The Interview Handbook

The key to a successful job interview is preparation. Remember that success occurs when preparation meets opportunity. If you get the opportunity to interview for a job, don’t blow it by not being prepared. Instead, follow these guidelines to interview preparation:

To perform well at interview you must convey the following in your descriptions of your character and ability:

§ Motivation: Take the opportunity to ask questions of your interviewer. This will convey enthusiasm and motivation, a thirst for knowledge coupled with a desire to get things done.

§ Energy and Drive: Someone who is prepared to put in the extra effort required to get the job done.

§ Confidence: Display a confidence and poise in your interactions with individuals at all levels in the organisation.

§ Determination: Not to be confused with stubbornness. Convey a desire to conquer problems despite difficult situations.

§ Attitude: Someone who is open and friendly but professional always, a team player.

§ Reliable: Self-motivated with an ability to work independently with a minimum of supervision.

§ Honesty and Integrity: Each company has it’s own code of conduct. Display an ethical responsibility for all actions undertaken by you both positive and negative.

§ Listening Skills: Be an active listener. Take time to listen, assimilate the information and respond.

§ Analytical Skills: Ever more important, weigh up each problem and find a balanced solution.

§ Dedication: Display pride in your work and the dedication to see each task through to completion in a timely manner.

Besides the above, in any interview you must be able to answer direct questions, its no good just re-cycling what’s on your resume, as resume is just the starting point, an interview is a two way conversation, but remember the interview is trying to find out if you are suitable for the role, it’s not personal, you have to convince him or her that out of all the candidates you are the best. So meet the interviewer, smile, introduce yourself, use a firm handshake and maintain good eye contact. Follow these tips during the interview:

Be prepared to discuss your three or four most marketable skills applicable to the position for which you’re interviewing. These skills can come from your work history or your educational background. Prove all soft skills through examples; don’t merely offer an opinion of yourself.

Make sure you’re comfortable speaking to every point on your resume.

Anticipate questions. A question you think you’ll be asked will probably come your way.

Use proper grammar and diction. Avoid saying "yeah," "um," "like," "see," "uh," or "ah."

Speak clearly. Be aware of your body language and project confidence. Be positive about yourself and what you’ve accomplished.

Ask questions throughout the interview. If at some point you’re not sure what the interviewer is asking, ask for clarification. This demonstrates you’re interested and have good listening skills.

If asked to describe a failure, weakness or negative experience, finish your response on a positive note by mentioning a lesson learned, growth achieved or how you’re currently working to improve.

When interviewing with more than one person at once, address your answer to the person who asks the question. However, be sure to maintain good eye contact with everyone during the interview.

Never ask about compensation in the first interview. However, if the interviewer addresses salary, answer the question directly.

Always go for the job offer. If negatives of the job surface, such as too much travel, make a mental note for evaluation purposes, but continue one hundred percent in the interview. There may be positive aspects of the job that balance or outweigh the negatives. It’s better to be in a position of rejecting the offer than not receiving it at all.

I have been laid off twice in the last 2 years and I seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress it can put on a family. I have written this article to help you with this situation. This article will help you be better prepared in case a layoff ever occurs where you work. It is my hope you never need it, but you need to know how. My golden rule is never give up and always remember it’s never personal its unfortunately the world and times we currently live in

Step1

First, you need to understand that there’s usually two areas a layoff will affect you–your finances and your emotions. If it has just happened to you, there needs to be a time where you give yourself some time before making major decisions. - Yes, getting laid off is stressful, but don’t beat yourself up. It happens all the time and is due to circumstances beyond your control. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving.

Step2

There are several things you can do to stabilize your finances in case of a layoff. The first is to get out of much debt as possible. How to do that can be a whole other article in itself, but I personally suggest reading books by financial advisor Dave Ramsey. There are other good authors out there as well, but his books are what helped me the most.

