| BostonDotCom: | Welcome back, Chatters! |
| BostonDotCom: | BostonWorks Big Helep Chat-a-thon continues now. . . |
| BostonDotCom: | We are joined by
Michael Neece, founder and CEO of Interview Mastery, the world's
leading software program on interviewing skills |
| BostonDotCom: | Welcome, Michael |
| Michael_Neece: | Hello All, It is a pleasure to chat with you this afternoon to discuss how to .Ace the Interview.. |
| BostonDotCom: | Michael is all set to field your interviewing questions, so fire away, chatters |
| Freddie: | Q: OK, I want to know: do I HAVE to wear a suit? |
| Michael_Neece: | Deciding what to
wear can be a challenge. During the interview you are representing
yourself. I recommend you dress at least better than the norms at the
company you are interviewing with. |
| Michael_Neece: | Wearing a suit is recommended on at least the first interview. If you don.t have a suit dress your best business attire. |
| 5520G_L: | Q: How personal should I get in an interview? Should I tell them about myself, or just stick to business talk? |
| Michael_Neece: | Establishing rapport with the interviewer is important. |
| Michael_Neece: | Keep the conversation conversational but not too personal. |
| Michael_Neece: | You can ask about pictures in the office. |
| Michael_Neece: | A great question to ask is " What do you enjoy about working here?" |
| myfriendneedswork: | Q: Can
you talk about anxiety pre-interview? My friend has been out of work
for almost 2 years. Doens't know how to answer "so, what ya been up to
type questions." |
| Michael_Neece: | This is a difficulty situation to handle. |
| Michael_Neece: | I recommend you say something like the following; |
| Michael_Neece: | During my job search
for the right position I have expanded my professional network,
volunteered at community and professional organizations and improved my
skills with ________ by researching _______. |
| Michael_Neece: | The key here is to
sound productive and busy even while job search. Improving your
knowledge and skills, or research new skills is a good way to
demonstrate professional productivity during down times.
|
| jobhunter: | Q: Okay, so the all important question: When do I talk money? Do I let them bring it up first? |
| Michael_Neece: | Don.t discuss salary until they get to the point they want to hire you. |
| Michael_Neece: | Until that time a discussion of salary can only eliminate you from further consideration. |
| Michael_Neece: | IF they ask you
about salary you can say you are happy to discuss salary after we
decide I.m the right person for this position at your company. |
| G21: | Q: How do I handle an interview where there are multiple people in the room? Should I address them all, or just one at a time? |
| Michael_Neece: | Group interviews can be intimidating. |
| Michael_Neece: | Group interviews can
be intimidating. When responding to questions in a panel interview
setting. Start and finish your response by looking at the person who
asked the question. |
| Michael_Neece: | Make sure to make eye contact with each interviewer during the middle part of your response. |
| patches: | Q: How can I
convince someone at an interview that even though they think I am
over-qualified for a position that I do want it and don't plan on
leaving them. I'm at an age where I really want to "slow down" if you
know what I mean. |
| Michael_Neece: | When an interviewer thinks you are over-qualified they are saying they like your abilities and afraid you will leave soon. |
| Michael_Neece: | Your best strategy
is to agree that you are very qualified for the position and then
describe why this position is the right job for you at this point in
your career. |
| Tish: | Q: What do you do if
you answer a question and the interviewer thinks you are wrong but you
know you are correct? It's a technical question, not something
subjective. |
| Michael_Neece: | Technical interviews can often turn into a technical difference of opinion. |
| Michael_Neece: | Even when you know you are correct it is not effective to prove the interviewer wrong |
| Michael_Neece: | Ask them to
elaborate on why they have that perspective on the technical issue at
hand. Then you can say your perspective is (then go on to describe your
perspective on the issue. |
| jobhunter: | Q: What is the best way to gracefully answer the question of why I am leaving my current job? |
| Michael_Neece: | Why am I leaving is a frequently asked interviewer question. |
| Michael_Neece: | Be honest in describing your reasons but make sure you frame the reason is a very positive tone. |
| Michael_Neece: | Do not say anything
bad or negative about your current/previous boss or employer because
this only reflects badly on you. The interviewer will assume you are
the problem even though this is not true. |
| Fabien: | Q: What if the company representative says "don't worry about how you are dressed?" |
| Michael_Neece: | You should always be
concerned about how you are dressed. First impressions are lasting. How
do you want to be perceived during the interview? People make lots of
assumptions about your talents based on how you present yourself. Right
or wrong dressing for an interview makes a big difference. |
| Michael_Neece: | There is another chat that following this one specifically on dress for success. |
| yhuuio: | Q: Are information interviews worthwhile? |
| Michael_Neece: | Yes. Absolutely.
