job interview questions

One question that will help you nail your next Job Interview

May 15, 2021 By Katherine Burik

We have another success story about job interviews to share, highlighting the importance of preparation.

Then stay tuned as we introduce a new training program to create your own best response to that always-asked question, “Tell me about yourself” and nail that next job interview!

Max used the lessons in our training, “Tell me about yourself” to get a second interview recently!

Here’s the back story…

Max wanted to change careers to get into corporate real estate management from real estate sales. We updated his resume and LinkedIn profile around keywords and accomplishments related to his future career. Then the job search process began in earnest. Since Max is working full-time, he chose to start his search by submitting his resume to a few jobs that looked interesting.

He got a response! You know this never happens, except sometimes it does!

After picking myself up off the floor from shock, we got to work preparing for the first round of job interviews. This first interview was conducted utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI) screening tool in which Max’s answers were recorded on video without speaking to a human. Max would have 2 minutes to respond to one question before the next question popped on the screen. You must be prepared and on your toes for this kind of job interview.

We broke the job interview prep down into segments:

We prepared for an AI interview. We hopped on a video call to prepare Max’s workspace so he looked great on camera. Check out The Interview Doctor’s free training, Shine! At your next Job Search Video Interview, for some great tips to help with your on-camera presence.
Then Max created answers to the Frequently Asked Questions we thought might get asked in the AI format.
We prepared for that question they always ask… “Tell Me About Yourself.” Max was most concerned about how to answer the big question, Tell Me About Yourself, as it was one he always stumbled for a good answer. Max’s initial answer wandered all over, coming in at a robust 6 minutes – WAY too long!

This advanced preparation made Max comfortable and confident when the camera switched on. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, with a great response to the questions he was asked and especially the “Tell me about yourself” question, which they did ask! (It’s one of the reasons we created this specific training because people really stumble on this question and it is the one question you know people will ask and being prepared can make or break your interview results.)

Two days later he heard he was advancing to the next stage – a series of Zoom job interviews with real people. (Stay tuned for my next newsletter, I will tell you how Max navigated this phase!)

Bottom line is, you must have a great response to the question, “Tell me about yourself.” A well-structured and tightly delivered response in about one minute. The answer to this important question can frame the entire interview. You control the interview if you can get the interviewer to ask follow-up questions about the interesting tidbits you sprinkled throughout your answer.

Think back to how you answered this question in the past. Is your answer to this critical job interview question tightly composed with interesting tidbits to spark further questions and conversation? Or like Max, do you find this to be the most intimidating question?

We can help! Check out The Interview Doctor’s new training product, Tell Me About Yourself: Secrets to Strategic Job Interviews. You can be 100% prepared for this question in your next interview. Use our workbook, videos, and guided process to organize your thoughts into a streamlined response that gets results.

We began this business in 2004 with this proven technique for successful interview preparation. Hundreds of people have used our job interview process to land their next jobs. We are The Interview Doctor for a reason!

I know this technique works! Take advantage of this new training to shine at your next job interview! Click here to get all the details and get instant access to the nine videos that come with the workbook to prepare you to “Tell me about Yourself.”

Did you know we have several training programs and products all geared to help you find your ideal job or career? You can check out all our online programs on the Interview Doctor’s Training Site – https://interviewdoctor.teachable.com

What to do when your job search is taking too long

September 2, 2020 By Marta Goertzen

If your job search is taking a long time, check out these tips…

Recently I had someone email me asking what advice I would give someone who has been in a long-term job search.

Her specific question was, “I know you have helped a great number of people. What advice do you give to those in a long-term search? I recall your email about the person who came in second multiple times over two years before landing a job. I don’t want that to happen to me.”

This is tough. I sympathize.

I have had plenty of clients who have been laid off multiple times or spent more than their fair share of time in a job search.

There is so much going on in their heads. After a job seeker is out of work for more months than they think is reasonable, they begin thinking there is something wrong with them. They take it personally.

We know that the situation is not personal, but without information to the contrary, the human brain fills in blanks. The only possible solutions are personal. It sounds like this: “I’m too…old, young, black, white…”

This is a self-defeating mindset that undermines your confidence.

We must deal with the mindset first to put the long-term job seeker in a more positive state. Then we can tackle technique.

In my experience, the problem with long-term searches is usually the search technique. The first question I ask is, “What techniques have you been using to find your next job?”

Long-term job seekers usually talk about responding to job postings. They can often show me a 3-ring binder stuffed with responses to ads.

This technique simply does not work for job seekers. There is a 4% to 8% chance of getting a job from a job posting. Someone is getting that job, but the odds are not good that it will be you.

When you spend your job search time using ineffective methods, you will get ineffective results. Guaranteed.

Networking is the best way to get a new job. Long-term job seekers must change their technique to network.

