Successful interviews every time PDF
Preview Successful interviews every time
Successful Interviews Every Time If you want to know how . . . Passing Psychometric Tests Know what to expect and get the job you want The Job Application Handbook Sell yourself to an employer using proven strategies and effective techniques Returning to Work How to work out what you want and then go out and get it The Ten Career Commandments Equip yourself with the 10 most important skills to move up the career ladder Passing That Interview Your step-by-step guide to coming out on top Send for a free copy of the latest catalogue to: How To Books Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road Begbroke, Oxford, 0X5 1RX, United Kingdom email: [email protected] http://www.howtobooks.co.uk Successful Interviews Every Time Second edition Dr ROB YEUNG howtobooks Published by How To Content, A division of How To Books Ltd, Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford 0X5 1RX. United Kingdom. Tel: (01865) 375794. Fax: (01865) 379162. email: [email protected] http://www.howtobooks.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (other than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The right of Rob Yeung to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. © Copyright 2004 Rob Yeung First published in paperback 2002 Second edition 2004 Reprinted 2004 Reprinted 2005 First published in electronic form 2007 ISBN: 978 1 84803 103 6 Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon, UK Edited by Diana Brueton Cover design by Baseline Arts Ltd, Oxford, UK Typeset by Kestrel Data, Exeter, Devon, UK NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in the book. The laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check the current position with the relevant authorities before making personal arrangements. Contents Preface ix 1 Doing Your Homework 1 Preparing, rehearsing, researching the job, understanding interviewers, and planning for your interview. 2 Making the Right Impression 12 Dressing appropriately, handling nerves, making chit-chat, building rapport, and handling the preamble to an interview. 3 Dealing with Standard Questions 26 Handling the favourite questions that nearly all interviewers ask - as well as technical questions that may relate to your field. 4 Responding to Competency-based Questions 46 Employers are increasingly using these sort of questions to probe candidates in detail. So, what is a competency and what is it all about? V vi / SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWS EVERY TIME 5 Talking about Your Personal Qualities 66 Many questions focus on what you think about yourself - so here's how to talk confidently about yourself. 6 Fending Off Trick Questions 86 Handling the uncomfortable, peculiar and downright illegal questions that you may sometimes face. 7 Handling Questions for Different Career Stages 101 Whether you're a school leaver, graduate, experienced manager, or returning to work after maternity - here are the questions that you need to be ready for. 8 Coping with other Types of Interview 114 Getting ready for panel interviews, case study interviews, brainteasers and other common variations on the basic interview. 9 Succeeding at Assessment Centres 130 Assessment centres are becoming increasingly popular. So how can you pass in-tray exercises, psychometric tests, group exercises and role play simulations with flying colours? 10 Asking the Right Questions 145 Posing questions back at your prospective employer to find out all you need to know to decide whether you want the job or not. CONTENTS / vii 11 Ending on a High Note 153 Making a lasting impression and chasing till you get that job offer. 12 Crossing the Finish Line 159 Negotiating a package and accepting a job offer. Or learning what went wrong if you don't get the job. Index 171 This page intentionally left blank Preface to the Second edition Do you ever feel frustrated that you are not putting yourself across to the very best of your ability in interviews? I wrote the first edition of this book because in my job as an inter- viewer on behalf of companies big and small, I have seen too many candidates who were just not doing themselves justice. And it is always a shame because in most cases it is some- thing that they could quite easily resolve. Interviews come in all shapes and sizes. There could be just a single interviewer or a panel of interviewers. You might be put at your ease and asked a handful of straightforward questions. Or you might be subjected to a traumatic inter- view designed to wear you down. You might be ready for just one interview lasting a couple of hours, but what if you are faced with a dozen interviews each lasting an hour? And what if you are given a case study interview, a presentation to prepare, or even a group discus- sion to contend with? No matter, this book covers them all. Filled with just about every question that you might be asked and examples of IX
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