Interview Myths That Keep You From Landing the Job

Interview Myths That Keep You From Landing the Job

article on Yahoo that my brother found- worth reading

With so few jobs currently available and so many people currently hoping to fill those jobs, standing out in an interview is of utmost importance. While jobs themselves are scarce, job advice is overly abundant. And with an influx of information comes an influx of confusion. What career counsel do you take, and what do you ignore?
There are a number of common misconceptions related to interview best practices, experts say. Kera Greene of the Career Counselors Consortium and executive coach Barbara Frankel offer tips below that can help you stand out from other interview subjects, avoid frequent pitfalls, and secure the job.

Myth #1: Be prepared with a list of questions to ask at the close of the interview.
There is some truth in this common piece of advice: You should always be prepared, and that usually includes developing questions related to the job. The myth here is that you must wait until it is "your turn" to speak.
By waiting until the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, "it becomes an interrogation instead of a conversation," says Greene.
Greene recommends that you think of an interview as a sales call. You are the product and you are selling yourself to the employer. "You can't be passive in a sales call or you aren't going to sell your product."
Frankel mimics Greene's comments. "It's a two-way street," she says. "I recommend asking a follow-up question at the tail end of your responses."
For example, Frankel says, if the interviewer says, "Tell me about yourself," you first respond to that question and complete your response with a question like, "Can you tell me more about the position?" The interview should be a dialogue.


Myth #2: Do not show weakness in an interview.
The reality is that it is OK to have flaws. In fact, almost every interviewer will ask you to name one. Typically job seekers are told to either avoid this question by providing a "good flaw." One such "good flaw" which is often recommends is: "I am too committed to my work." But, these kinds of responses will only hurt you.
"Every recruiter can see through that," Greene says of faux flaws.
Recruiters conduct interviews all day, every day. They've seen it all and can see through candidates who dodge questions. "They prefer to hire someone who is honest than someone who is obviously lying," Greene says.
And for those of you who claim to be flaw-free, think again. "Everybody has weaknesses," Frankel states. But one is enough. According to Frankel, supply your interviewer with one genuine flaw, explain how you are working to correct it, and then move on to a new question.


Myth #3: Be sure to point out all of your strengths and skills to the employer.
Of course, you want the interviewer to know why you are a valuable candidate, but a laundry list of your skills isn't going to win you any points. Inevitably, in an interview, you will be asked about your skills. What can go wrong in this scenario?
"You don't want to list a litany of strengths," Frankel says.
"What is typical is that they will say: 'I'm a good communicator,' 'I have excellent interpersonal skills,' 'I am responsible,'" Greene explains. "You have to give accomplishments. I need to know what did you accomplish when using these skills."
Frankel recommends doing a little groundwork before your interview so that you are best equipped to answer this question. She tells her clients to find out what the prospective job role consists of. "What makes an interview powerful is to give an example related to their particular needs or challenges that you have demonstrated in the past."
Provide three strengths, with examples. You will get much further with a handful of real strengths than with an unconvincing list of traits.


Myth #4: Let the employer know your salary expectations.
One of the trickiest questions to answer in an interview relates to salary. Money talk can be uncomfortable, but it doesn't have to be. The fact is you don't even have to answer when asked about desired salary.
According to the book "Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You The Job!" a perfect response would be: "I want to earn a salary that is commensurate with the contributions I can make. I am confident I can make a substantial contribution at your firm. What does your firm plan to pay for this position?"
Greene suggests a similar response: "I prefer to discuss the compensation package after you've decided that I'm the best candidate and we can sit down and negotiate the package."


Myth #5: The employer determines whether or not you get the job.
While yes, the employer must be the one to offer you the position, interviewees have more control than they often realize. According to both Greene and Frankel, candidates have a larger say in the final hiring decision than they think.
"They should call the interviewer or hiring manager and say: 'I'd really like to be part of the company,'" says Greene. "It can't hurt you. It can only help."
"Acing the Interview" encourages all candidates to conclude their interviews with one question: "'Based on our interview, do you have any concerns about my ability to do the job?' -- If the answer is yes, ask the interviewer to be explicit. Deal forthrightly with each concern."
For more interview tips and myths, download a free book summary of "Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You The Job!" here.
Also on Yahoo! HotJobs:
'Accomplishments' to leave off your resume6 reasons they didn't call you backShould you keep your salary a secret?Find a new job near you

Goal Setting Worksheets

Goal Setting Worksheets from my friend Patty

scroll all the way down



Patty Kreamer, CPO ®
2429 Silver Oak Place
Pittsburgh, Pa 15220
(412) 344-3252
(412) 344-3253 FAX
patty@ByeByeClutter.com
www.ByeByeClutter.com
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p552.pdf




©2008 Patty Kreamer, CPO® ~ Kreamer Connect, Inc. ~ 412-344-3252 ~ www.ByeByeClutter.com


GOAL SETTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Here's how the goal setting handouts work. On page 1 where you have the grid of 12 different areas, write goals in each area...just dream and write down anything that you want always being sure that the goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time related). I put an example in there so you can see how a goal follows through all the way to page 3.

When you are done with page 1, decide on each goal if it is a 1, 3, 5, or 10 year or Lifetime goal and write the appropriate number or letter L beside each goal.

