Latest / Voices for Voices® / Episode 82: Stand Out in Job Interviews: Secrets Revealed

Transcript

Episode 82: Stand Out in Job Interviews: Secrets Revealed · Voices for Voices®

• 0:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: Chapter 4, the Second Floor.
• 0:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: You are doing great.
• 0:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: You have made it to the second floor of the House of you, where you have advanced to the next stage in the process An interview for the job you want at the employer you want and in the geographic location you want.
• 0:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: How exciting.
• 0:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: By making it to the second floor, you have already laid your foundation and finished constructing the first floor.
• 0:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: We are now at the point where we want to leverage all the knowledge and activities we just learned in establishing our foundation and the first floor.
• 0:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: Exciting as this is, we need to look at several topics that will prepare you for when you are contacted by an HR representative or hiring manager communicating their interest in interviewing you for the position you applied to.
• 0:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: The first area we will discuss is what exactly is an interview?
• 0:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: Per Wikipedia, an interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given.
• 1:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: In common parlance, the word interview refers to a one-on-one conversation with one person acting in the role of the interviewer and the other in the role of interviewee.
• 1:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: The interviewer asks questions, the interviewee responds, with participants taking turns talking.
• 1:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: The interview can take three different forms and may happen at different stages of the recruitment process, depending on their company hiring protocol.
• 1:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: The three different forms of interview are telephone interview, in-person interview and or video conference interview virtual interview.
• 1:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: Having experienced all three types of interviews in my career, I am uniquely positioned to share my insights with you.
• 1:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: Let's get started with the first interview type, the phone interview.
• 2:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: The phone interview is an event that is scheduled at a time mutually agreed upon between you and the prospective employer, hr representative and or hiring manager.
• 2:13
  Justin Alan Hayes: My advice is to choose a date, time and location when you are free and will not be interrupted.
• 2:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: The prospective employer does not want to hear a car or train passing by, a TV in the background or any other disturbance that might take their mind away from the task at hand, which is to identify whether you are going to be a good fit for their organization and the position you have applied to versus other job candidates.
• 2:41
  Justin Alan Hayes: While this should register as common sense, it has happened on more than one occasion where an interviewee does not file this instruction and, in turn, does not move forward in the interview process.
• 2:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: You should also turn your phone to silent and do not turn the vibrate function on, because that could also be disturbing for your interviewer.
• 3:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: A few ideas of places where you could conduct a phone interview are a room at your home, a home office, sunroom, basement or inside of your parked car with the stereo volume turned off.
• 3:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: For the purposes of this chapter, let us now assume you have scheduled your phone interview and are curious as to what would be the best use of your time between the scheduling of the interview and the time when the phone interview takes place.
• 3:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: You'll want to stay focused on the phone interview task at hand and do several things, starting with researching the company that you will be interviewing with.
• 3:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: What information are you interested in mining for From their company website?
• 3:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: You want to locate and document company facts, such as company sales, number of employees, mission statements, geographic locations and product lines.
• 3:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: Why do you ask?
• 3:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: One question that is almost always asked in any interview type is why have you taken an interest in the organization?
• 4:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: You want to put yourself in a position to state solid, fact-based reasoning for why you have taken an interest in a particular organization, and not only because you want a job and need the money.
• 4:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: This is one way some interviewees slack off and do not prepare for an interview, but not you.
• 4:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: A second action you should take is to study and learn the position description inside and out.
• 4:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: Just as interviewers may ask why you have an interest in their organization, another popular question is why are you interested in the specific position you have applied to?
• 4:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: Having a great sense of the position description will give you the best opportunity for a great response.
• 4:50
  Justin Alan Hayes: One word of advice that I will add here is that when you answer any question that an interviewer asked, please make sure to always keep these two things in mind.
• 4:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: How will I add value to this organization and to this position specifically, if, given the opportunity, and what are the unique characteristics such as volunteer experience, teaching experience, leading team projects and school, to name a few that I have that other candidates may not have?
• 5:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: The importance of these questions cannot be overstated.
