CCNP - Master the Job interview

Author

Master the Job interview

Justin2112

2002-08-20, 1:41 pm

Hi,

This document was designed as part of a book I was writing to be published. I decided sharing it for free would spread more good in the world. Here ya go:

Master the Job interview:
by Justin Bailey

You did it! You received that long anticipated, wonderful phone call from the resume you sent. Well, good job. Lets get started on the most important part of the hiring process, your interview!

Part one: Research, research, research !

You may have done some initial research on the company for the personalized cover letter you wrote to this company. Now it is time to dig once again, deeper yet to find tools that will set you apart from your competition when interviewing. Most likely you will have a week or more to research and learn facts, but if not, don’t worry.

You will want to get a 3 ring binder or some kind of notebook for all the notes and odds and ends you are going to acquire during your research period.

The most obvious place to learn things about the company you want to work for is their main website. Companies often have a ‘about us’ section, or ‘company history’ links you can choose. When you encounter these parts of the company’s website, print the history and ‘about us’ and place them in your notebook.

If you dig deep into their site, some companies publish employee newsletters. These are great sources of knowledge and give you a good feel for the company. Newsletters may also describe recent additions or changes within the company. These little tidbits may serve as vital tools during your upcoming interview. Print anything you find that could be of value for the interview process.

While at the company’s site, find and learn their mission statement and company goals. This alone will set you apart from your competition. Think of ways you can match your jobs and skills to this mission statement.
Other places to research would be local newspaper and financial websites. You can view your company’s stock performance, financial history and any public press releases. This type of information can be valuable to you, not only for interview purposes, you can also make sure that your perspective company’s stock is doing well, not just now, but over a long term as well.
Learn about the company’s competition. You may even want to do research on known competitors. Same thing, find out recent news and changes for your perspective company’s competitors. Know all the competitors and their positions.

The goal of research is not only to make you look like an ace for your interview, but to see if you truly want to work for the organization for which you are applying. After all, you will be spending a good portion of your life there, so feel it out the best you can before the interview. During the research process, it is possible to build an extensive notebook on what you have learned. This may seem like a lot of work, but with so much competition out there, the extra mile is what wins the marathon.

Remember, all the research is worthless unless you use it. Spend what time you can reading and re-reading it. Learn it inside and out. If you do this right, you will astound the interviewer with your in-depth knowledge of the company. This shows that you have already put extreme effort into the interview, and it may reflect on the kind of effort you will put forth once hired. This however is only one part of the process of Mastering the interview. Next, you will have to make the match.

Part Two: Making the match

The main thing an employer wants to accomplish during an interview is a match. They want to match a position to a person. Your resume was already good enough to get you the call, now you can further your chances of being hired during the interview process by actively designing your interview answers to match your skills to the job requirements.

To start, use the original job posting for the position for which you applied. You have also now acquired research on the company’s goals and competition. This part requires you to use a pen and paper and brainstorm every skill you have, every task you’ve done, every learning experience you have had. Even if it may seem insignificant or not career related write it down. After you have completed that, take the original job posting which lists the skills and requirements for the job, and now match your skills to the company’s requirements. During a normal interview, the interviewer is doing this silently in his head, perhaps even subconsciously as you speak.

The next step to Making the match is to use this new match-list you’ve made and begin a new piece of paper for brain-storming interview answers and statements. Think of extraordinary answers to the ordinary interview questions. Tie each answer in to a match between your skills and their requirements. Use what you’ve learned in your research and match-list to create strong answers or statements for use during your interview.
This part requires some time and practice on your part, because during the interview, you want to sound natural and flowing when you answer, not choppy and flat, as if reading from a book. Read out loud or even practice with a buddy. You can even think about that all-important part at the end of the interview, where the interviewer asks; “ Do you have any questions for us ? “
All too often, people answer, ‘no.’ or say things like “ What is the starting pay ? ‘ This is an opportunity to shine and win the job. Remember the company is interested in what you have to bring to the table. So, when you get that question, use the tools and information you’ve required to build a handful of intelligent questions at the end of the interview. I’ll give some examples.

Example #1

Employer” Do you have any questions for us?”

Yo:” I’ve recently read an article in the newspaper that your company has
acquired xyznetworks. In my position as Senior Network Administrator, will
I play a part into the integration of the two IS departments? “

Example #2

Employer” Do you have anything else that you’d like to ask? “

You” I read in the job description that I would be mentoring other technicians
, and I greatly enjoy teaching. Having a background as a technical trainer,
what percentage of my job will I be training? “

Those kinds of questions show your extreme interest in the position. They also let your interviewer know you have put a lot of forethought into the interview. Really, the types and kinds of questions you can ask are limitless, just keep them centered on what you can do for the company, not the other way around.

Part Three: Interview Day

This document assumes you already know the basics. Its intent is to make you shine above all other applicant sand get you hired. With that in mind, lets continue.

BODY LANGUAGE AND PERSONALITY

A lot of what employers look for in an interview is not only a skills to job match, but a personality match as well. You may be interviewed by not only an HR person, but perspective co-workers as well. With this is mind, remember use a strong, firm handshake, ( without crushing his/her hands ). This is an important. Your handshake directly reflects your character. Maintain eye contact during the handshaking process. REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERVIEWING YOU AND USE THEM DURING THE PROCESS.

When you get into the interview room, the first thing you want to do is assess the environment so you can customize your responses. Read the body language of people in the room.
Maintain your smiles and eye contact, if you are interviewing with a panel, maintain equal eye contact with all, even if answering a question from an individual. The point I am driving at is, your body language is important as well; they are reading you, too. Design your contact, position and speaking tone in a confident and sincere manner. Be somebody they will remember. Use your own natural charisma to imprint your image on their mind while you are answering their questions. If they are joking a bit, you joke a bit. Smile a lot.

Win that interview. Believe you can and you can !

onoski

2002-08-20, 2:11 pm

Thanks for the advice, as great minds can do wonders.

AndyC

2002-08-20, 3:02 pm

What about for a start up company with no history????

netkamoze

2002-08-23, 5:56 am

what about companies who are just out to exploit you?.I interviewed with one recently and for the most significant part of the interview they were trying to convince me into accepting a salary that was peanuts[$400 per month!!for a mcp & ccnp!].There are lots of these companies where i live and pls spare me the story about the economy.These guys know you need the job and will exploit you .!!They know they can't afford to bring someone with the same skills in...
it ain't about your body language,its about how much they can save by firing someone and getting somebody cheaper to fill his place!!
Do what you have to do to get a foot in the door and from there on keep on running...

Justin2112

2002-08-23, 11:04 am

Hi,

I can't pretend to have all the answers. I can tell you that not ALL companies will try to exploit you. Are you coming from a position of strength ? I mean its easier to pick and choose when you already HAVE a job.

There ARE good jobs out there that pay good salaries - these jobs are jems. You must find them, and choose the one you want. The document that I posted is for helping you get in the door after you've already selected a company that is good for you.

Even if some one does have the same skills there is something about YOU that makes YOu unique . . . and its up to you to sell it to the company during your interview. And if you believe that everyone else in the job market is exactly like you or better than you, then you'll get those kinds of results.

As far as reality goes . . . ( the title to your response ) I used the techniques I shared with you to beat out 450 other applicants ( some with better skills ) and get hired to a company at a salary I desired. Thats why I've shared this stuff. There's too much bad press in the world, the newspapers print all this gloom and doom - and its your choice to believe them. I've figured something out - and it worked incredibly - and I wanted to share it with you and the world. Whether it works for you, thats not for me to say.

Great luck to you

PEACE!

Justin

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