How To Get The Job: 3 First Questions Probably on The Script

This series was inspired from my seven years experience listening to the good, the bad and the truly hideous interview. About half the applicants I turn away could have done the job and done it well. This guide will lead qualified candidates to avoiding major pitfalls in how they are presenting themselves during the interview process.

Previously:

Earning the Phone Interview

Defeating the Dreaded Phone Interviewer

Dressing to Impress

Questions That Shouldn't be Asked inAn Interview

Be Prepared To Start from Scratch Establishing Who You Are: Your interviewer does not know you. Most likely they have not seen or remember your resume. Until someone called them down to the office they didn’t even know they were interviewing anyone. There's a 50/50 flip the interviewer will take a minute to scan your application, but odds are they won't know you're education, previous experience, how many hours you want to work, or anything else relevant.

• Your interviewer was pulled away from a time sensitive task. Value the interviewer's time. Be direct and brief in your answers.

• Your interviewer is following a script to create the most uniform experience. Whatever you said before got you to this point, you have to say it again. It is all new to this interviewer.

Have NO more than three traits about yourself that make you perfect for this job and always use one of these traits in every answer you are asked.

• Be truthful regarding your personality traits.

• Make sure your positive traits align with the job & the company you're applying for. For example being friendly could be a great trait in a cashier if the company prioritizes guest experience. If the company prioritizes the bottom line, being efficient or being vigilant against price inconsistencies may be more important traits

.

• Have tangible examples to back up your traits. For example if you're friendly have examples of times you've welcomed new people to clubs/school/groups or show some interactions where you commonly go the extra mile. If you like to meet new people provide examples of positive experiences where that happened. If you're efficient explain how you completed tasks faster than expected or times you changed a process to make it faster for everyone to complete.

3 Questions on Nearly Every Interview:

1. Why do you want to work for this company?
   • Name 1-2 things you like about this company.
   • Talk about how you like the experience with the company as a guest but only if you can work in how as an employee you'd be excited to facilitate that experience in these ways.
   • Match your skill set to the company's goals.
   • If you know anything about the company's pay and benefits from your phone interview or from a friend now is a time to talk about how the company meets your needs in these ways too. Companies like mutually beneficial fits. It suggests that you'll be satisfied with the work and stay with the company long enough for them to make their training dollars back.
   • If you are looking for a career, now is the time to talk about how the company may fit into your career aspirations. You're starting at position X but you have these skills and would really like to see yourself move into these other positions with a great company
   • Service Industry groups accept that we're often transition jobs for college students, high schoolers, and stay at home parents. If applicable, now is the time to speak to how this job ties to the other part of your life. Once a stay at home mom discussed how my company's charity work had helped her family/community and she wanted to work for a company with values active in her community. A student explained that the consistency of work schedule we provided vs competition could allow him to schedule classes while providing him school funds.

2. What is your relevant experience?
   • I don't care if you've had a job or not YOU HAVE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
   • Go back to the job requirements and relate them to part of your life. Maybe you've run or helped to run events before where you greeted people, helped people find something, made a suggestion to another person, prepared food for a group bigger than 8, introduced a new person to a school or club. The list is literally endless. Think about it a little before you go in to the interview and have relevant experience ready. The interviewer will be impressed with your effort, ingenuity, and creativity. Also making deep connections into your life will show that you really “get” and “live” the philosophy—which will make you easier to train.

3. If the interviewer spoke to a teacher, coach, previous boss, or peer name 2 strengths and 1 weakness they would say you have.
   • DO NOT say you have “no weaknesses”. It's arrogant and it's not true. Those “no weakness” people almost always remain unemployed.
   • Diminish your weakness by framing it and showing how you try to solve it. For instance, if you get overwhelmed when “too much” is going on, you could first elaborate what that really means. Is it 2 things or 10? Show how you have a strategy for overcoming this. Maybe, you take a moment to review what needs to be done and prioritize it as a list. Maybe you call for assistance with the tasks. Almost any weakness sounds reasonable with the right framing.
   • You can try to pick a non-applicable weakness like “I'm bad at geography”but DON’T. Based off of that non-answer, I can think of several more realistic answers like: “I don't take important tasks seriously”, “I don't value other's time”, “I get very nervous in stressful situations and react inappropriately”, and “I have no concept of how inane I sound right now”.

If everything is amazing in your interview, than you may get away with a flip non-answer but this type of response may make you seem cocky. If your interview is mixed, a joke answer might be a nail in the coffin. They'll remember you, but it might not be a good thing.