• 5:23
  Justin Alan Hayes: In the hyper-competitive job market we find ourselves in, there are more than likely several job applicants for the very same position you applied for.
• 5:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: Due to the fact that many candidates may have similar education, skills and experience, an employer is in search of distinguishing characteristics that set each applicant apart.
• 5:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: By preparing and stating your value add qualities in an interview setting, you have taken the initiative to share why you are the best fitting candidate for the open position At the end of the day.
• 5:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: That is all you can do, and it is something within your control.
• 6:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: Let me be clear here that not every interviewer will ask the question directly.
• 6:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: The interviewer may hint at it or may take a different approach and want you to be proactive by showing how hungry you are and why you are the best candidate for the position.
• 6:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: I have experienced both situations being asked why should we, the employer, move you, the candidate, forward in the process and or hire you instead of another candidate?
• 6:33
  Justin Alan Hayes: And I have proactively volunteered why I am the ideal candidate at the end of the interview, when asked if I have any questions or wish to add anything further.
• 6:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: The key here is to be ready for both situations, because very rarely will an interview go exactly how you envisioned.
• 6:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: Practicing and simulating both scenarios ahead of time will prepare you for whichever path the interviewer goes down.
• 7:01
  Justin Alan Hayes: Another action you should take prior to a phone interview is to search LinkedIn for the individuals you will be participating within the phone interview.
• 7:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: This gives you the ability to learn more about the individuals you will be speaking with, such as their education, skills and experience.
• 7:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: Who knows, maybe they went to the same school as you or have experience that intrigues you.
• 7:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: You have a good idea that the prospective employer is taking the time to learn more about you on your LinkedIn page, so why not flip the script and use it to your advantage?
• 7:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: The day of the phone interview is here.
• 7:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: Be confident in who you are, your abilities and trust that the outcome will be positive, because it will.
• 7:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: If, for some reason, the employer decides not to move forward with you for the open position after the phone interview, you have just gained valuable experience that will undoubtedly help you in future phone interviews.
• 8:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: At the end of this chapter, you will see a few of the most commonly asked interview questions to help you start your very own interview preparation.
• 8:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: When preparing for an interview, please remember to use the supplied questions at the end of the chapter as guidance and not as though they will be the actual questions you will be asked in an interview.
• 8:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: The in-person interview is a second interview type that, in most cases, follows the phone interview.
• 8:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: The in-person interview may or may not be with the same individuals who conducted the phone interview, so it is in your best interest to ask who the participants will be if your HR representative has not already provided you with this information.
• 8:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: In my career, I have had cases where both the phone interview and the in-person interview were with the same individuals, and I have also had instances where the interviewers were different.
• 8:55
  Justin Alan Hayes: Nothing is a given, so be sure to do your due diligence so there is one less surprise on interview day.
• 9:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: Even if you have a phone interview and an in-person interview with the same individuals at one company, the structure and process may be completely different at another organization.
• 9:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Each company chooses their respective hiring process that best suits their company and is not required to follow any specific mandate or protocol.
• 9:25
  Justin Alan Hayes: My general rule of thumb is to never assume and to always ask the company HR representative you are working with during the hiring process about what their interview structure is.
• 9:36
  Justin Alan Hayes: It may also be helpful to ask the HR representative during the phone interview if the interview structure has not already been shared with you.
• 9:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: Change is power, and you can never have enough of either.
• 9:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: Instead of the interview being conducted over the telephone, the in-person interview is a face-to-face, one-on-one or one-to-several interview that occurs in an office or conference room setting in the headquarters or satellite office building of the prospective employer.
• 10:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: The great thing here is we can apply all the same preparation tactics that we installed for the phone interview, but with a couple of additional tactics.
• 10:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: The additional areas of focus for this particular type of interview are personal appearance, arrival time to the in-person interview and interpersonal communication skills, execution and handwriting.
• 10:33
  Justin Alan Hayes: A thank you to each one of the individuals you interviewed with after the conclusion of the in-person interview.