Go to page 2 and transfer your top 1, 3, 5,and 10 year and Lifetime goals to that page in the corresponding section. Then on page 3 and 4 (they are the same with 2 sections per page), transfer some of your more lofty goals and dissect them into the form given. See the example for how to do this. It's pretty self explanatory, but feel free to email or call me if something is not clear.

Take care and happy goal setting!

















©2008 Patty Kreamer, CPO® ~ Kreamer Connect, Inc. ~ 412-344-3252 ~ www.ByeByeClutter.com

My Goals
©2008 Patty Kreamer, CPP® ~ Kreamer Connect, Inc. ~ 412-344-3252 ~ www.ByeByeClutter.com
Business/Career
Things I want

Hobbies
Personal Development

Organize my office by end of month
Mental
Physical
Spiritual
Family
Leisure
Financial
Social
Community
1
MY MOST IMPORTANT GOALS


1-year goals

1 Organize my office by end of month_______



2___________________________________



3___________________________________



4___________________________________


3-year goals

1___________________________________



2___________________________________



3___________________________________



4___________________________________


5-year goals

1___________________________________



2___________________________________



3___________________________________



4___________________________________


10-year goals

1___________________________________



2___________________________________



3___________________________________



4___________________________________


Lifetime Goals
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
©2008 Patty Kreamer, CPO® ~ Kreamer Connect, Inc. ~ 412-344-3252 ~ www.ByeByeClutter.com
2

My Goal is…
Organize my office by end of month _____________________________________________________
Benefits from achieving this goal are…
I will be able to find things when I need them and not waste time searching! _____________________________________________________
TASKS TO ACHIEVE GOAL: (Schedule in day planner!)

Sort through stacks starting on Monday
Schedule an hour in day planner each day.
Come to work prepared to do this.
I’ll make files instead of piles by first of month
Use a tickler file starting tomorrow and check it every day.

Target
Date


Complete Date

EOM



Possible Obstacles
Solutions to Obstacles
I will put it off
Schedule time in day planner
I don’t like to organize
Hire a professional organizer to help


Affirmations to support Goal…
I am able to find things when I need them
I am organized

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Goal is… __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benefits from achieving this goal are…
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASKS TO ACHIEVE GOAL: (Schedule in day planner!)

1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________


Target
Date


Complete Date



Possible Obstacles
Solutions to Obstacles






Affirmations to support Goal…




3
My Goal is… __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benefits from achieving this goal are…
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASKS TO ACHIEVE GOAL: (Schedule in day planner!)

1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________


Target
Date


Complete Date



Possible Obstacles
Solutions to Obstacles






Affirmations to support Goal…



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Goal is… __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benefits from achieving this goal are…
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TASKS TO ACHIEVE GOAL: (Schedule in day planner!)

1.____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________

Target
Date


Complete Date



Possible Obstacles
Solutions to Obstacles






Affirmations to support Goal…




4
NOTES




























©2008 Patty Kreamer, CPO® ~ Kreamer Connect, Inc. ~ 412-344-3252 ~ www.ByeByeClutter.com

Describe a problem situation and how you solved it.

Interview Questions:
Describe a problem situation
and how you solved it.

This classic interview question may be difficult for you to answer. As you think back through your work history, though, keep in mind that the situation you describe does not need to be one that had a major impact. Just think of a situation that allows you to demonstrate your ability to think critically and develop solutions. For instance, think of a time that a client was in a bind and describe the steps you took to get meet their deadline. Use this as an opportunity to show the interviewer that you are capable of performing responsibly and efficiently on your own.

Interview Questions

According to Christan jobs.com The secret to answering this question is to try to avoid negativity. Chances are there is more than one reason you left your last job. But no matter how your last job situation ended, try to keep a positive tone to your answer. If you do mention negative aspects of a previous job, back it up with some positive points as well. If you are too negative about your last job, you may be classified as a chronic complainer or whiner. Remember, your answer to this question will say a lot about your attitude toward your past, present, and future employers

Arizona bound ?

Talked to Unemployment today and asked if I would be eligible for unemployment if I went to a different city to seek work and the answer was YES.

scsc.state.pa.us - I will check here for listings as well and get a civil service test.

Career Guidance

Went to Career Guidance testing and Career Occupational Preference testing and after a LONG period of different testing- (months) the results showed that my education and experience are in line with my skills,passions,values and preferences. Service Professional,Business Professional, Consumer Economics, Clerical - Administration where the highest levels and I am very creative. It was suggested to look on the DOT - Dictionary of Occupational Titles and enter all the codes from the tests. Look in the Yellow pages and start going and knocking on doors. They also reminded me, that I have MANY transferable skills

Networking at ptwo.org

Went to a networking group this week and they gave me a lot of positive feedback on my resume. Ideas on marketing objectives while fine-tuning my skills and VERY motivating.
Off the top they told me to insert an OBJECTIVE or Summary into my resume (cover letters are going by the wayside for the interview process) each job should not more than 3 bullets. (Mine has 6 – they advised no one would read) FONT should be 10-11. Develop PAR statements (problem – action-result) examples.
Have examples of your work.
Know your resume
Yea- Ums- Yens’-etc shows poor education
Look up wages on Salary.com or wageweb.com – know the industry is paying
The average person is staying in a job 1.9 years to 5 years (sad)
Know about the company from the web- library – Google – networking
HR dept are getting 2200 applications a DAY – make yours stand out
Be able to sell your self in 30 sec or less- know your (boy scout statement) what’s your story- what do you want to do and where do you want to go?