because you don.t know where they will lead. I know of hundreds of
people who got jobs from that started with info interviews, and they
landed jobs that were not publicly posted. |
| CRC: | Q: What are your thoughts on emailing the "'thank you" for an interview? |
| Michael_Neece: | Thank you notes are
imperative. E-mailing the thank you note is very professional. You can
also follow it up with a hand written note. This too is professional
and can differentiate you from the competition. |
| seekingadvice: | Q: How can I
negotiate a start date (almost 1 month) later than what an employer
wants in order to fulfill obligations to a current employer? |
| Michael_Neece: | Transitioning between jobs can be difficult when you want to preserve the relationship with the current employer. |
| Michael_Neece: | To negotiate start
date, explain the deliverables you have to complete or transition to
others before you start at the new company. |
| Michael_Neece: | By explaining the
reasons for the delayed started date the new employer can better
appreciate your reasons and sees your commitment to complete your work,
even when transitioning jobs. |
| BG_HP: | Q: Hi. How deep into your background should you go? Typically they ask "tell me about yourself". |
| Michael_Neece: | .Tell me about
yourself.. is the most common interviewer question. It provides you
with the rare opportunity to frame the interviewer.s initial impression
of you and highlight both your experiences and personal qualities that
make you the best person for the position. This is one question you
will certainly be asked so plan out and practice your response. |
| Michael_Neece: | During this response you want to provide an overview of your background. |
| Michael_Neece: | It must be a concise
high level summary of your knowledge, skills and experience. It should
also include a description of additional qualities you bring to the
position such as creativity, enthusiasm, results focused, attention to
detail etc. |
| Michael_Neece: | Your first two sentences will carry the most weight and set the stage for the rest of your 90-second commercial. |
| kor: | Q: What if they ask for references from your current job, but your currently employer doesnt know you are interviewing? |
| Michael_Neece: | State that you are
happy to provide references that can speak to your abilities. However
you are uncomfortable giving your current employer at this time. |
| Paul_Morrison: | Q: How do you
describe why the position may be the right one for me at this time in
my career if I am really looking for work because of financial hardship
associated with being unemployed? |
| Michael_Neece: | I do understand this
issue. Make something up that speaks to the new things you are seeking
to learn is this new position. It may be in a new industry or a new
environment. You may also get the chance to learn new skills or work
with new software tools. |
| andy: | Q: How do you ask about work environment if you are worried about how it meets your lifestyle? |
| Michael_Neece: | Ask the interviewer
to describe the company culture. Also ask what are the qualities of the
most successful people at the firm. This will give you a good clue
about the cultural norms at the company. |
| Shmank: | Q: How long should one wait until contacting the interviewer after an interview, if they have not called or written? |
| Michael_Neece: | After the interview, time is your enemy. The longer you wait the better the chances they will forget about you. |
| Michael_Neece: | Wait a few days and then reconnect with them. |
| Michael_Neece: | When you do call or
e-mail provide additional information about your experience or discuss
a recent industry trend. You may have seen a recent press release from
a competitor and wanted to make sure they saw it. |
| G21: | Q: The question I hate is "What's your biggest weakness?" What am I supposed to say to that? |
| Michael_Neece: | Conventional advice
recommends you respond to this question by stating a weakness that is
really a positive or translating a weakness into a positive like .I.m a
workaholic and I spend lots of hours at work ensuring I do my job to
the best of my abilities.. Interviewers see right through this
technique and it.s rarely effective. |
| Michael_Neece: | The strategy in responding to this question is; |
| Michael_Neece: | First, express your
confidence or highlight your strengths, Second, highlight an area that
you are working on or want to improve , Third, describe what you are
doing about it |
| Michael_Neece: | Fourth, describe how this new skill improves your value to the company, Finally, ask a question. |
| BostonDotCom: | Hey folks - time for one more question for Michael. . . |
| Joe_B: | Q: How do you handle the answering of a question that is not "supposed" to be asked? Like one regarding age or health? |
| Michael_Neece: | Even though an
interviewer may be asking an illegal question it.s not effective for
you to say, .That.s an illegal question. You can.t ask me that.. |
| Michael_Neece: | First, do not directly answer the illegal question. Remain calm and positive |
| Michael_Neece: | Second, deal with
the concern behind the question. If you.re not sure what the real
concern is, ask them to elaborate why this information is important to
them. Or you might ask .What are the realities of this position that
prompt you to ask me that question?" Or .How is that important to the
position?. |
| Michael_Neece: | Third, express your commitment to your career and to perform the position at the highest levels. |
| BostonDotCom: | Michael, thanks so much for joining us today - outstanding advice |
| BostonDotCom: | See Michael in person tomorrow afternoon at the Big Help Fenway Park Job Fair (Fair is from 1-6 pm) |
| Michael_Neece: | Thanks all for your questions. It was a pleasure. Best of health and luck on your quest for a new position. Michael |
North of Boston Career Fair
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