Transcripts
1. Job Interview Training - Course Outline: Welcome inside, and congratulations for making the first step to improve your interview skills before we dive into the interview content. I wouldn't give you some tips on how to benefit from this course and share with you. A brief outline off what is included inside. What you get from this training is an easy to follow formula for answering interview questions. I have narrowed the questions down to the most popular questions. There are hundreds of other interview questions, but they are related to my list of questions, which means if you learn how to answer the questions in my course, you will be covered on how to answer any interview question. And by going through my training and watching all the video lessons, you will get the knowledge of how to correctly answer interview questions. However, to get the maximum benefit off this course, you will have to put pen to paper. I highly recommend it. After watching each interview question, you follow my advice and write down your own response on a piece of paper, thinking about your answer and writing it down. Using the formulas and methods I provide will help you the most in your interview preparation. Here's a quick outline off this training. You will start by learning how to make a great first impression in the interview. I Bad first impression can disqualify you as a candidate. So I have created one lesson which is focused entirely on making a good impression in the 1st 90 seconds, so that you can easily communicate to the interviewer that you are a serious candidate and then move on to the main interview questions. Then, in the main section off this training, you will learn how to answer the most important interview questions. Each tutorial is a standalone lesson, so you do not have to watch it in any particular order. If you feel that some of the questions are more difficult to answer, then you can always return and watch the lesson again. Towards the end of the interview, there are two areas that you should be aware off, and firstly, we will cover the difficult question off talking about your salary. This is always difficult because if you ask for too much, you will be eliminated. If you ask for too little, you will feel bad if the job is offered to you. But more on that later, and secondly, at the very end of the interview, you will get a chance to ask your questions. So at the end of this training, you will learn powerful questions you can ask that actually promote you as a candidate. I will also share. Would you a sneaky tactic you can use at the end of the interview to get the interviewer to think about your positive qualities as a candidate. So watch the video lessons right down your responses to each question, and you will not be caught by surprised at your interview. Instead, you will be prepared to perform at your best. Let's get started and move on to the first training about making a great first impression.
2. How to make a great first impression: Did you know that 33% off? All recruiters know whether they would hire someone in the 1st 90 seconds. The 1st 90 seconds is also the period in which you are the most nervous. In this lesson, I will share with you five things you can do to keep your nerves down and make a great first impression. The last thing you want is to be prepared for an interview. Know how to respond, toe all the questions yet make a lousy first impression and be disqualified before you even get started. These techniques are simple but powerful in creating your positive image of a confident applicant. Use them to pass the initial 90 seconds and then move on to the fun part. They interview number one. Hold eye contact. When you first meet someone, hold normal eye contact. Do not be afraid of looking a person in the eyes and greeting them. The ability to maintain eye contact is a sign off confidence. The worst thing you can do is avoid someone's eyes. This instantly signals that you are trying to hide something, or that you have little confidence in yourself. In fact, 65% off interviews say that candidates who fail to make eye contact didn't get the role that they were applying for. On the other hand, you do not want to stare them without even blinking. This looks weird, and it's not recommended. A normal amount of eye contact actually applies to the entire interview. But to make a good first impression, make sure you start with strong eye contact number to introduce yourself with a firm handshake. When you meet the interviewer, the first thing that happens in 99% off all interviews is the introduction and handshake. Do not use a limp handshake. Unconsciously, this sends the wrong signals. Ah, limp handshake means weakness. Although a limp handshake doesn't disqualify you from an interview. Using a firm handshake makes a good first impression. Ah, firm handshake communicates to the interviewer that you are a confident person and a potential candidate for the job Number three. Talk slowly. You may be feeling nervous going in for an interview. You may have sweaty palms faster heartbeat, and you want it over as soon as possible. Unfortunately, under these conditions, many candidates start talking faster. This is especially noticeable after a truther asks a question. Nervous candidates immediately rush to answer the question. This doesn't help. Whereas confident candidates take their time, they pause, breed, take a sip of water and start talking. Basically, a confident person is not afraid to say That's a great question. Let me think for a second. This rule applies to the first impression as well as to the rest of the interview. So take your time and do not rush your responses. Number four have open body language. One way of doing this is to align yourself with the interviewer. If you're sitting opposite the interviewer, this will be easy. If you're sitting at a corner table, ensure that you rotate yourself so that you are pointed at the interviewer. Do not point your body