Your Next Interview: Tips for Before, During and After the Interview

By Glenn A. Druhot

"YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW"

Your Next Interview, subtitled Tips for Before, During and After the Inerview is a guide to assist job seekers during the interview process. The author describes the process of preparing for the interview, then lists several of the most frequently asked interview questions. Then the final chapter is entitled Interview Bloopers. This chapter describes actual mishaps that can and do occur while on interviews.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477176979

Glenn A. Druhot

Glenn Druhot is a masterful career practitioner and business/life coach. With over 20 years of experience, he has extensive expertise coaching individuals from entry level to senior executives from Fortune 500 firms. He is the former vice president of Career Services for Right Management, the world’s largest talent, outplacement and career management consulting firm and the director of a university career and placement center. His breadth of expertise encompasses the areas of training and development; program and curriculum development; career transitioning; and employee performance development. Glenn advises corporations on how to recruit, train and motivate their employees through management and executive coaching. His experience as an entrepreneur and business owner has given him incisive business acumen. In addition to having his own career coaching practice, New Leaf Coaching and Consulting, Glenn has been an adjunct professor with numerous colleges and universities and presently teaches in North Carolina. The courses that he has taught include career development, psychology, communications, group dynamics, and business. He has been a visiting professor and taught in South America, Estonia and in the Caribbean at the University of Saint Maarten. A prolific author in diverse domains, his books include Career Directioning, a Practical Guide for Job Seekers, and companion workbook; More Than Mailboxes and What Will I Be When I Grow up? For more information on Glenn’s career coaching practice, books or questions, visit his web site: www.newleafcoachingconsulting.net.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Glenn A. Druhot.

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4568-9803-8

   E-book   978-1-4771-7697-9

All rights reserved. This book is written to provide advice on the art and science of interviewing. The publisher and author do not intend for this book to be the definitive source for legal purposes. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the express permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

MMXI

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

PART I

Preface

Chapter 1—Before the Interview

Be Prepared

The Career Directioining Interview Checklist

Description of an Accomplishment

Accomplishment (Example 1)

Accomplishment (Example 2)

Accomplishment (Example 3)

Career Directioining Interview Checklist

Videotape Yourself

Chapter 2—Different Types of Interviews

The One-On-One Interview

The Telephone Interview

The Behavioral or Situational Interview

The Panel or Committee Interview

Group Job Interview

The Stress Interview

The Job Fair Interview

Interviewing While Dining

Video Conferencing Interview

Multiple Interviews

PART II

Chapter 3—During the Interview

Setting up the Interview

Connecting with the Interviewer

Using the Act As If Principle

Eye Contact

Firm Handshake

Body Language

Get a Good Night’s Sleep The Night Before Your Interview

Seek to Fit In

Focus on Your Strengths

You Attitude is Showing

Never Answer with One Word Responses

If you are a Smoker

If You Wear Glasses

Dressing for the Interview

Leave Your Business Card with the Interviewer

Request a Business Card

Part III

Chapter 4—After the Interview

Career Directioning

After Interview Worksheet

Send a Thank You Letter or Email

Responding to a Rejection Letter

Chapter 5—Interview Bloopers

Chapter 6—Recommended Books on Job Search,

Web Sites & Recommended Recruiters

Recommended Books on Job Search

Recommended Job Search Websites

Recommended Recruiters

About the Author

Other books by Glenn A. Druhot

Career Directioning

What Will I Be When I Grow Up?

More Than Mailboxes

The Job Seekers Guide Workbook

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my grandchildren who live in Texas and Indiana:

Taylor, Jordan, Toby, Taylor, Tessa, Hudson, Paige and little Kenley.

I would also like to dedicate this book to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Marian Zimmerman, former Dean and Professor at Indiana University. Her contagious enthusiasm and exuberance for assisting students with their career development was instrumental in developing my passion for what I do as a career coach. She has been and continues to be a source of motivation and inspiration to me.

Acknowledgements

I would to acknowledge Jo Anna Rohrbaugh, freelance copy editor, for her painstaking attention to every detail in this book.

I would be remiss if I would not thank the thousands of candidates, friends, and human resource colleagues who have shared with me the plethora of interview experiences they have experienced on both sides of the desk.

Hopefully it will help you as well . . . . on Your Next Interview!

PART I

Preface

In order for you to be successful in a job search, there are two critical areas where you must excel. They are your written and oral presentations. The resume is the written part and the interview is the oral part of the presentation. After the company that you are interested in working for has read and studied your resume, they have decided to interview you. The resume has served its purpose and you are now on to the next step in the job search process, the interview. An interview is, after all, an audition. Interviewing for a job is more of an art than it is of a science. Think back to the interviews you have had and how you felt during and afterwards. Did you feel that you were totally prepared? Could you have done better? My guess is you could have presented yourself better. This book will outline the steps to prepare for the interview; describe the different types of interviews; how to answer particular questions during the interview and what to do after the interview. This book will help you to prepare for your next interview. Some compare the job interview to a dance with your dance partner. You don’t want to dance too close and yet you certainly don’t want to dance too far away either. Think back to some of the interviews that you have experienced:

•   Did you suffer from anxiety and nervousness while on your interviews?

•   Were you prepared for the questions that the interviewer(s) were asking?

•   Did you feel that you were prepared for the interviewing process?

•   Were you able to articulate your strengths and weaknesses?

•   Were you aware of the most frequently asked interview questions?

An interview is your opportunity to explain to the interviewer who you are. The undeniable truth about your job search is: it will not matter where you graduated from college, your GPA, your accomplishments and awards if you cannot articulate them on an interview. There are plenty of books on the market that claim to help you on the interview but very few discuss what to do prior, during and after the interview. It is my hope that by reading this book it will help you to experience success on your next interview and know what to do afterwards. Most human resource professionals agree that it is imperative to remember to be yourself on an interview.

Chapter 1

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Before the Interview

Be Prepared

To make a favorable impression on the job interview you must be prepared just like the Boy Scout motto. Make a plan. I call it the Career Directioning Interview Checklist. Most career coaches agree that the majority of job applicants are not prepared for the interview. When they call you for subsequent interviews, and their expectations are not met, consequently, they are not asked back for another interview. The more organized you are in keeping track of your interviews using this checklist, the better prepared you will be. Most job applicants have not studied the most frequently asked interview questions; therefore, they do not present themselves in the most favorable light.

People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine. Brian Tracy

The Career Directioining Interview Checklist

The Career Directioining Interview Checklist is a great way to prepare for the interview. This checklist describes the key points that you will want to remember prior to the interview.

Here is an outline and description of the information on the Career Directioning Interview Checklist:

•   Name of Company: Self explanatory

•   Time of Appointment: Self explanatory

•   Location and Directions to Interview:

Once the appointment is set for your interview you can search online using either www.mapquest.com or www.randmcnally.com to determine the location. Then, you can figure how long it will take to arrive in plenty of time. Usually it is advisable to arrive about 10 to 15 minutes prior to when the interview is scheduled. I also suggest that you make a written note of the exact location of where your interview will be. You cannot afford to be late to the interview. If you see that you are going to be late to the interview my advice is simple; call and try to talk with the hiring manager or the human resource person you have the appointment with. Explain to them that you will not be able to make it to the interview on time. They will undoubtedly suggest that you still come in for your scheduled interview on the same day. I suggest that you ask to have it rescheduled to the next possible day when it is convenient for them. The reason why I suggest doing this is because if you go to the interview on the regularly-scheduled day you will be remembered as the person who was late for the interview, regardless of the