Job seekers don’t have much time to win over hiring managers, a new Accountemps survey suggests. More than half (52 per cent) of human resources (HR) managers polled said they form a positive or negative opinion of candidates during interviews in 10 minutes or less. For some, impressions are made even quicker. Nearly three in [...]

Behavioural interview questions are designed for candidates to showcase their skills by answering situational questions about their previous work experience. Answering these questions can be rather intimidating and answering them well, can often mean the difference between landing your ideal job, or losing it to your competition.

You’ve learned about how to cut details from your resume for a better chance at an interview. You prepared for the interview by doing your research on the employer and practising your responses. You showed up dressed to kill and you even asked some thoughtful, poignant questions. You were supposed to hear back a week ago, but no one’s called or emailed and now you have the sinking feeling that you didn’t get the job.

You’re sitting in the interview room. You’re dressed well, even on a budget. You researched the company and practised answering interview questions honestly and with confidence. Now the interviewer asks you if you have any question, and your mind goes blank. The only one you can think of is the salary question, and you’re worried it will make your interest in the job shallow and one-dimensional. Here are the questions you should be asking, and why.

A telephone interview is usually short, just enough time to rule you in or out, so the focus is on questions that help evaluate you quickly. Your goal is to turn it into a face-to-face meeting, so your answers need to be concise. As a rule of thumb, keep your answers to less than two minutes, if an interviewer wants to know more s/he will ask.

Okay, I promise the next job interview you go to will most definitely NOT be like that! But we all know job interviews are nerve racking and the best way to minimize those nervous symptoms of sweaty palms, dry mouth, and of course, the worst of all – going blank, is to prepare as much as possible. Part of the preparation includes going over possible interview questions the interviewers may ask you, writing out responses, not memorizing them, but practicing, and if possible, even doing a mock interview. It’s also important to keep in mind that knowing what questions should not be asked in an interview is just important as knowing what questions may be asked. At times job seekers aren’t aware of the fact that there are inappropriate and illegal questions. Therefore it is important to know what these types of questions are and how to respond to these questions in a manner that wouldn’t hinder your chances of getting the job.

I once had a fellow in one of my job search workshops where we were discussing the importance of follow-up. He had never heard of it before but thought it was a fantastic idea. He mentioned it was too bad he hadn’t known of it earlier when he applied for a dream position. I suggested he still follow-up. He said, “Well, you don’t understand…that was a month ago! The job has been filled.” I said, “You can still follow-up. What have you got to lose?” So he did.

In a recent article, career expert Brenda Blackburn espouses the benefits of Informational Interviews, but how does one get started? Below are some tips Brenda offers to dive into the informational interview and take that next important step in your career.

If you’re contemplating a career change, but want to be sure whether or not the career or company will be right for you, you may want to consider one of the most powerful research tools: Information Interviews.
While many people may have heard the term before, most are not familiar with what exactly it entails. Quite simply, an “informational interview” is a type of interview process utilized to obtain information about an occupation under consideration. If you’re interested in a particular career path, then the best person to ask about it is someone doing the actual job!

Although applying for entry-level jobs online through email or company websites is becoming more common, many employers still allow you to apply in person. This may include such businesses as retail stores, restaurants, movie theatres, and gas stations. If you do apply in person, consider the following list of DOs and DON’Ts.