• 10:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: The personal appearance that you advertise in an interview setting is another element that is within your control, but I can tell you from my experiences that wearing jeans is not acceptable for any interview and it is unacceptable for females to wear a skirt or dress that is less than mid-thigh when seated.
• 11:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: I remember one in-person interview that I had where the HR representative stated it was okay to dress casually for the interview.
• 11:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: I could have decided to wear jeans and a t-shirt to be comfortable.
• 11:12
  Justin Alan Hayes: Instead, I chose to wear a full suit.
• 11:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: An on-site interview is a form of first impression and your opportunity to shine with a prospective employer, not to show off your newly purchased jeans that you would wear to class, or a skirt better suited for the local watering hole.
• 11:31
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you decide to wear cologne or perfume, please apply lightly, as a strong smeller application could also distract the interviewer from your conversation, which is not something that you want to take a chance on.
• 11:44
  Justin Alan Hayes: Just because you think it is the best-smelling fragrance in the world does not mean that the interviewers will have the same perspective.
• 11:52
  Justin Alan Hayes: The application of a cologne or perfume may sound like it should not matter in an interview setting, but the last thing you want is for the interviewer to start sneezing or coughing in the middle of the interview because of the overpowering fragrance.
• 12:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: How embarrassing would that be.
• 12:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: It has happened before.
• 12:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: In most cases, a candidate has not moved forward in the hiring process.
• 12:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you are a male, you want to wear a full navy suit with a white or blue dress shirt, a conservative color and style of tie, no bright colors or distracting patterns, as that could take the attention of the interviewer away from your discussion.
• 12:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: In black dress shoes, females are recommended to wear a conservative navy blue pants suit, simple jewelry, no large hoop earrings or bedazzled necklaces or bracelets, as this could distract an interviewer.
• 12:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: In a comfortable type of shoe, because you may find yourself taking a tour of the office and or plant during your in-person interview.
• 12:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: Right now you may be thinking hey, you are a male, so how do you know what is acceptable for a female to wear to a job interview?
• 13:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: For one, my recommendations stem from feedback I have received from my significant other, who is a female in management, and two, I have had similar experiences in my time interviewing prospective candidates.
• 13:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: What I have here is only a recommendation of a good rule of thumb to follow regarding acceptable interview attire.
• 13:24
  Justin Alan Hayes: I suggest that you take some time beforehand to research the specific field you are interviewing in, because the field you are interviewing in may have similar or different standards and expectations for interview attire.
• 13:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: For perspective, I want to put you in the shoes of the interviewers and ask you a couple of questions On optics and appearance alone.
• 13:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: Would you have a more favorable feeling towards a male job candidate who came to the interview and faded jeans with holes in them, a white t-shirt and a pair of bright red tennis shoes, who also smelled like he poured an entire bottle of cologne on right before the interview?
• 14:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: Or a job candidate as I have described above, wearing a full navy suit with a white or blue dress shirt, a conservative color and style of tie and black dress shoes, not smelling like they poured a whole bottle of cologne on?
• 14:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: The latter would be the correct choice, you may think, but what if the HR representative explicitly tells me that I can wear whatever I want to the job interview.
• 14:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: That is a fair question, but the HR representative communicating that it is okay to wear what you want to the interview could mean a couple of things.
• 14:42
  Justin Alan Hayes: One, it could mean that the HR representative wants to test your judgment on your choice of interview attire.
• 14:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: Or two, it may be okay to not wear a full student tie because maybe the open position you are interviewing is for a management position at a manufacturing plant where the in-person interview will also be held.
• 15:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: Remember to ask the HR representative and research the field you will be interviewing in.
• 15:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: Between those pieces of information, you will be in great shape as to the proper interview attire for your given field.
• 15:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: Throughout my career I have had experience in both scenarios, but I have always opted for the full suit and tie because, regardless of the situation, I knew that if all things were equal for all job candidates interviewing for the position, that being conservative by wearing a full suit and tie might just result in earning a job offer.