away from the interviewer or especially do not cross your arms during the interview. This signals that you're closed and do not want to be there. The interviewer will instantly pick up on this and number five. Change your focus. This technique is more general, but it might help lower your nurse. When you go to the interview, every person is tuned into something known us. W I I F M. What's in it for me. You're going to the job interview and thinking, I want this job because they have a good employee benefits package. I'll get experience and then I can find a better job. They offer home offers. I need to change my current job as a constant, my employer. There are many reasons, all of which are personal and apply only to you. The best way to achieve your personal goals is to think differently. At the interview, the recruiter is looking for a candidate to help solve a problem in the company going into the interview, Think in terms off what you can do to help the company. What skills and abilities do you offer that will help solve the company's problem? This means that you need to do some research about the company. If you know the company well, you instantly talk better during the interview. If you know the company structure the products and services, you will be able to be more believable. During the interview. In fact, 47% off interviewers said that they wouldn't offer the job to a candidate if they had little knowledge off the company. It is quite a common mistake for candidates coming into the interview without proper understanding off the company. Let's summarize the five tips to make a good first impression. Hold eye contact, use a firm handshake, talk slowly at the beginning and during the interview, have opened body language and change your focus into how you can help the company. Follow these five tips and you will make a great first impression. Sure, you probably will still be nervous, but at least you will be prepared and ready to perform well during the interview. Thank you for watching.
3. Tell me about yourself: In this lesson, you will learn how to answer one of the oldest questions in the interview textbook. This question is almost certain to be asking one form or another, and that question is Tell me about yourself. This question is helpful for the interviewer because it catches candidates off guard. The question is vague, and most candidates don't really know how to enter it. And what to talk about. In this lesson, I will share with you the real question behind this question. I'll share with you a simple three step formula for answering the question the right way. But first, let's go over how not to answer this question. Don't give your life story. It's not relevant to the job, and the recruiter is not interested. They do not want to know where you were born, where you lived or how you spend your childhood. This information is not important to the job. Put yourself in the recruiter seat. They have hundreds off applications, and they want to find the best candidate to fill the job by giving your life story. This information is not helpful to your job candidacy. The real reason a recruiter is asking this question is because they want to know if you are fit for the position. Here is the right way to interpret this question. Tell me about yourself. Really means tell me about your career so far and why you are fit for the job. If you phrase it in this way, it no longer appears vague and difficult to answer. The recruiter is really asking about your career and why you are looking for something new , and your response must be related to the position you are applying for. Here is my three step formula for answering this question. Your career start firstly, talk about your journey and how you got started in your profession. This can be limited to your most recent and most relevant experience. Second, what skills and abilities you learned mentioned the skills and abilities that you learned in your career so far, Make sure to talk about skills that are relevant to the job if you are applying to be an I T programmer. But earlier you worked, say as a part time banana picker, and you can tell the difference between a rifle and an old fruit. This is not relevant, and it doesn't apply to the job, so keep your skills relevant to the position you are applying for number three. What are you looking for right now? Have I think and make sure that the job that you have applied to fits into what you are looking for. You have to make your answer relevant to the job that you're applying for. Keep your reply brief and related to the position and aim to reply within 30 to 45 seconds . Actually, a good way to practice this response is to record yourself in front of a camera. Once you see yourself replying to the question, you will get feedback and you will know how to improve your response. Here are a couple of sample responses. The 1st 1 is from a candidate that was applying to be a fails consultant. I have three years experience in selling insulation in homes. I consistently had a high conversion rate during my presentations, and my customers liked me. Most Recently, I acquired a developer who required insulation in over 100 properties. Right now, I am looking for a position to apply my presentation and sales skills toe on interior design company. Here's another example for somebody who was applying for a business development position in an I T company. I have worked for an affiliate network for over two years at the company. I was responsible for business development off the partner network. I consistently exceeded my monthly targets, and during my worked, ah helped the company grow its customer base by 50%. Now I am eager to meet the challenge off developing new business in a software development company. So these air to sample responsive both are short and covered the three main parts off my formula. You have now learned the correct way to answer the question. Tell me about yourself. Thank you for watching.