• Make sure your strengths relate to the job, it's best to actually talk about how you see them helping you in the job. Reliability, dependability, and honesty are traits necessary for all jobs. Examples showing these are always winners. In service related jobs caring, empathy, and desire to please are traits that get high marks. Certain companies appreciate integrity, an eye for visual display, and a knowledge base of technology/apps/social media.

That's the first third of your interview. Smile, you're not quite half done! Next time we'll cover the “tell me about a time when” questions and all the best scenarios you could choose to stand out while being exactly what the hiring manager is looking for.  

How To Get The Job: A Few Questions You Should NOT Be Asked in an Interview

This series was inspired from my seven years experience listening to the good, the bad and the truly hideous interview. About half the applicants I turn away could have done the job and done it well. This guide will lead qualified candidates to avoiding major pitfalls in how they are presenting themselves during the interview process.

Previously we Covered:

 Getting the Phone Interview 

How to GetThrough the Phone Interview

 What to Wear to In Person

We're going to very briefly talk about questions which are illegal to asking in the USA.

It's never in your favor to answer these questions or to offer this information voluntarily.

Most articles list 7 separate categories interviews shouldn't touch on they include: age, race, national origin, gender, marital status, and sexual orientation. Below, I've listed the top illegal questions I've seen others ask in interviewing workshops, role play interviews, or on occasion when I've been interviewing for a position.

Questions You Should NEVER Be Asked and SHOULD NOT ANSWER in an Interview:

1. Any question about your race or ethnicity: These include What is your nationality/are you a US citizen/what's your native language/how long have you lived here?
2. Any question regarding your religious beliefs? What's your religious faith/which religious holidays do you observe? “I belong to ??? church which one do you belong to?”
3. Any question regarding your age: How old are you? What years did you graduate High School? THERE IS ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS: If you need to be a minimum age to perform the job’s duties. For instance, the minimum age to use a deli slicer is 16.
4. Any question concerning your family situation Do you have kids/ is your babysitter reliable/ can you get a babysitter short notice? Do you have a husband/wife/significant other?

Though there are questions similar to these that an interviewer MAY ask, ones that get too specific regarding age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability are illegal in the USA. If you're asked these questions you should remain calm and friendly but politely decline to answer them.

You can try re-framing the situation with “Why do you ask?”. It may give both you a chance to gracefully backtrack into job related queries. Perhaps the interviewer just wants to know if you're open to working Christmas or Easter. This allows you to respond appropriately to their concerns.

Sometimes the interviewer is just trying to make some small talk and has no reason they are asking the question. Just like this might be one of the first times you are interviewing, this might be one of the first times this person is the interviewer. Allow them the opportunity to back away from a question that seems not relevant to the job.

If necessary redirect them by asking them “What are the 3 main skills you are looking for?” or “What traits do you feel are important for a person to have who is doing this job?”

If these tactics don't work, chances are your interview is not going well. It may be time to get up and leave the interview.

Remember, once you have the job, you have to work for these people. As much as an interview is about whether you're the right fit for a company, a company should also be putting it's best face forward. Don't stay in an interview that makes you uncomfortable or in an interview where you learn you do not want the job on offer.

Do you need more information on this topic? May I recommend reading:

11 Interview Questions that are Actually Illegal

http://www.businessinsider.com/11-illegal-interview-questions-2013-7

30 Interview Questions you Can't ask and 30 Sneaky Alternatives to Get the Same Info http://www.hrworld.com/features/30-interview-questions-111507/

5 Job Interview Questions that Are Illegal to Ask

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/illegal-interview-questions/article.aspx

Ready for more?  The next part of my Series is Up The First 3 Questions in the Interview

How To Get the Job: Dress to Impress!!

This series was inspired from my seven years experience listening to the good, the bad and the truly hideous interview.  About half the applicants I turn away could have done the job and done it well.   This guide will lead qualified candidates to avoiding major pitfalls in how they are presenting themselves during the interview process.

If you missed it, here is:

Preparing for the Phone Interview

Dealing with the Phone Interview  

Dress For the Job you want, not the job you are Applying for.  Cliche but true!  When I see someone in ripped jeans or a mussed t shirt, all I can think is that they didn't really care about this job.  

The price of  admission are clean khakis and a polo or button up shirt.  I won't be impressed with this outfit. I won't think of fast tracking you. You will merely be an acceptable.

I write down what kind of effort the applicant put into their appearance on the application.  Effort counts a lot.  Remember even if this is “just a job” for you, the interviewer and hiring manager think of this as a career.  They really care and they don't want to hire you if you don't match their intensity.