• 15:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: How does what you wear to an interview flow into the interview itself?
• 15:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: It has been my experience that if you look good, you feel good and if you feel good, you do good.
• 15:50
  Justin Alan Hayes: Lastly, another good way to look at this situation is that the job interview is one important event in your life that it is better to be overdressed rather than underdressed for.
• 16:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: In my experience as an interviewer, I have never left an interview thinking, wow, this candidate was overdressed.
• 16:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: But I have left an interview thinking, wow, this candidate was underdressed for the occasion.
• 16:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: Be smart, do your research and ask questions if you are unsure what to wear.
• 16:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: The time in which you arrive to an interview is another important area to cover.
• 16:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: Showing up too early could cause the interviewer to have to adjust their schedule to accommodate you.
• 16:33
  Justin Alan Hayes: On the other hand, showing up late to an interview gives the interviewer a bad vibe, because that brings into question whether or not you will also show up late to work.
• 16:44
  Justin Alan Hayes: In both cases, the controllable actions you take could sway the interviewer's opinion of you before the interview even begins.
• 16:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: We do not want that, so I recommend that you arrive to the parking lot of the employer 20-30 minutes prior to the time the interview is scheduled to start.
• 17:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: Remember I said arrive early to the parking lot and not to the front desk.
• 17:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: Receptionist.
• 17:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: One reason for this recommendation is that you do not have to worry about being late because you are already parked and on site.
• 17:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: It also gives you a chance to spend a couple extra minutes reviewing your resume, position description, questions to ask and, lastly, to compose yourself by taking a few deep breaths to calm yourself down in case you feel the onset of nervousness before entering the interview.
• 17:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the interview, gather your portfolio, turn your phone off and proceed to confidently walk to the entrance you have been instructed to enter by the HR representative you have been working with.
• 17:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: Some entrances are for employees only and others are for visitors, which you are at this time.
• 17:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: This is a great lead into maximizing your interview and interpersonal skills, starting from the instant you walk through the front door of the employer you are interviewing with.
• 18:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: Confidently walk up to the receptionist, make eye contact with a smile on your face and say something to the effect of good morning.
• 18:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: My name is Justin Hayes and I am here to meet with John Smith and Maria Rodriguez at 10 am.
• 18:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: The receptionist is not who you are interviewing with, so why do you have to exhibit confidence and play pleasantries?
• 18:34
  Justin Alan Hayes: The reason is quite simple HR representatives and hiring managers alike want to incorporate as much information about you when making the decision of whether or not to move you forward in the hiring process.
• 18:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: So it makes a lot of sense for the HR representative and hiring managers to solicit the feedback from everyone that had an interaction with you that day.
• 18:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: Not only does this help the prospective employer, it also helps you set the tone for the discussions you are able to embark on.
• 19:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: Once the in-person, face-to-face interview formally begins, the receptionist may tell you to take a seat while they notify your interviewers that you have arrived.
• 19:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: Having arrived in the lobby five to seven minutes earlier than the interview start time is the sweet spot.
• 19:24
  Justin Alan Hayes: A minute here or a minute there will not make it or break it.
• 19:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: But walking into the lobby 30 minutes early or 10 minutes late could, if circumstances will affect your arrival time causing you to be late, communicate with the HR representative that you apologize, but due to this unforeseen circumstance, you will be late in arriving at X time.
• 19:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: The prospective employer will be much more forgiving in this case than if you do not communicate with them and merely show up late with no advance warning.
• 19:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: How you handle a situation like this directly relates to valuing your personal responsibility to treat others how you would want to be treated especially in a manner that may lead to your employment.
• 20:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: Once the interviewers come into the lobby to receive you, have a smile on your face, make eye contact and greet each other, shake each other's hands and thank them for the opportunity to discuss the position.
• 20:24
  Justin Alan Hayes: After you walk from the lobby to the office or the conference room where the interview will be taking place, make yourself comfortable because you will most likely be in the same location for a period of time 30 minutes to several hours.