4. What is your Biggest Accomplishment: Hi, Tom here. Now let's talk about the question. What is your biggest accomplishment? This is actually a chance for you to promote yourself as the best candidate for the job, and this question is much simpler to answer than it's made out to be. The purpose off this question is to give you a chance to present some of your skills and abilities, for example, that you can work in a team that you work well under pressure, that you have great people skills or are a good problem solver. Here's what you should not do. One. Answering this question. You do not want to talk about a personal story that is not relevant to the job. You also do not want to describe a situation that ended badly for you. And despite the way this question is phrased, you do not need to think of a grand accomplishment one way off. Interpreting this question is to describe a difficult work problem and how you overcame it . Here is a simple formula you can use in entering this question, and it involves three parts. Firstly, describe a difficult work situation. Then talk about the action you took to overcome it and then mentioned the results from your action. Here's a sample response given by a sales person. I sold a large work order for expensive Roman blinds. When I placed the order, I found out that our manufacturer no longer produced these blinds with this material. Rather than telling the customers that the product is no longer available, I started researching Roman blind manufacturers in the area. I was calling an enquiring about this product. Finally, I found a manufacturer who could make these blinds at a good rate. And in the end, the customers were happy with their new blinds, while I created a new relationship with a manufacturer that we ended up using regularly. Here's a simple response given by a marketing specialist. My greatest professional achievement was turning around the success off my last employers marketing department when I joined the entire team was struggling and we were failing to hit our quarterly goals. I was hired to create a new marketing plan and implemented. Within six months we were achieving 20% above our goals, and my marketing plan brought in an additional $1 million in revenue. Thanks to this extra revenue, the company moved from an operating loss into profitability. As you can see, you are the hero of your own story because your biggest accomplishment is a success story. Now you know what recruiters are looking for when they ask the question. What is your biggest accomplishment? Using my three step formula, you will be able to answer it without any hesitation I hope you found is valuable.
5. What are your Strengths: in this lesson, I will give you some proven guidelines for entering the question. What are your strength? This is a broad question. Their recruiter doesn't ask for any particular details. The details are left for you to decide. That's why this question has a certain difficulty. This question is not a cue for you to talk about all of your strength as well. Avoid talking about personal strength. They're not related to the job. The best formula is to be prepared. And to be prepared, you have to do some research in particular about the position you are applying for. Here's what I suggest you do. Firstly, make a list of all your strength. Ask yourself, What are you good at? Is it selling, planning, managing people, analyzing data, customer service or anything else that you can think off? Secondly, read the job description and make a list off all the key strengths that are required, then aligned the key strength to the requirements off the job. What I mean by this is to select your skills that are relevant to the job, Then create a story which presents you using those exact skills, and that is the answer to your question. You want to show the recruiter your key strength, that irrelevant or transferrable to the job? Let's see some sample responses how to answer this question. So this is a response given by somebody applying for a sales position. Job. Mikey. Strength would be my ability toe. Understand each customer. I take time to listen to our customers problems and then offer my solution in a way that makes them feel it's exactly what they are looking for. Because my approach is more personal, I have a higher closing rate. Here's another example given by a programmer. One of my strength is my ability to write effective cold and deliver it on time by habit. I routinely check for backs and test all my work so that the code I submit can be implemented and is ready for use. As you can see in both the sample responses, the skills that are being described are highly relevant to the position the candidate is applying for, and that's really is the easiest way to answer these questions. Choose some strength that a relevant for the job and create some story that describes you using those skills and how they benefited in your previous company. And then you have your answer to this question. What are your strength
6. What is your Biggest Weakness: in this lesson. Let's talk about the question. What is your biggest weakness? The reality is that everyone has weaknesses. Nobody is perfect. The key is to answer the question in a way that makes you look humble, but good. And there is a way toe enter this question so that it helps your job candidacy. But first, let's review some ways not to answer this question. Here are common ways, which I've seen Candidates respond to this question, which actually worsen their job application. Don't say you don't have any weaknesses. Don't say that. You're a perfectionist. Don't say that. You don't make any mistakes. Don't say that you work too hard and don't reveal a real weakness that you are experiencing . So, for example, don't say indecisive and can take hours before making a decision, or I have a tendency to oversleep and arrive late at work. So with that out of the way, let me share with you a simple formula