Tag: interview prep

Answering the Question “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”

Where do you see yourself in five years?  It’s a question many people face in interviews, yet don’t take the time to prepare for it.  You may be tempted to envision where you’ll be in five years on a personal level, but that’s not an appropriate way to answer the question. Read More

Note Taking During Interviews

To take notes, or not to take notes: that is the question.  Many job seekers might have been wondering about what to do about note-taking during job interviews.  On the one hand, you want to write down important items that come up during the conversation.  On the other hand, you don’t want to seem inattentive and distracted, or miss out on other important things your interviewer said while you’re busy writing down her last sentence. Read More

How To Answer “What Do You Know About Us?”

“What do you know about us?”  It’s a common but puzzling question that gets asked at many interviews.  Last week we talked about how to research companies.  Today, how to present the information you gathered in a way that shows you did your research and highlights why your skills and background would be an asset to the company. Read More

Showing an Employer You’ve Got “Fit” – Part 2: Demonstrating Your Fit

Last week, we talked about exact what “fit” means in the hiring managers’ mind.  Now you understand the possible meanings behind “fit”, next step is to clearly demonstrate you’ve got it.

Showing You are a Fit

Interviewers rarely ask “Do you think you would fit in here?” Yet they are measuring fit all the time. The job seeker must proactively demonstrate fit. Given how subjective fit can be, it’s important to bring out your fit throughout the interview. Here’s how: Read More

The Easiest Elevator Pitch to Deliver

Today our guest blogger is Jeff Haden. Jeff is a columnist for CBSMoneyWatch.com and Inc.com.  He has written more than 30 non-fiction books, including four Business and Investing titles that reached #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list.

Jeff learned much of what he knows about business from managing a 250-employee book manufacturing plant. Everything else he picked up from ghostwriting books for some of the smartest CEOs and leaders in business.  Follow him on Twitter at @Jeff_Haden.

 

I’m terrible at delivering elevator pitches. While some people are great at making a wonderful first impression on potential clients, to me making an elevator pitch feels forced and obvious, so I usually chicken out and console myself by rationalizing that impromptu encounters with people in need of a ghostwriter aren’t likely anyway. Read More

Troubleshooting Tuesday: Stalling After Interviews

Interviewing is the most important phase of a job search. Few people get hired without a successful interview. Yet it’s also a place where many job seekers get stuck.  On Troubleshooting Tuesday, we are moving through each phase of the job search, tackling and fixing common sticking points.  If you are generating job leads, and being invited in for interviews, but not getting called for second interviews or job offers, it’s time for a deeper look at what it takes to interview successfully. This week we’ll focus on preparation for interviews. Other Troubleshooting Tuesdays will help refine communication skills and other aspects of interviewing.

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