• 20:39
  Justin Alan Hayes: If additional interviewers enter the office or conference room, you should make eye contact, stand up and greet each interviewer, shake each of their hands and again thank them for the opportunity to discuss the position and hand each of them a fresh copy of your resume and your business card.
• 20:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: You may be thinking to yourself hey, I am a college student, so how would I have a business card to hand out at an interview?
• 21:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: That is a great question.
• 21:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: Whether you are a college student or not, I suggest that you always have business cards in the event of an interview or a networking function.
• 21:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: Creating a business card is a straightforward process.
• 21:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: That is another self-marketing tool to promote you and your personal brand.
• 21:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: You can create a business card at your local staples office, max or similar place of business with assistance from one of their employees.
• 21:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: You can choose to have your business cards printed the same day in-store, or you can create your business cards online and pick up in-store if you do not have a time sensitive interview or networking function within the lead time window for the production of your business cards.
• 21:52
  Justin Alan Hayes: The key information you will want to include on your business card is your name title.
• 21:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you are a student, you would simply put student in that area In your contact information, email address, linkedin URL, twitter handle, to name a few.
• 22:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: The cost for creating and printing a quantity of 50 business cards is about what you would pay for a pizza $15 to $20.
• 22:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: The last point about business cards is that, by distributing your business card to your interviewers, it gives you an opportunity to leave something behind that they can refer back to you for consideration in the recruitment process, which may be a distinguishing characteristic separating you from other candidates.
• 22:41
  Justin Alan Hayes: Once the interview begins, sit up straight and maintain a smile and eye contact with each interviewer.
• 22:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: Try not to look up or down or away from the interviewers and try not to fidget by tapping your feet rocking back and forth in the chair or tapping a pen on the table.
• 22:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: Looking away gives the interviewer the appearance that you are not prepared with an answer and or may be untruthful in your responses.
• 23:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: On the other hand, fidgeting can distract the interviewers, which is something you want to avoid at all costs.
• 23:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Do not worry, everyone gets nervous in an interview.
• 23:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: The key here is to have practiced mock interviews with your friends or family enough prior to your interview so that you feel as confident and comfortable as possible.
• 23:29
  Justin Alan Hayes: Mock Interviews role play your friends or family members as the interviewers asking the questions to you, the interviewee.
• 23:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you are uncomfortable with mock interviewing with your friends or family, another avenue is available to you.
• 23:44
  Justin Alan Hayes: Mock Interviewing is often offered by the Career Services Department of your school, which allows you the chance to mock interview with a member of the Career Services Department.
• 23:56
  Justin Alan Hayes: Please consider taking advantage of this service, or ask one of your teachers more about it, as they may also be able to help you practice interview.
• 24:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: Preparation.
• 24:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: Practice puts you in a prime position to succeed.
• 24:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: I cannot think of another workforce preparation area that is more important than for you to practice interviewing for a position that will help you achieve your financial goals and support you and your family.
• 24:23
  Justin Alan Hayes: You took advantage of mock interviews in your own way and are leaving the in-person interview feeling great.
• 24:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: You knocked it out of the park because of your preparation and execution.
• 24:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: Now what?
• 24:36
  Justin Alan Hayes: Either at the beginning or end of the interview, each interviewer should have handed you one of their business cards with all their contact information on it.
• 24:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: If they did not have a business card, do not be shy.
• 24:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: Ask them for their email and make a note of their name and its spelling, their title and their business email address.
• 24:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: Having contact information for each interviewer gives you the opportunity to complete the important next step sending each interviewer a handwritten thank you note.
• 25:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: A handwritten thank you note will show the interviewers that you are grateful for the opportunity to meet with them to discuss the position at hand, why you are the best candidate for the position.
• 25:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: I recommend three bullet points that you shared in the interview and open yourself up to answering any additional questions your interviewers may have.
• 25:29
  Justin Alan Hayes: The handwritten thank you should be sent through the mail, either on the same day of your interview or, at the latest, the morning after.
• 25:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: Timing is critical in this case because you do not know when the interviewers will be making a decision on the position, so you want to make sure they see your thank you note at the earliest time possible after the interview takes place.
