If you’ve been on multiple job interviews then you know that you might encounter a different environment depending on the company you interview with. This is pretty common because every company has its own culture. And more importantly, each company – and even department – instills its own interviewing strategy.

Sometimes you know what type of interview you’re going to walk into and sometimes you don’t. So to be prepared for anything, let’s take a brief look at varying interview types.

The Screening Interview

Often times, when you apply for a job, the company will look over your resume and cover letter as a sort of filtering process to determine whether you’re generally qualified for the job. However, on occasion, a company might go one step further by conducting what is known as a screening interview. In this interview – which might be conducted in person or over the phone – a representative will ask you some questions to determine your interest in the job and basic qualifications.

Structured Interview

Another interview type that you might be prepared for – and that is quite common – is the structured interview. In this type of interview, the interviewer will ask specific, predetermined questions meant to explore experience, skills and personality traits. The goal of this type of interview is to find the ideal candidate. Very often, this interview is the determining factor in whether you will be hired for a position.

Stress Interview

This type of interview style is rarer than others because it is a bit unorthodox. During this interview, the interviewer will try to intentionally upset you to see how you might react under pressure. You might be asked questions designed to make you feel uncomfortable. Or the interviewer may interrupt you while you’re speaking.

Group Interview

The group interview is pretty much just what you think it is. It is a number of representatives from the company opting to interview you at the same time. Often times, each member of the group is designated a style of questions to ask (ex. stress). However, other times, the interviewers may be allowed to start a sort of “free for all” as long as they don’t step on the toes of other interviewers.

Multiple Interviews

If you have been moving up the corporate ladder over the past few years then you may have noticed that you first started with structured interviews only. However, as you’re moving higher up the chain, you may be participating in multiple interviews.

Multiple interviews are usually a combination of several types of interviews you’re already familiar with. For instance, you may first undergo a screening interview so they can determine whether you’re qualified to move on to the next step. Then you may attend a group interview where multiple representatives will have an opportunity to determine your qualifications. Finally, you might go to an informal interview – possibly at a lunch – where you meet with one or more interviewers to talk casually about the job.

There are other interview types out there to consider, including targeted and situational. By knowing what’s out there, you can more easily prepare for any interviewing scenario you find yourself in.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Need a resume writing services? Compare the top ones in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

A job interview is a screening tool. For you, it’s an opportunity to assess whether or not you want to work for a company. For the employer, it’s an opportunity to decide whether or not they want to hire you. Both sides are looking for a match.

You can ace an interview and win the job you want even in this economy; even with the competition that wants the same job as you. You will have to work hard, but it can be done. Know that the work you do upfront and afterwards will make the “during” (while you are interviewing) much easier for you.

Here’s a checklist to help you:

I. PREPARE BEFOREHAND

- Do your homework and find out who you will be interviewing with. You are looking for job title, responsibilities, accomplishments, as well as anything else that impresses you about this person.
- Know as much about the company as possible. Get on their web site and memorize their products and services. Look at their press release section for news. Talk to a few people about what they know. Look online for comments, discussions, blogs, forums, and additional insights. Don’t just look for good news. Look for challenges that the company is facing, and think about how you might contribute to their success.
- Write out the top 3 points you want to make sure you get across.
- Write down what makes you different or unique.
- Have a story/example for each bullet on the job description and each bullet in you resume. Include the challenges you were up against, the action you took to solve these challenges, and the results you achieved.
- Write down answers to questions such as your strengths, weaknesses, where you want to be in the future, etc. The questions that employers don’t always feel comfortable asking. The same questions you don’t always feel comfortable answering. Nevertheless, expect to be asked these questions anyway.
Write down the answers to the questions you don’t want to be asked. If you have a gap in your resume, have a good response for when you are asked about it. If you were fired, be prepared to tell the employer why with a positive spin. Don’t shy away from these questions and hope they won’t be asked. Expect them to be posed to you and have your answers mapped out and ready to go.
- Write down questions to ask the interviewer; three to five should do. Questions like, “What are you looking for in a candidate?” “What keeps you up at night?” “What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now?” These questions may be answered during the interview, and other questions may come up as the discussion progresses, but these questions will give you a place to start.
- Write down an introduction; an opener that says who you are and what you do. Include your past title, the type of work you have been doing, why you are excited to be interviewing with this company.

