Interview Tips

The interview is a very important part of finding a new job. It is your chance to talk about your skills. It also gives you a chance to find out if a job is right for you.

Follow the tips here to do well at your next interview.

Look at common interview questions. You can find lists of questions online. Practice answering these questions with someone or in front of a mirror. Prepare examples. These should show you have the skills that the company wants.

Make sure to talk about your:

Strengths

Flexibility (how you react to new or tricky situations)

Skills as a leader

Interest in learning new things

Contributions to places where you have worked or volunteered

Problem-solving skills

People skills

Before the interview, look at the skills needed for the job. The job posting will list these skills. For each one, write down how you are qualified. This will help you to find your strengths and weaknesses. Plan how you will talk about this in the interview. You may not have every skill needed for a job. But you can still show that you can learn those skills.

Make a list of questions to ask. Pick questions that show your interest in the job and the company. Ask about the job you will be expected to do. Some sample questions are:

What will I do day-to-day in this job?

How will my work be reviewed? Who will review it?

Could you explain how the company is organized?

What computer software do you use?

What is the company's plan for the next five years?

Be prepared. Remember to bring these things to the interview:

Notebook and pens

Extra copies of your resume

A list of people who can speak about your skills if the company asks for a reference (someone who will say you are a good fit for the job)

Any special paperwork the interviewer said you should bring

Samples of your past work

On the day of the interview, remember to:

Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early.

Go alone.

Dress in a way that fits the job.

Leave extra things, like coffee or your backpack, at home or in your car.

Turn off your cellphone.

Make sure to SMILE!

During the interview, show that you feel good about yourself. Let the interviewer start the conversation. You can send a strong message with your body language.

Shake hands firmly, but only if a hand is offered to you first.

Look the person in the eye.

Listen carefully. Welcome all questions, even the hard ones, with a smile.

Give truthful, straightforward answers.

Have a complete answer ready in your head before you say it aloud. It's OK if you don't understand a question. Ask for it to be repeated. You don't have to rush, but you also don't want to seem uncertain.

End the interview well. A good end to the interview might help you get the job.

Respect the interviewer's time and allow the interview to end on time.

Restate any strengths that you might not have mentioned earlier.

Share an example that shows you are a good match for the job.

If you want the job, say so!

Ask if there will be more interviews.

Ask when the employer will decide if you get the job.

Ask for the phone number or email address of the interviewer. Make sure to send a thank you note afterward.

____________

Hi there, in this topic we are going to
discuss some typical interview questions. We will discuss two types
of these questions and finally look at a few questions
you should ask in an interview. In a typical interview, the interviewer,
or interviewers as sometimes there may be more than one person, is there to find out
if you are the right person for the job. If you are in an interview or
preparing for one, then congratulations. You have got this far because
the employer is seriously considering you as a possible employee. However, you now need to show them that
you really are the person for the job. You can do this by answering the questions
the interviewer asks you in an honest and detailed way. Honest, because the interviewer
wants to know if you are the same person you say you are in your resume and
cover letter. And detailed because you want to give
enough information in your responses. During an interview some questions will
be direct, and some will be indirect. An example of a direct question
is why are you a good fit for this job, or why do you want to work for
this company. These questions should be pretty
clear to understand and answer. Since both questions use why,
you should give reasons in your answers. So you might say in your response,
I believe I'm a good fit for this company because I have
the necessary skills and experience to fit right in and
help the company grow. However, indirect questions
are more difficult to recognize. An example of an indirect question is,
so tell me a little bit about yourself. It's called an indirect question, because
the question doesn't begin with a wh word, like what, where, when, why, who, and
how, which direct questions often use. However, it is still a question,
and you need to listen carefully during the interview for
these types of indirect questions. Let's look at another example
of an indirect question. I wonder if you could tell me about
a time when you faced a challenge and you overcame that challenge. Again, no wh word is used at
the beginning of the question, but the interviewer uses the expression
I wonder if you could tell me. The interviewer is asking you to
share an example from your own life when you had a challenge or a problem,
and explain how you solve that problem. So when you hear this expression, you should recognize it as a question and
be ready to answer it. One final example of
an indirect question is, I'd like to know what type of skills you
have that make you qualified for this job. The speaker uses the expression I'd like
to know, which means can you tell me? Finally, in a typical interview in the US, not only does the interviewer
ask you questions but you will usually have an opportunity at the end of
the interview to ask your own questions. The interviewer might say,
do you have any questions for me? Or do you have any questions of your own? To make a good impression, it's really
important that you have already prepared at least two questions before the
interview and you ask these at this point. The questions should be related to
the job or organization in some way. So for example, you might ask,
what opportunities are there for professional development in this company? Or what is the next step
in the interview process? So now we've discussed some common
questions in job interviews. Next, we're going to look at
some ways you can ask for clarification in an interview when
you don't understand the question. Thanks for watching.

