you want, but don’t share them if they’re too far out there.”

http://trendpersonnel.com/en/news/item/141-7-things-you-should-never-say-during-a-job-interview

Treat Telephone Interviews Like In-Person Interviews

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by Lisa Quast

For many jobs, you must first get through a telephone interview before you’re invited to an in-person interview, so don’t discount the importance of it. Here are tips to ace telephone interviews:

Act like it’s an in-person interview. Research the company and industry, prepare potential interview questions and answers, and practice interviewing over the telephone with someone so you can get the feel for it before the actual interview.

Test your telephone voice. Practice how you speak over the telephone so you’ll come across sounding clear and at the right volume. Introduce yourself at the beginning using a strong voice that sounds confident and avoid answers that ramble or sound monotone. Feeling a little lethargic? Try standing up when you talk to help you sound more energetic.

Eliminate background noise. Ensure you can hold the interview in a quiet location. If you’re interviewing from your home, be sure no one will pick up one of the other telephones and accidentally interrupt the interview.

Have the right documents available. This includes your resume, the job description, your list of questions for the hiring manager, a note pad and several pens, reference list, recommendation letters – everything you’d normally bring to an in-person interview. Put them on the desk or table in front of you and spread them out so you can easily see the information.

Dress the part. There’s something to be said for putting on the clothes you’d wear to an in-person interview and wearing them for your telephone interview. Just the act of getting dressed for the part of a job candidate will help your mind psychologically get ready for your telephone interview.

Have some water handy. You never know when your mouth will go dry, so have something close by to sip. Just don’t accidentally knock it over onto all of your paperwork. And, don’t chew gum, eat food, or smoke while you’re on your telephone call. Trust me, the interviewer will hear you.

Listen and think before you speak. Allow the hiring manager to take the lead during the telephone interview. Listen carefully and answer each question succinctly. Don’t go off on tangents when answering questions over the telephone and never interrupt the interviewer.

Finish your telephone interview with class. Practice asking questions that will help you uncover what the hiring manager thinks of your qualifications and to find out the next steps in the hiring process. Reiterate your interest in the position and thank him or her for their time.

Treating telephone interviews with the same level of importance as you’d treat an in-person interview will increase your odds of advancing to the next step in the hiring process.

 

http://trendpersonnel.com/index.php/en/news/item/110-treat-telephone-interviews-like-in-person-interviews

10 Outrageous Things Applicants Have Done that Did & Didn’t Work

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by Elaine Quayle

Candidates want to stand out from the crowd and be memorable. However, sometimes their outside-the-box methods work, and sometimes they just bomb.

“Employers typically aren’t looking for the most outrageous  candidate, they’re looking for the best fit,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president  of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Thinking outside the box is great, but  the stunts that work best are the ones that showcase your relevant skills and  abilities. The focus of the interview should be why you would be a great  addition to the team, and not what you’re willing to do to get noticed.”

10 most outrageous things that worked:

1. Candidate contracted a billboard outside of the employer’s office.
2. Candidate gave a résumé on a chocolate bar.
3. Candidate showed up in a suit with a red T-shirt underneath a white shirt. The red T-shirt had a message—“Hire me, I work hard.”
4. Candidate asked to be interviewed in Spanish to showcase his skills.
5. Candidate crafted the cover letter like an invitation (similar to a  wedding invitation) to hire her.
6. Candidate climbed on a roof the employer was repairing  and asked for a job.
7. Candidate performed a musical number on the guitar about why he was the best candidate.
8. Candidate volunteered to help out with making copies when he saw interviewer’s assistant was getting frazzled.
9. Candidate repaired a piece of the company’s equipment during the first interview.
10. Candidate sent a message in a bottle.

10 Most outrageous  things that didn’t work:

1. Candidate backflipped into the room.
2. Candidate brought items from the interviewer’s online shopping wish list.
3. Candidate sent a fruit basket to interviewer’s home address (which the interviewer had not given her).
4. Candidate did a tarot reading for the interviewer.
5. Candidate dressed as a clown.
6. Candidate sent the interviewer some beef stew with a note saying, “Eat hearty and hire me—J.”
7. Candidate placed a timer on the interviewer’s desk, started it, and told the interviewer he would explain in 3 minutes why he was the perfect candidate.
8. Candidate sent the interviewer a lotto ticket.
9. Candidate wore a fluorescent suit.
10. Candidate sent in a shoe to “get his foot in the door.”

http://trendpersonnel.com/index.php/en/news/item/109-10-outrageous-things-applicants-have-done-that-did-didn-t-work

How to Stand Out Among the Crowded Applicants?

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By Jombay

#1: Use Common Sense

You’d be surprised by how many people don’t even use simple logic while applying to jobs.

• It’s common logic that a .Net developer must not apply to content writing jobs
• It’s common logic that if the job description says only graduates should apply, under graduates aren’t qualified
• Again, it’s common logic that if you are instructed not to send in your resume as the employer end cannot receive attachments, you should do it

Yet, most people simply do not heed these. Why?

Candidates are impatient -They don’t spend time reading the job description in full. They randomly go to job sites apply to 50 or more companies at one stretch and then site back expecting calls to pour in. I have news for you. It isn’t going to work that way!

Take the time and effort to apply individually to the jobs that match your profile the best. Most importantly, use common sense while applying for the job.

• Read the job description thoroughly. Only if you fit the description apply for the job
• Customize the resume with the employers industry and job role each time you apply for a job
• Follow instructions carefully. Some recruiters ask candidates to send resumes with certain keywords in the subject line. This is done so that the recruiters know the candidate has read the job description fully. Even if you are fully qualified for the job, if you don’t include the keyword, your email will see the trash folder only!

#2: Make Use of Cover Letters

Most job applications posted on job portals might not explicitly specify that they need a cover letter.

However, recruiters expect you to send one in along with your resume.

A cover letter helps you set the stage. It convinces the employer that they should go through the resume and invite the candidate over for an interview over all the other candidates who applied (often in the hundreds or in the thousands range).

A well-crafted cover letter helps you display your professionalism and your real interest in working with the company. If you are not truly interested in a company, you are not going to spend time creating a cover letter; are you?

While your choice of using a covering letter maybe good, equal care must be taken that it shouldn’t be a copy paste version of the many templates you get online. These templates must only be used as reference, not copy pasted entirely and changes made here and there to suit your needs.

How to Make Employers Get Back to You?

Follow-Up

Most candidates think that applying to the job is all they need to do and the employers will schedule an interview with them. In an ideal world that should happen for qualified candidates. We, however, live in a non-ideal world where people have so very less time, and there are hundred things to be done.

Recruiters always look to lighten their load and they sometimes don’t get back to the candidates unless they follow up. This serves two purposes:

1. Their workload is severely reduced
2. Only interested and qualified candidates take time to follow-up. These are much better hiring leads to spend time on rather than the hundreds of “give-me-a-job” applicants

http://trendpersonnel.com/index.php/en/news/item/108-how-to-stand-out-among-the-crowded-applicants