that you can follow to answer this question. It works great at showing your strong points and how you are the perfect candidate for the job. Firstly, here's how you should interpret this question. What's your biggest weakness. Understand it as what's a weakness you head, and how did you overcome it? In your answer, you want to talk about a weakness that you were experiencing in the past and then share with the interviewer what you did to improve it or to overcome it. Alternatively, you can also discuss a weakness that you are experiencing and then tell the interviewer what you're doing to overcome that weakness. Now, this two step formula is really effective because you are talking about the weakness that you are overcoming or the weekends that you overcame. And then you're presenting it in a way that it's no longer a weakness. And in fact, it is a strength. Let me show you how this response looks in action. I used to be a terrible salesman. I got nervous when introducing myself and talking about the product. To overcome my nervousness, I learned everything I could about the products and rehearsed my speech at home. I started to believe in the products and felt proud selling it. Eventually I learned to help customers rather than just sell to them. Here's another response. I don't speak English well yet, and at this moment. I am taking evening classes to learn my English, and I feel that soon I will be fluent like a native. The difference here is industry sponsored. The person is talking about a weakness that they are experiencing right now, but they also show what they are doing to improve on it. And 1/3 response. I used to have problems organizing my work. Since then, I have started using online tools that let me visually see everything I need to do. And I can design a schedule for completing my work. Now, I have a sense of control in my work and I'm more productive if you can see this. This is actually a brilliant response to talk about your key strength, which is actually organizing your work. If you follow my formula than your answer, shows that you are aware of your weak points and that you're trying to improve them or have already improved upon them. In reality, you are talking about a strength, so it's like a strength hidden like a weakness. And that's the simple two step formula that I wanted to show you in this lesson. Now you know how toe always put a positive spin when you're talking about your weaknesses. Thank you for watching, and I hope you found is valuable.
7. Why do you want to work here: in this lesson, you will learn how to answer the question. Why do you want to work here? Let's start by going through some wrong responses. So do not say any of these responses, that you like the location of the job, that the job offers good benefits, that your friends work here because he won't flexible work hours, that you need a job, that you don't like your current job or that the position would be good experience for you . All of these are all good reasons. No, they're excellent reasons for you to applying for the position. However, they are not relevant to the recruiter. Your candidacy will not be improved if you tell the recruiter that you want flexible work hours and a gym card. The recruiters goal is to find out if you have an interest in the company that will transform into a long term relationship with the company. Here are some things to consider when crafting your response, you will have to prepare your answer before the interview. Tell the recruiter what you like about the company. You can complement the products or services and mention what attracted you to applying in the first place. Perhaps the company has a success story that you found inspiring and made you apply. If you answer like this, then you reply becomes relevant to the position. It shows that you know the company well and that you have the potential to be a long term employee in the company. Now let's have a look at a few sample. Responsive. So this is an I T specialist applying for a position in an online page builder company. So on. Online page Builder is a tool that lets you create your own website something like, say, wars, press or element? Or so Here's the response. I have used your stuff to a product for many years and always being very impressed with the user friendliness off your tools and the customer support you offer. With such a good product and service, I feel that marketing these products is helping people develop professional websites. I would greatly enjoy helping you to continue to innovate and increase your market share. Here's another response given by a marketing specialist. I like to provide my three years off marketing experience to a company that is renowned in digital marketing. I have friends in the industry who have mentioned about the values of this company and how candidates are encouraged to share their ideas to come up with new solutions for an ongoing project. It's for this reason that I have picked your company as my preferred choice off employment . So as you can see both off, these answers are focused on the company. It's sort of like complimenting the company and showing how you would like to help the company grow further, and that's pretty much it. It is an easy response to this question, but you must do some prior research. First, you must know what the company is actually about. The reality is, if you have 10 interviews, there isn't that much work. You just have to find out one or two things that attracted you to the company, and that will be more work done than most candidates do. Okay, thank you for watching. I hope you found it's valuable