Why do I need to reduce my debt? By reducing or eliminating your debt, you reduce the amount of money in the form of payments that is leaving your bank account. In an emergency situation, you can survive on a small amount of money longer without any issues. The next thing to do is “Get Busy” - You need to start your new job search the next day. Start by organizing a work area with a computer notepad and telephone. The sooner you get moving, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be back to work

Step3

To help you in the short term why not utilise your skills. Take a look at your skills and see if there’s something you can do on the side for extra income. The Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunity for normal people to work a day job and then run a business from their home in the evenings. My philosophy is this: In investing, the conventional advice is “never put all your eggs in one basket.” Yet many people are betting their financial futures on only one income source. Even good jobs and good companies have problems, and there’s no reason not to have back-up income if you have the means to create it.

Be careful before investing any money, there are many scams out there promising you a fortune over night with no effort. Any easy way to get around this is to ask yourself this simple question – If it’s too true to be good, then its not true, remember these people are praying on peoples desire to earn money.

If possible, you also need to have a small cushion of money to serve as an emergency fund. Ideally this needs to be 3-6 months of your expenses, but realize this takes time to build. Usually you need to get out of debt first to be able to do this.

Step4

From an emotional standpoint, it often hurts to get laid-off, especially if you were great at your position and liked it. People develop friendships on the job as well, and you miss people. Realize that this is not necessarily something you’ll immediately bounce-back from, but you also don’t need to cling to it either. The best thing you can do is make the best of the situation and try to use it as an opportunity to do something new in your life.

If you’re a spouse or other family member of someone who has been laid-off, be supportive of them and encourage them. Men especially tend to take their self-worth from their jobs, and every working person needs someone to be there for them as they go through the process of getting something new.

If you want to change your old negative habits and turn them into really positive ones you will have to face change. For some of us it is hard to change, yet if you take steps to learn ways to change you will find positive reflections.

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln

This happens because we are plagued by a world filled with opinions, philosophy, theories, suspicion, guesses, and conclusions. You have to learn how to find your own truth before you can improve your life.

What are some of the things I can do to use the power of positive thinking and change my bad ways to good ways?

This is going to be completely up to you, but it takes you to try out new tactics that helps you to grow. No one can change you, but you. when your ready to do this take full control, ask for help and advice from family and friends, don’t every feel that you are on your own, but it will be down to you to make the change. You can learn to build the inner gifts you have within you. The qualities you have include self-esteem, confidence, trust, self-awareness, self-motivation and so on. each quality you can build on to improve your personal well being. You have to figure out what works for you.

For one thing, you need to decide what is making you do what you do and figure out a way to do the right thing. So if it is the people you hang out with maybe you should find some one else to hang with. Maybe people from a support group or a group from your church can help you find ways to change your habits. The first things you have to do is stop lying to your self and to make those changes to your life that will give you a positive stroke. You have to learn how to make good decisions by evaluating the consequences.

You will be surprised how easy it can be. For instance, would you allow a drunk person to drive you home? If you would then you made a bad decision that could cost you your life, or have you tossed in jail. If you are sober, why not drive the drunk person home yourself.

Positive thinking includes friends and family. If your family members are dragging you down, or your friends are holding you back, you have to make a choice. The choice may include talking to them about how you feel and you are making a real effort to be positive, remember we only have one life so living each day to its full is a real joy.

Remember our present attitudes are habits, built from the feedback of parents, friends, society and self, that form our self-image and our world-image.

Try to develop new skills that guide you to remove bad habits, try using your conscious mind. When you observe, listen and hear the things around you, you learn more than you would reading a book. Observation is a wonderful skill to practice. Observation, includes self-awareness. Stand back and take a hard look at you. Do not persecute or self-judge, rather look for ways to make your life better.

In his ground-breaking book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, Christopher Petersen, PhD, says, “…optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks.” He goes on to say, “…optimism…has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma.”

Questions You May Want Ask Yourself

Do you smoke?

Smoking is the number one reason that people get lung cancer. Smoking is not good for you. If you can quite on your own, great, yet if you need help, ask.

Do you drink excessively?

Do you know the side effects of drinking excessively? If not visit the Internet and learn more about what alcohol can do to you. On the other hand, if you can control alcohol, drink three drinks per week. Studies has shown that drinking three alcohol beverages weekly can reduce the risks of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and so on. If you take drugs, you want to find a way to take control of your life also.

Practice the positive thinking approach outlined above and you’ll find it soon comes naturally. You may be amazed to realize that you simply feel better with a positive attitude.