:: How to prepare for a Job Interview with a good Strategy
Posted by Andrew
No matter what kind of job you’re applying for, you should go into the interview with your own strategy. Here are some ideas on how to be successful in a variety of different interview approaches.
How to behave in a behavior-based interview: This article from JobWeb.com gives job seekers insight into what they’ll need to know for a behavior-based interview. Competencies sought by the interviewer:
- Describe a situation in which you had to use reference materials to write a research paper. What was the topic? What journals did you read? (research/written communication)
- Give me a specific example of a time when a co-worker or classmate criticized your work in front of others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way you communicate with others? (oral communication.
- Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor on an idea or concept. How did you proceed? What was the result? (assertiveness)
- Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused? (commitment to task)
How to beat the stress interview: Stress interviews can be extremely taxing if you’re not prepared. This article gives you some helpful hints that can help you be more successful with this type of interview. A stress interview is where the employer lines up a bunch of interviewers (one at a time or en masse) whose mission is to intimidate you. The ostensible purpose of this interview: to find out how you handle the stress.
Post-interview strategies: Don’t let your interview strategy end with the interview. Use this article to help you find success even after the hard part is over. The hardest part (the actual interview) is behind you. But that doesn’t mean you can just wait around for the phone to ring. You’ve still got work to do that will further enhance your chances of getting that job!
Behavioral interviewing strategies for job seekers: This extensive article gives candidates everything they need to know about preparing a behavioral interview strategy. Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture (the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.
Interview strategies: This article from The Princeton Review Inc. gives some great general tips for making a good impression at your interview. The golden rule for interviews is “Be Yourself.” Interviewers have been through all of this before, and they’re pretty good at spotting people who are putting on an act or reading from a mental script.
Case interview strategies: Case-based interviews are growing in popularity among employers, and candidates can get step-by-step advice on looking great in them with this article. The case interview is a discussion, between the interviewer and the interviewee, on a real or hypothetical business or non-business scenario. Through this process, the interviewer intends to assess the interviewee’s analytical and people skills in handling realistic situations. These interviews, while being most common in the consulting industry and in strategy consulting in particular, are not limited only to the consulting industry. You are liable to come across these interviews, from time to time, in other industries as well.
