Tip of the Week (Special Edition) : On Interviewing Techniques

Our team periodically has released "Tips of the Weeks" On our Twitter Channel.  However, we wanted to feature this very comprehensive "Tip of the Week" (courtesy of AT&T) on Interviewing Techniques we hope our Community Enjoys:

 So, you’ve been contacted  and they want to set up an interview. We can help you with that – check out our tips below.

What to wear

As you can imagine, clothes help you make a great first impression, but they shouldn’t speak louder than you do. Dress professionally and let your skills and knowledge make the impression.

Watch Your Body Language

It’s all about confidence. Offer your interviewer a firm, dry handshake and watch your posture. Also, make eye contact and don’t answer questions by looking around the room. It’s also a good idea to use hand gestures in moderation and refrain from fidgeting.

Focus on Your Past Behavior

Your interviewer will be interested in what you’ve done in previous jobs or in school. We want to hear about specific situations. Let us know how you handled them and what results you achieved. Tell us about success stories, but it also doesn’t hurt to include a time things didn’t go quite right, but you still learned from the experience.

Describe Your Qualifications

What makes you unique? Are you the type of person who enjoys working in a certain type of environment? During your interview, your job is to convince us that you have the right attitude, experience, skill set, and qualifications for the position.

"Why Should We Hire You?"

This may seem obvious, but try to answer this question out loud right now. Was your answer confident and concise? Let us know you have been listening to our needs and have what it takes to do the job. Tell us why you’re great!

Tough Questions

Like we said, our interview focus will be on what you have done in previous jobs. You can prepare for the interview by thinking of and perhaps jotting down a list of past accomplishments. Also, think of tough situations you have handled well, and maybe some you didn't handle as well as you could have.

Ask Questions

Surprisingly, most people don't take advantage of the chance to ask questions of their interviewer. This is a missed opportunity to find out information about the position. It is important for you to ask questions -- not just any questions, but those relating to the job, the company and the industry. Go ahead and ask. That’s what we’re here for.

Other Information

In most cases you will complete an employment application online before you come in to meet with our Staffing Team or Hiring Managers. Just in case, be sure to bring with you the names, addresses and dates for where you went to school, where you've worked for the past five years, and where you've lived for the past seven years.

Closing Points

Leave your interviewer with the right picture of you. Think of skills or traits you want remembered after the interview. Also, don’t forget to state your interest in the position. Again; this sounds easy, but remember to act interested and remember to mention the added value you can bring to the job.

What now?

Once your interview is over ask about the next step in the process. It's important for you to know what to expect. Ask for the decision date and what date we’ll contact you. Also, find out how to contact us and who to contact. If you don't hear back, you’ll need to know who to contact and whether they will accept calls to check your hiring status.

Tips for Transitioning Military

• To avoid confusion, make sure to translate any military jargon and abbreviations into civilian terms. This extends to your resume as well. Here are some great tips on writing a civilian resume.
• Your interviewer will want to know about your training, certifications, milestones and accomplishments. Be prepared to talk about them.
• We’d also like to hear about your management or fiscal responsibilities in the military. Be prepared to talk about how many people you supervised and quantify the value of equipment for which you were responsible. For example, if you served in the Mechanized Infantry and were a Tank Commander, a Bradley is a $3.1M piece of equipment. Also include any relevant cost savings, goal accomplishment ahead of plan, special awards, promotions and recognition, etc.
• You gained various competencies, skills and behaviors in the military. Tell us which ones you think may translate well into a corporate environment.