Often, they do not know how to network. They do not know what to say to people they know, not to mention people they don’t know yet.

Long term job seekers often have these issues in common:

Focusing more attention on job postings
Think resumes are important
Have sub-standard LinkedIn profiles with insufficient connections
Don’t know how to network
Don’t know what to say to people
They talk about their job search which stops conversation and does not allow building relationships
Don’t know how to target companies so don’t have any other tools at their disposal.

Their best solution?

They need a different method of job search.

Not only will this be more effective, it gives the job seeker something to do, short-term goals for a sense of accomplishment, something to celebrate each week rather than waiting to celebrate when they get a job offer.

Most people do not know how to do this. Most job search groups touch on the concept of networking, but I still don’t think that most people, particularly process-oriented, quiet people, know what that means or what to do with it.

That is why I developed the Job Search Marketing Plan Bootcamp, which is going to be open for registration in a few weeks. This Bootcamp will walk participants through an effective job search to help them find their ideal job faster. Stay tuned for more details on this!

In the meantime, I invite you to join me for a free training on Wednesday, September 16th at 1pm Eastern time, “Busting 7 Myths that Undermine Your Job Search“.

?Book your spot now for this LIVE session with me; learn some new tricks to finding a job!

I’ll be sharing some of the common myths about job searches that stop people from moving forward in their job search. And you will learn ways to see progress so you are not stuck in a long-term job search and instead, find that job you are seeking.

This training offers solutions to help you avoid falling into the myth trap and instead change your approach to searching for a new or another job. Be sure to join me!

Click here to register your seat.

Nail that Final Interview and the Job Offer

December 3, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

Several of our Interview Doctor clients have had final interviews recently.

We call them “final” because we are hoping that after this particular interview a job offer will be forthcoming and the job search can be over. It is very exciting!

It got me thinking about how this final interview is different. Remember whether consciously or unconsciously every hiring manager is trying to answer three questions: 1) Can you do the job, 2) Will you love the job, and 3) Will you fit with the team.

After several interviews, the hiring manager already knows you have the skills so you can do the job. Otherwise you would not be invited back so often. Because you interviewed well, they probably know you will love the job.

The final question that differentiates you from the other final candidate(s) is whether you will fit with the team.

Or rather, which of the final candidates will fit with the team the best. Your challenge in a final interview is to make clear what you offer and be the best version of yourself that you can be. You cannot turn yourself into someone you are not. You don’t want to be a round peg in a square hole. If you really don’t fit with the team if you are hired you will not last long. So how do you walk this fine line to get the offer you want?

Here are seven tips to find the right balance so you can succeed in a final interview:

Don’t assume, don’t be overly confident and don’t brag. You don’t have a job offer yet. This is another fine balance. You want to act like you are the right candidate for the job but if you assume, are over confident and brag then you risk turning the hiring manager off. Read your audience and give them the right balance of confidence and stories to make them fall in love with you.
Ask questions to clarify your understanding and learn more about the operation and the people you will be working with. Don’t wait until the end of the interview to ask questions. Intersperse questions with the conversation as you and the hiring manager are talking. This makes the interview into more of a conversation than an interview.
Know the two or three points you want people to remember about you. Find places to insert this information in a casual, conversational fashion.
Calm, confident and courageous. Be the best version of you. Look people in the eye, sit up straight and be confident even if you have to fake it. Don’t be overly confident though. The job is not yours yet. Be aware of what is going on around you so you can provide the information that will seal the deal.
Laugh and be real. Be friendly. Demonstrate through your behavior that you are a good person to work with, that you will be a good colleague. You want them to be able to imagine you sitting in the next cubicle.
Make a connection. Do your research in advance. Get the names of the people you will be meeting in the final interview. Research them on LinkedIn. You can send them a request to connect with a personal note saying, “I am so excited to meet you next week at our next interview.” Notice their personal interests so you can make a connection over an interest or a professional experience. This gives you something to talk about that will make a connection, make you real so they can image working with you.
Be prepared. Have extra copies of your resume. Bring business cards. Research the company and the employees on LinkedIn, their website, and Google. Know how you can solve the company’s problems then figure out places where you can insert that information into the conversation.

To be fully prepared for your Job Interview, download our ebook, “The Top 30 Most Frequently Asked Questions at a Job Interview“. It’s Free!

Are you getting the impression that a final interview, even more than other interviews, is about making a connection? Make a connection so the hiring manager can imagine you working in the office next door and you will get the job offer!

Advice To A Motor Mouth – Think Before You Answer Job Interview Questions

December 18, 2015 By Katherine Burik

Are you a talker or a listener? My husband is a talker, a motor mouth.

He can talk to a shoe. He talks non-stop. When we travel with friends on our boat he is famous for his non-stop patter of interesting and sometimes silly comments that alternately annoy and crack up folks listening on the radio. He is the one who can always get the bridge tender or lock master to crack a smile. This is a great attribute most times.