• 25:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: You can also send a thank you email to each interviewer, which I also recommend.
• 25:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: I recommend sending a thank you email as well, because you do not have to wait for the United States Postal Service to work their magic.
• 26:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you do not have access to the internet or email at your home, go to your local library and they will be able to assist you by sending a handwritten thank you and an email.
• 26:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: Thank you to each interviewer.
• 26:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: You have done all you can.
• 26:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: At this point.
• 26:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: The decision is now in the hands of the hiring manager.
• 26:25
  Justin Alan Hayes: You are doing great so far.
• 26:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: The third interview method I will be covering is the video conference interview.
• 26:31
  Justin Alan Hayes: The video conference, or virtual interview, is gaining in popularity for positions that may be remote in nature.
• 26:39
  Justin Alan Hayes: For example, the business is in one location, such as New York City, new York, and you are working from home in Boston, massachusetts.
• 26:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: You may have a video conference interview from your house via a platform such as Zoom, or you may be asked to attend an in-person interview with a supplemental video conference interview with an interviewer in another location which most closely resembles my experience.
• 27:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: My experience included an in-person interview and a supplemental video conference interview with a hiring manager located in Milan, italy, while I was in Houston, texas.
• 27:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: My unique experience meant that I not only had to prepare for an in-person interview proper interview, attire for the industry of my prospective employer and be on top of my interviewing interpersonal skills I practiced through mock interviewing but also for a video conference interview type, where one of my interviewers would be projected on two large projection screens and I would be projected on a third projection screen in my interviewer's local conference room from a web camera.
• 27:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: In this case I had to focus my attention on whichever interviewer was asking me the question, switching my eye contact between in-person interviewers and a web camera for the interviewer in Italy to see and hear me.
• 28:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: The key here is to stay within yourself and not worry about whether you are answering a question for an interviewer that is on the telephone, in-person or via video conference.
• 28:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: I understand this may seem easy in some instances and can be a balancing act in other instances, but with enough practice and preparation through mock interviewing, you can master and excel at any of the three interview types.
• 28:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: On the following page I have listed some of the most common interview questions for you to gain a familiarity with, along with the opportunity to document your responses to prepare you for your interviews, along with preparing for interview questions that there is a strong likelihood you will be asked in one or more interview settings.
• 28:52
  Justin Alan Hayes: I have also listed some popular questions that you should strongly consider asking your interviewers, because asking your interviewer's questions signals your continued interest in the position and perspective.
• 29:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: Employer.
• 29:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: Popular interview questions preparation worksheet.
• 29:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: Please consider your answers to the following how did you become interested in our company and this position?
• 29:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: What are three of your strengths and why?
• 29:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: What are three of your weaknesses or areas in need of improvement and how are you working to overcome them?
• 29:31
  Justin Alan Hayes: Can you tell me about a time when you faced an obstacle on a project, what the obstacle was and how you overcame the obstacle to complete the project?
• 29:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: What three words best describe you and why?
• 29:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: Why should we hire you instead of another candidate?
• 29:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: Think distinguishing characteristics.
• 29:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: Where do you see yourself in five years?
• 29:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: Now we're going to shift on to the popular questions to ask interviewer preparation worksheet.
• 30:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: What is your timeframe for filling this position, for example, as soon as possible in the next month, by the end of the quarter or year.
• 30:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: What does success look like for a new hire in their first 90 days in the role?
• 30:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: How did this open position become available?
• 30:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: For example, company restructuring, new position due to company and department growth, promotion of employee previously in position?
• 30:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: What is the career path of this position?
• 30:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: For example, analyst, then senior analyst, then manager, then director, then vice president?
• 30:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: What other departments within your organization will the individual in this position be interviewed?
• 30:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: What does a day in the life of an employee at this company look like for an individual in this position?
• 31:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: How do you see your organization's growth trajectory over the next five years?
• 31:14
  Justin Alan Hayes: For example, positive flat down?