The Outfit:

• Wear dress pants or a knee length professional skirt/dress.  
• Suit or sports jacket is preferred
• All apparel  should be clean and in good condition.   No buttons missing, no hems hanging, no frayed cuffs, no holes.
• Pressed
• All apparel should be well fitting.  Not too large or too tight.   Too long or too short.   
• Shoes clean and no athletic shoes or sandals especially flip flops

This outfit will make your interviewer happy and start you on the right foot.   The EXCEPTION:  high end dining, entertainment, and hospitality demands higher standards of dress.  You're going to have to be comfortable rocking a full suit to dress at one level above the job you're applying for.

Once the outfit is in place here are some additional grooming points everyone should be aware of.

For Men: I want to see a button up shirt and tie. This is preferred just not by me but most hiring managers.

• Traditional plaids, even though the shirt technically buttons up, are NOT acceptable. Gingham, gentle plaid, and windowpane are all styles that hold some similarities to traditional flannel plaid, but may be appropriate for an interview with the correct accents.  Please check out this guide if you need examples of the pattern styles 

• Some people are going to tell you ties are optional: they aren't.  If I expect women to pick out appropriate jewelry and make up you better be 100% certain I'm looking for ties on men!  I'm not alone here, most of the male managers I've worked with want ties, and while we hire people without ties, every owner or manager I've worked for Notices and Laments over a lack of tie.

•  I've seen some awesome bow ties recently, and I love how neat and stylish it's made candidates appear.  If you want to stand out a little and your outfit allows, a bow tie could be just the thing.   Some hiring managers may be put off by this so it is a risk.

For the Ladies:

• Wear a blouse or button up shirt.  

• Avoid showing cleavage
• Don't let your bra show
• Don't wear anything too sheer,  
• DO NOT go sleeveless without a jacket.  
• Absolutely no mid-drift.
• If needed discreetly pin closed any gaps that may show your bra

• A suit jacket is a positive addition with a dress although a simple cardigan can complete an interview outfit.

Take it from the Top: Faces and Hands Are KEY.

Everyone:

Neat Hair: Your hair should be neat.  The messy bed head look is a style, but we can tell if there's gel in your hair and it's intentional or if you're just too lazy to put some water on it to flatten it.  If you have long hair please take the time to style it. Wash it, pull it back, or take the time and product to make it look nice when it's down.  I can promise you won't work a service area I'm in if your hair is a greasy mess when you come to interview.   

For Ladies:

Please, no messy buns. Natural hair might be best if you pull it back into a neat pony tail )prevents weather from effecting your hair before an interview) or spray the fly aways down.  Curly haired ladies: you have a choice to either flatten you hair or really refine the curls for the interview. In very conservative interviews curly hair is a risk. I have had hiring managers ask me “you accepted her/him with hair like that?!” when it was perfectly styled because they just don't get how curly hair works. Consider very carefully the kind of place you're interviewing for, how often you may be in the public eye, and if you can go to the physical building and see how other employees look. Remember, they have the job and can look less than perfect, but there may still be one or two uniform preferred looks. Not matter what type of hair you have it should be neatly and conservatively styled.

Men with LONG Hair: Do not wear it down. If you have shoulder length hair pull it back in a neat ponytail or bun for the interview.

Be Rested: Get a good night's sleep before the interview if you can.  I don't let bags under the eyes or a haggard look count against a person, but it doesn't really help either.  Likewise: take care of your teeth.  Again I've hired folks with dental problems, but I know a lot of people find this a turn off.

Tattoos: Know both corporate and Franchise policy on tattoos! If ink is not allowed, go on and cover it up before the interview. If you need make up, bandaids, or clothing with sleeves, wear it. It's better for the hiring manager never be aware of a tattoo, as they will start to discount you as soon as they know it could be a problem.

Groomed Nails and Hands: Your hands should also be clean and nails should be short and of even length.     Applicants whose pinkie  and ring finger nails are a lot longer than the rest of their nails suggests either a drug habit or a lack of attention to detail.  I don't want either in my work force.   Beware if you are applying for a job in food service Federal Government regulations require clean unpolished nails.   No artificial nails at all. Wearing them to an interview is fine, but you will be asked if you are prepared to remove them before any hiring process can move forward.

Clean faces:  Make sure your face is clean.  

For Men, if you have facial hair make sure it's trimmed and neat. Clean shaven gentlemen: please make sure you have a fresh shave. Some jobs will require you to be clean shaven. While it's easier to maintain food safety with a fresh shave, it's usually a styl-istic choice on the part of management. The hiring manager will inform you at the interview and want a positive response so be ready.