Being a motor mouth is a behavioral style my husband was born with. He was always like that. Although he can be quiet, he is normally chatty. This is a strength for him.

I can’t do that. I am much quieter. I formulate responses in my head before I talk.

Sometimes the words don’t come out as beautifully as they sounded in my head. Sometimes I sit there not saying anything but thinking up a storm.

Chatty people sometimes talk before they think. Quiet people take time to formulate the entire response before speaking. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages. Everyone is different. It is important to use your strengths in ways that enhance your job search.

An interview is not a normal conversation. Each question is asked for a specific reason. You need to consider what the interviewer is looking for before you respond. The first thing to come into your mind and out of your mouth might not be the best answer.

Think before you talk.

There is one piece of advice that benefits both quiet people and motor mouths: Prepare your responses in advance. Simple as that.

Since most interviewers ask the same questions, the questions you get in an interview should not be a surprise. It is possible to prepare in advance exactly what you want to say to each potential interview question. Sort of like a script that you internalize.

Your responses become strategic. You have thought this through in advance and can figure out the best response to each question to direct the listener to the portion of your background or the story you want to highlight.

This approach is advantageous to both the motor mouth and the quiet person.

The motor mouth can practice controlled, focused responses that give only the information the listener is looking for using fewer words without rambling.
The quiet person can have a smooth answer come out of his/her mouth without stammering and fumbling.

Why aren’t you already doing this?

Get your copy of 30 Most Frequently Asked Job Interview Questions here, so you can practice your answers before you go into the interview.

Avoid Job Interview Traps

October 9, 2015 By Katherine Burik

A client, David, asked recently why I thought it is a trap to answer how long you plan to stay at a particular company. Good question.

A trap is a setup, a deception, possibly a ruse. It is a trap if you are not sure whether the answer you give will help you or hurt you.

Interviewers are human. They come fully equipped with opinions and biases that they do not reveal, or perhaps even understand themselves. But you can tank an interview by stepping in a personal bias trap. I have lots of examples of interviewers with biases.

Philip was a finance executive I worked with once. He rejected candidates who said they were looking for a home with a company they could work for a long time. He could not understand why someone would want to work for the same company for a long time.

Philip also believed that only defective people got laid off. He believed that people can and should move from company to company periodically to advance their careers. Philip had never been laid off and had changed companies several times to get ahead quickly.

If Philip asked you in an interview how long you planned to stay if you were hired, what would you say? You do not know about his point of view. You just met him.

If you say you are looking for a place you could work for a long time, where you could really make a contribution, Philip would reject you. He wants someone who values career advancement over long term contributions. You fell into a trap. You are out.

Another interviewer might insist on hiring only people who want to work for one company for a long time. You never know exactly what the interviewer wants to hear. That is what makes an answer a trap. The same answer can be right or wrong depending on the interviewer. This makes it risky for the candidate.

It is ok to adjust your answers to some questions to be a little vague until you know what you are facing.

At least until you can judge the interviewer’s biases and point of view, or decide whether you will fit in that workplace.

Here are some interview questions that could be traps. Structure your answers in advance to be a little cagey, preserving your flexibility to share honestly or covertly depending on the circumstances:

How long to you plan to stay?
Why did you leave your last assignment? Be vague to avoid discussions about past employers and sticky departures. Use the least amount of words to tell the truth and change the subject.
What kind of salary are you looking for? Too low or too high and you are out. Defer response as long as you can with answers like, “I am sure you pay competitively.” “My salary needs are competitive with the marketplace.”
What other companies are you speaking with about jobs? The interviewer will judge you based on your answer. If you are not talking with other companies you might lower your value to this company. Drop too many names and you look unsteady. Go for a vague, “I have several other opportunities. Tell me about…” Change the subject to something about this company.
What do you like to do in your spare time? If the interviewer is a big active sports fan and you say you like to watch TV, you might trigger some bias. Adjust your answer to move the conversation towards something you see in the interviewer’s office. See lots of golf stuff, give a vague answer and ask about his golf game.
Why haven’t you obtained a job so far? Beware of biases against those without a job. Do not talk about how frustrated you are. Talk about volunteer work, research you are doing, people you are meeting, networking, or how you are moving your job search forward.

Think about your answers in advance and evaluate whether the answer can get you in trouble. Avoid controversy that could exclude you until you are able to evaluate the company to make your own decision.

Have you ever felt an answer you gave during an interview got you eliminated from consideration? What was the question? What did you do about it? Twitter your answer or let me know in the comment section below. We want to learn from your experience!

If you liked this blog, please share this blog with your friends. We can help make your job search shorter and more successful! Contact The Interview Doctor today.