The three most stressful situations in life are said to be ending a marriage, dealing with death and moving to a new home. Many people would add one more experience to that list – a job interview.

Finding a good job is difficult enough. Add to that the fact that employers may ask some very personal questions during a job interview. In the United States, it is illegal for employers to raise some of these issues.

See how they compare to job interviews in your country.

In a job interview, you must show your best side. You must sell yourself and show the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the job.

To do this you must answer question after question. A prospective employer will want to know about your skills, qualifications, past work experiences, and goals.

The interviewer is the person asking the questions. Interviewers want to learn as much as they can about the interviewee, the person seeking employment. This can cause an uneven balance of power and lead to some difficult questions. In the United States, a few of those questions are not just difficult, they are illegal.

There are many websites that offer advice on careers and how to prepare for a job interview. You may have used some of these sites, such as Monster.com andLinkedIn.

The following five areas showed up in all the reports and lists I examined during my recent searches. All of these areas of questioning are considered illegal in the United States.

1. Sex questions are off limits.

It is very easy for an interviewer to discriminate based on a person’s gender or sex. If you are a woman, you may be asked, “Are you comfortable managing a team of men?” If you are man you may be asked, “Would you feel comfortable having a woman as a boss?”

In the United States, any question related to gender should not be raised during the job interview. But if gender does come up, answer the question by stating your past work experiences that show you can do the job, regardless of whether you are a woman or a man.

2. Questions about marriage and children are illegal.

People with children love talking about them. But during a job interview it's not the time. Questions such as, “Do you have children?” or “Do you plan to work after having children?” are not legal to ask.

Naturally, future employers want to know how long you plan to be with them if you are hired. Hiring people takes time and, as they say, time is money. But it is illegal to not hire someone because they have children or are planning on having a child in the future.

It is legal for a prospective employer to ask, “What hours can you work?” or “Do you have responsibilities that might keep you from doing your job?” These questions are legal because they are directly related to the job and not tied to your personal life.

Any question related to your marital status, whether you are married, is considered illegal in the U.S. But they are common. Asking someone, “Are you married?” is a loaded question, a question looking for more than what is simply asked. A question about marriage is illegal because it may lead to information about your sexual orientation -- whether you are gay, straight or bisexual. And that is no one’s business but your own.

3. Your Citizenship and Nationality are private.

It is illegal for a U.S. business to hire someone who is not permitted to work in the country. But the only way a company can explore the issue legally is to ask the question directly - “Can you work legally in the United States?” Done.

If an interviewer asks things such as, “Where are you from?” or “Where were you born?” they have, again, crossed into Illegal Land. These may seem like innocent questions. But they are illegal because it involves your country of birth. Employers in the U.S. cannot legally ask about your nationality.

This also extends to language. It is not the employer’s lawful right to know if a language is your first language. However, they can legally ask what other languages you know.

4. Asking about religion is a no-no.

Employers may want to ask which religious holidays you observe to see if it may interfere with work. But questions about your religion are illegal.

Employers can legally ask if you can work on a Sunday, a day when many Christians attend religious services.

5. Your Age is your business. Not theirs.

The question, “How long have you been working?” may seem fine. But this question is all about age discrimination. It is also illegal for an interviewer to ask what year you completed high school or college or even your birthday. It is easy enough to do the math. It is legal for an interviewer to ask you how long you have been working in a certain industry. Again, the question is tied to the job and not your personal life.

It can be difficult to answer personal questions during a job interview. After all, if you want the job, you do not want to seem difficult. If a question seems illegal or just makes you feel uneasy, simply direct the question back to the job and your qualifications.

Of course, you do not have to answer any question that you feel is insulting or illegal. This, however, may cost you the job.

In the end it is a personal decision. But always know your rights.

How do these employment laws in the U.S. differ from laws in your country? Let’s talk about it … in the comment section.

I’m Anna Matteo.

*This report was based on online resources including Monster.com, LinkedIn, HumanResourcesAbout.com and About.com/careers. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

candidate – n. a person who is being considered for a job, position, award, etc.

qualification – n. a special skill or type of experience or knowledge that makes someone suitable to do a particular job or activity

prospective – adj. likely to be or become something specified in the future

sexual orientation – n. the inclination of an individual with respect to heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual behavior

discriminatory – adj. unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people. The noun is discrimination.

gender – n. the state of being male or female

hire – v. to give work or a job to someone in exchange for wages or a salary; n.someone who has been hired for a job

_____________