   For Women:  Your face should be clean and neat.  You should wear light make up.  It's safest to go with neutral natural highlights.   Remember you want the interviewer to see you not your makeup.  Now is not the time to experiment with a new cosmetics.

Additionally for Women: Jewelry should be simple.   If you wear earrings studs are best but small dangles are also acceptable.   Likewise, only wear discreet necklaces.  Make sure your necklace doesn't fight with your neckline.  It should fall either well about the neckline and settle closely around the neck, or well below the neckline and showcase the shirt.

For Men Jewelry should be limited to a watch and a ring.  Bracelets, chains, and earrings are not appropriate for most interviews.

So now you look like the perfect hire!  Next time, we'll start discussing how to put your strengths forward in a way that will carry the most meaning to your interviewer.

Let Me Know:

-Anything you felt I missed or glossed over?  

-Was my advice helpful?  

-Do you have further questions or concerns?

Was this guide helpful?  Help a friend and help a friend: share it please and thank you!

See the next Part of this series: Questions An Interviewer Should Not Ask

How To Get The Job: The Dreaded Phone Interview

This series is inspired from my seven years experience listening to the good, the bad and the truly hideous interview. About half the applicants I turn away could have done the job and done it well. This guide will lead qualified candidates to avoiding major pitfalls on how to navigate the interview process.

If you haven't, feel free to check out part 1 of the series.

You got the call now what???

The Phone Interview:

First, congrats! You filled out the application correctly. You are a “YES” or a “MAYBE.” The stack of “No” is way larger than the stack of “Yes” and “Maybe” combined, so this IS an accomplishment, even if it doesn't feel like it.

Some Advice for the Phone Interview:

• Know How to Sell Yourself. You may be truly qualified in every way to work at this position. That's awesome and we want you to have a chance to show it! The phone interview is NOT the time to be too diverse.
  • Pick 1 Amazing trait that gels with the job You will overwhelm the note taker on the other end if you say to many different things. He or she might not record the right parts of your sales pitch.
  • This is a Gate Keeper: The person calling you for this first pass is not the decision maker. It's possible they are 100% in tune with what the boss wants, but it's just as likely they are guessing. A clear message takes all the guess work out of it.
  • Make sure your Connection is Good: Your actual connection could be bad. Repeating the same message over and over gives it the best chance of being heard.

• Pause and Wait for the Questions: Give your interviewer space between answers! They are writing down what you said, so give them time to do it. BE COMFORTABLE WITH SILENCE. You will be prompted if they want more information.
  • Keep it Simple: Too much talking muddies your message and you risk the interviewer writing down the wrong thing
  • Rambling is when people get into trouble. I was about to offer a person a job. I was just finishing writing my notes, but the person wasn't comfortable with silence while I wrote and said something negative about management at their last job—Huge Mistake. Sometimes less is more.
  • Silence shows confidence and control in stressful situations. The single BEST non-verbal que you can give that you are right for the job on a phone interview is wait to be prompted. It shows patience and a willingness to take direction.

• Know Something about the Company. Know about the company you're applying to and how they like to run business. Are they most proud of efficiency, friendliness, quality product? Their web presence will give you a clue.
  • Be Positive about the job “Don't say anything along the lines of “it's a service job, they're all really the same” or “anyone could do the job” or “what you want is simple/easy”. If you do this you probably won't get brought in for a face to face.

• Be prepared for situational questions over the phone. A few years ago we used to only ask generic questions, but present day we'll dive into the open ended “Tell me about a time X happened to you”
  • The answer doesn't have to be amazing but you DO need an answer
  • Feel free to use “off the top of my head” and other phrases that will allow time for you think of an answer.
  • Also feel free to say things like “give me a moment” or “I'm thinking” don't rush into an answer if you think you can do better.

• Have some questions ready. They might include:
  • What does the interview and hiring process look like?
  • How many positions are open?
  • What is your ideal candidate’s availability?
  • I got the impression that quality x was most important to you is that correct?

Do this in the phone interview and Congrats, you'll get to move on to the in person interview. Feel free to celebrate! Next time We'll Talk about What to Wear for the best possible first impression.

Let Me Know:

-Anything you felt I missed or glossed over?

-Share a story of a memorable phone interview!

-Was my advice helpful?

-Do you have further questions or concerns?

Was this guide helpful? Help a friend and help a friend: share it please and thank you!

Update!  The Next Part of my Series Dress to Impress is now up, please follow here to read further.