II. DURING THE INTERVIEW.

- Be upbeat, passionate, and excited to be there.
- Use your prepared introduction and introduce yourself.
- Right after your introduction; say something flattering to the interviewer. Reveal what you like about the person or the company. Include what impresses you the most. Sincere flattery starts the interview off in a positive way.
- Answer questions and ask them. Remember, it’s a two way conversation, and an opportunity for both parties to see if there is a match. Don’t forget to listen and let the interviewer talk.
- Make sure you cover anything that was not discussed in the interview before you leave. For example, did you cover your 3 points? Did you tell the interviewer what makes you different? Did you handle all objections properly? Did you ask the questions you wanted to ask? Cover this now; afterwards may be too late.
- Tell the interviewer again why you want the job.
- Ask what the hiring process is, and when you can follow up with them again.

II. AFTER THE INTERVIEW.

- Send a thank-you note. Email one version and also send a handwritten version. Thank you cards work well here.
- Include in your email anything you left out during the interview. Add credibility to your email by mentioning something specific the interviewer said that impressed you.
- If you promised to follow up on a specific day and time, keep that promise.
- Continue interviewing. No matter how great an interview went, no matter how many people told you that you are “the one,” you do not have the job until you have formally been given a job offer in writing. Don’t let everything ride on one job. Keep going until you are officially employed.

by Ann Baehr

So it’s the day of the interview. Of course, you are anxious about making the right impression with your resume and business sense. But hold up!! Your first real impression will more likely be made the minute your interviewer first lay eyes on you.

That’s right! It only takes seconds to be looked at and judged. It sounds shallow, but it has been proven that a professional appearance definitely helps land a job, not to mention a better salary.

Don’t expect the “jump out of bed and creep into class” routine to work here. Sorry! That will get you nowhere.

Dress appropriately for the position you are seeking.

For a traditional company like an investment or accounting firm or a bank, you should dress formally in a suit (skirt or pants). A jacket is standard. However, if you are considering a more artistic or creative field like design, public relations, advertising, entertainment then you show a little more of your own individuality.

When in doubt, take the conservative route.

Choose neutral colors-gray, navy or black. Not too short skirts or tight pants. Something that is well tailored always works as long as it is not boring. If you are a female whose taste runs toward bright colors and animal print and you are considering a more traditional company, an animal print scarf is acceptable.

The perfect accompaniment to any outfit is a smile.

What you do not need is your cell phone and your pager. Turn them off and keep them out of sight.

About the author:

Ann Baehr is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and President of Best Resumes of New York, a leading resume firm based on Long Island. As former Second Vice President of the National Resume Writers’ Association, Ms. Baehr is well regarded as a career expert specialized in resume and cover letter writing for cross-industry clients ranging from college graduates to senior executives. Her work has been published in over twenty resume and cover letter books by McGraw-Hill, Jist Publishers, and Adams Media. To learn more, visit Best Resumes of New York at www.e-bestresumes.com.

by Nathan Newberger

This http://www.WorkTree.com career article by Nathan Newberger gives you some great advice on how to convey some very important skills during the interview process.

No, it’s not time to throw your resume in the trash and start a “new age job search”. But one thing that any job seeker must understand is that the showcase of talents does not begin and end with the resume. There are many “secret” abstract, often called “soft”, skills that employers keep an eye out for.

This article discusses the five key “secret skills” that interviewers examine and how to demonstrate them in an interview situation.

These five skills are:

1. Organizational
2. Critical Thinking
3. Communication
4. Interpersonal
5. Multi-Tasking

(more…)

by Gerard McLoughlin

Many well qualified and extremely able candidates fail at job interviews simply because they are unaware of the conventions of the job interview and the expectations of the interviewer.

Successful candidates, on the other hand, manage to impress prospective employers precisely because they know how to present themselves.