8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years: in this lesson, you will learn how to answer the question. What do you see yourself in five years? Although I think this is a bad question, because we're living in a job market where candidates change jobs every 2 to 5 years. Actually, in many countries, the culture off staying in one job for life no longer applies. So it is quite common that in five years time you may want to work for another company and that the position you are applying for at this moment is just a stepping stone until you find what you want. Perhaps you just want to learn the trade and then open your own business. In any case, you have to be prepared for this question. Here's how not to answer it. Don't say that in five years time you want to be in the recruiters position, and don't say that in five years time you want to be in a bigger company with more opportunities. These replies do not go down well with recruiters. Let's review how you conform an honest response that shows that you are a good candidate. Your answer should be based on the logical progression off the position you are applying for this shows that recruited that you want to grow your skills and take on more responsibility. As you learn. This type of response reveals your commitment to the job, and it's also a good technique to help the recruiter visualize you in that position. In the long term, when you learn what the logical progression looks like forded position, then you are prepared to answer this question. No matter what your true intentions are. Here's a sample response given by content marketer Within five years, I would like to be the very best content marketer your company has on stuff. I want to work towards becoming the expert others rely on. Hopefully, this will allow me to take on greater responsibilities with the company if the opportunity arises. This answer is a good answer because it reveals the candidates long term commitment and that they are open to growing their skills and accepting more responsibilities. And that's it for this lesson, are seeing the next one
9. Why should we hire you: welcome back in this lesson, you will learn how to respond to the question. Why should we hire you? Let's start by covering some wrong ways to respond to this question. Do not say any of these responses. I have a related degree from university. This job will help my career because I am the best candidate. These are all self centered responses. That might be true from your perspective. But from the point of view off the recruiter, the fact that the position will help your career is completely irrelevant. Once again, put yourself in the recruiters shoes. The company is experiencing some problems or difficulties. They want to hire a candidate as the solution to these and from the question. Why should we hire you? The recruiter is trying to find out if you are aware of the company's problems and how you can bring value in solving those problems. Here's how to respond. Answer these too many questions. What you did in your last position well and how this can help your current job By answering these questions, you're focusing on your strength and presenting them in a way that can help this job that you are applying to, so the answer becomes relevant to the job position. Here are a couple of examples responses In my last position as a content writer, my customers were satisfied with my content because it helped their business. Even now, the if customers are calling the company and asking for my services with expertise in writing, content and developing sold long term customer relations, I believe I can help the company grows business. And here's another response. In my last position, I sold products to many different clients. This included homeowner's property developers and business clients. Because I am adaptable to the person who I'm selling to, I would be good at helping the company grows business and find new long term clients. Both of these two sample responses follow my two step formula so you can see how the candidate is using examples off success from the previous job and how they would like to apply. This success is to the new position, and that is what makes a good answer to this question. Why should we hire you? Follow this two step formula and you will be able to make a positive impression every time you enter this question
10. Why did you leave your last job: Now let's discuss the question. Why did you leave your last job? If you stayed in a position a long time, then you can always say that you felt it was time to change or that you feel is the right time for a new challenge. But what if you were terminated, laid off or just quit? The answer becomes a little more complicated, but do not worry because there's an easy solution. Firstly, here is how not to answer this question. Don't bad mouth your past company? Don't say the hours were too long. Don't say that you were over worked with too much responsibility. Don't say that you had bad communication with the manager and don't say there was a culture of bullying in the company. These are all negative responses in the interview. You need to create the impression that you are a positive person. When discussing your unemployment, you need to inform the recruiter off the reason for your unemployment. If you were laid off or just fired, you can say that due to slowing sales and a bad economy, the company was laying off many employees if you decided to leave the company because the conditions were unbearable, then you need to put this into a positive statement. Here's how you could say that you didn't feel that you could grow in the position and you felt that you required a job change. However, you still learn some valuable skills, such as and then mentioned the skills that you learned in your experience. When you focus on what you learned, you instantly are putting a positive spin on your brief experience in the position. Here are some simple answers for you to review. There was a downsizing, you know, company. I was laid off to get it. With many people from the same department, however it is in the past, I am ready to use the knowledge and experience to start my new career in your corporation or another possible responses. Something like this. My last job was not challenging enough. I was not motivated toe work hard any more, and I needed a change based on the job description. I really believe I can find what I'm looking for in your company. As long as you avoid negative comments and remain positive, your chances of getting the job are high and you will easily pass this question
