Interview Help: What's Your Greatest Weakness?

Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm a perfectionist." Not only are those responses boring, but they are also predictable answers interviewers are used to hearing. So much so that an interviewer's comeback line often is, "That doesn't sound like a weakness. Now why don't you tell me about a real weakness?" Ouch...

Asking the Right Questions During the Interview

The way you approach the Q&A session will have a direct impact on the interviewer’s perception of you. Based on the questions you ask, a judgment will be made in regard to how interested you seem to be in working for the company...

Coping When You're Overqualified

When you are professionally overqualified, there are usually lots of stressful issues, which have to be dealt with. You may be forced to adjust your entire life and mold it to fit your current situation. This can be very stressful, frustrating and can even lead to depression...

What Interviewers Really Want to Know

What do interviewers really want in job candidates? The answer may be different for every hiring manager. But first-time job hunters may be surprised by how simple their wish lists are. We asked hiring managers from a variety of industries to share what they look for in candidates...

When Bad Interviews Happen to Good Candidates

Going through the motions of a bad interview is like peeling back the layers of an onion. Sally learned this lesson the hard way, hands-on during an interview that should have been a piece of cake. Sally applied for a position that fit her qualifications perfectly. When she received an invitation to interview, Sally believed she was a shoo-in for the job. Feeling confident, she approached the interview in a lax manner...

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Job Seekers

In the job search craze, there are those who land a job right away and those who struggle through the process of finding one for a long time. ‘Luck’ is usually the response one hears from disenfranchised job seekers when they find out that their neighbor down the street was offered a position after only a two-week search...

Looking for a Job? Give Yourself a Chance

Here’s my “Top Ten” list of common transgressions that can cause your resume to be dropped in an employer’s circular file...

Excerpt: How to Sell Yourself

My name is Joe Girard. I grew up in the motor capital of the United States, Detroit, Michigan, the city that put the whole world on wheels. I suppose it was natural that I, like so many others from this dynamic city, would become a part of the automobile business. Not making cars, but selling them. As a matter of record I am the World's Number-One New Car Salesman...

Building a Business Wardrobe

I am in desperate need of help to build a business wardrobe. I am a 42-year-old female, and have worked very little over the last 10 years as I have been a stay at home mom. It’s a typical story: my kids and husband have come first, and by the time I know it the funds are gone and the time is past...

Body Language

I was very appropriately dressed in a black suit with a white top; the skirt came a little below the knee. The interview took place in a conference room. I was placed at the head of the conference table and the director sat to my left. I turned my body slightly towards the left so I would have better eye contact. I crossed my legs at the knee and folded my hands on my lap. In the middle of the interview he said, "You know that it is not proper etiquette to cross your legs in an interview."

Create the Self You Want

In your business and in your personal life, if your mind was a huge, blank sheet of paper, what would you fill the space with? Would you use it to create positive or negative thoughts?

Tell Me About Yourself...

“So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” is the most frequently asked interview question. It’s a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering...

Are You a Value-Added Employee?

What is your focus when you go to work? Are you thinking "What can I give today?" or "What can I get?" Both questions are important, however, the former will get you further faster. It's that simple...

Expectations

Expectations have a powerful impact on our emotions, behaviors, and most importantly, in our performances. Have you noticed what happens when you expect no raise or promotion at work? Most likely you will not get them!

The Behavioral Style Job Interview

In an effort to find the perfect employee, recruiters have embraced behavioral style interviews as their interview of choice. This is because a behavioral-based interview is designed to make the candidates think on their feet since recruiters don’t ask typical questions that can be easily prepared for in advance. For instance, “Where do you want to be in five years?”

Good Attitude

Several people exchanged e-mails over how difficult it is to find good people with good work ethics, attitudes and communication skills. I had one reader who really has a good grasp of reality...

Waiting for the Official Job Offer

At the end of the third job interview, Helene was told by the hiring manager, “Congratulations, I am going to recommend you for the position. Expect a call from HR.” Helene breathed a sigh of relief because her job search of six months was finally over. Helene went straight home and waited by the phone all day. The phone never rang...

Surviving the New Job Interview

In August 1957 William Shockley was recruiting staff for his Palo Alto, California, start-up, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. Shockley had been part of the Bell Labs team that invented the transistor. He had quit his job and come west to start his own company, telling people his goal was to make a million dollars. Everyone thought he was crazy. Shockley knew he wasn't. Unlike a lot of the people at Bell Labs, he knew the transistor was going to be big...