Thus, they study the job advertisement; they analyse what is required in the way of skills qualifications and experience; they assess their own suitability for the job; and finally, they present themselves in a thoughtful and carefully prepared manner.

Their written applications are comprehensive and business like, containing all the relevant information presented neatly and concisely.They prepare themselves carefully for interview anticipating likely questions and rehearsing their responses. They study the structure of the interview and devise a strategy to satisfy the interviewer’s requirements. In short, they prepare themselves to succeed.

Let us begin by giving some general advice to candidates who are considering the daunting prospect of an interview. As a candidate you should be able to express yourself with clarity and precision. To do this, you must make adequate preparation, anticipating likely questions and rehearsing your responses. However, this does not mean that you should learn your responses by heart.

To do so would make you sound unnatural. Your answers should appear spontaneous. At the same time, you should come across as thoughtful, articulate and coherent. So preparation is essential.

During the interview you should speak confidently, making sure to support your answers with relevant examples from your work experience. Sometimes the questions might not be wide-ranging enough to enable you to present your case as fully and convincingly as you would wish. In such circumstances, it is up to you to take the initiative and acquaint the interviewer with whatever information you consider to be important in advancing your claims to the job on offer. Remember, it is up to you to sell yourself.

Always relate your answers to the job for which you are applying. This is particularly important in the case of candidates who are faced with the sort of indirect questions favoured by many interviewers. For example, the interviewer may ask you to describe your current job. This is an indirect way of asking you to what extent your present skills and experience relate to the job for which you are applying.

Always present a positive face. Having studied your application form, interviewers will have identified the weaker aspects of your case. They will often use such material to build up a negative impression of you. So it is in your own best interests to examine your application critically with a view to identifying any weaknesses or negative aspects, which the interviewer might spot. Having identified such negative aspects, you should be ready to answer tricky questions by preparing positive answers.

Since interviewers are looking for candidates who display a positive attitude, you should state that you enjoy your job; that you are enthusiastic and ambitious; and that you welcome challenge.

It is important to tell the truth in interviews. However, try to present the facts as persuasively as you can. It would be pointless and self-defeating to reveal negative facts which are largely irrelevant and which only serve to highlight weaknesses in your case. So examine and assess your own case and tailor the facts to give the best and most positive impression.

It is essential to develop a rapport with the interviewer. If you can give the impression that you are in agreement or have something in common with the interviewer and if the interviewer takes a liking to you, you are off to a great start. So be pleasant and agreeable.

On the other hand, it would be a grave mistake to appear as a grovelling ‘yes’ man or woman. Discretion should be your watch-word in this as in other areas.

Interviewers usually place a greater emphasis on experience than on paper qualifications, so it is up to you to convince them that your experience qualifies you for the job on offer. This will involve using your experience as evidence to support statements that you make in answers to questions.

Now to sum up: here are the success secrets known understood and applied by thousands of successful job interviewees.

1. Make adequate preparation to enable you to express yourself fluently in the interview situation.

2. Be confident but try not to sound conceited: use examples to support your answers.

3. Make sure to acquaint the interviewer with all the relevant information in support of your case.

4. Relate all your answers to the job for which you are applying.

5. Look out for indirect questions and know how to cope with them.

6. Concentrate on the positive aspects of your case and be ready to deal with questions relating to any negative aspects.

7. Do not tell lies, but tailor the truth in order to present a positive impression of yourself.

8. Determine to establish a rapport with the interviewer right from the start.

9. Convince the interviewer that your experience entitles you to the job.
For further information, visit http://www.assignmentsplus.com

About the author: Gerard McLoughlin, Director of Assignments Plus Communications, has contributed career-related articles to hundreds of recruitment companies, websites and publications throughout the world, including: USA Today, JobBankUSA.com, US-Recruiters.com, Jobs1.co.uk, Recruitireland.com, Medzilla.com, RTJobs.com, Aviationjobsearch.com, Coolavenues.com, Cdnbizwomen.com, HireNYC.com, CapitalBayJobs.com, etc.