11. How to talk about your job salary: in this lesson, I want to cover the best way to talk about salary. Usually towards the end of the interview, they will ask you about your salary expectations. So, firstly, do not act shocked by this question. It is going to be asked, and don't feel as though you must explain why you wanted salary. Also, don't say that you don't know how much the company usually offers. I'm not going to lie to you. This question can be a bit tricky. The salary issue is not black and white, and both the recruiter and candidate must come to an agreement. If you ask for too much and overpriced yourself, you won't get the job. But if you enterprise yourself and are offered the job, then you will feel bad for asking too little. The solution is to be prepared. You have to do your research before the interview, find a local job seeking website and look up Average salaries for different positions. Decide on the salary you want before the interview. If you are struggling with this question in a good way is to prepare asking for your salary at home in front of a mirror or you could even record yourself with your phone and then review how you're answering this question. You cannot hesitate when it comes to salary. If you know what you want before the interview, you will be able to ask for this amount more confidently. The key is to be prepared, so to summarize, check online. First, decide what you want before the interview, and then you are ready to tackle this question head on. Good luck.
12. Questions to ask the interviewer: congratulations. You have managed it all the way to the end of the interview. You've answered all the questions, and now it's time to conclude the interview. The recruiter asks you, Do you have any questions? And you reply? No, I found out everything I wanted to find out. This is actually a common mistake made by candidates, because this question gives you a final chance to leave a good impression. It is also your chance to qualify the company to see if it's exactly what you are looking for by saying no, there is a danger because you risk communicating No interest. Here are some more guidelines about what not to ask. Don't ask known related questions to the position and don't ask about benefits. There is a time and place for that. It's not in the interview. What you need is a handful of questions already planned out that you can ask at the end of the interview. Remember, although the interviewer is choosing candidates, you still have to be happy with your new job. Your job must be a fit for your career. Here are a couple of suitable questions that you can ask based on our conversation today. How do you see me fitting around here? Or do you mind if I call you next week to follow up on this position? If you plan to follow up and always ask for permission first, it looks nice. Earns more professional. Another question is, what do you enjoy most about working here? If this is an interesting question, because it gets the recruiter more the interviewer to give you an insight about the daily atmosphere off the company, you can also ask what is the next step in the hiring process? When can I expect to hear back? This is a popular question to ask, and can you walk me through a typical day off someone in this role? This is an interesting question because it will give you a better insight into the position , and I have one more piece of advice for you. Asking questions at the end is normal. You should be prepared for this. But what works even better is if you ask some questions during the interview by asking questions during the interview, you will be viewed as a stronger candidate who is interested in the position also, by asking questions the interview will seem more like a conversation with both participants asking questions. The reality is that leaving all your questions to the very end all can be risky. There's always a chance that the interviewer runs out of time and has to finish the interview. If that happens, you will not even get a chance to ask all of your questions. So in this lesson, I've provided you with a couple of questions that you can memorize and ask during or at the end of your interview.
13. Sneaky Job Interview Tactic: Welcome back. I want you to think about something. What if there was one question that you could ask, which would instantly leave a good impression on the interviewer? Sounds too good to be true. Well, there is such a question, and in this lesson I want to talk about it because this is a little known tactic for creating a positive image. This is a question that you ask towards the end of the interview, and it works by getting the interviewer to unconsciously think about your positive qualities as a candidate. The question is, what is it about my CV that made you call me? And this question is powerful because it gets the interviewer thinking about all the good qualities of your CV. In addition, you actually do get valuable feedback about your CV, and you will get ideas how you can improve it. However, this is a question that you only ask at the end of the interview, and you should use your judgment to fit it in naturally into the interview. I use this question once when I was curious about my CV and I was surprised when I learned how my CV captured the interviewers attention. So this was very valuable to me and I did end up getting the position. And then once I started work, I did actually find out that this is a question that is sometimes used on interviewers to create a positive impression. Try it and see how it works. Thank you for watching.
Tom Wiztek, Marketing and Recruitment Specialist
