06 Feb
How To Avoid The Biggest Virtual Interview Mistake
The biggest mistake you can make with a virtual interview is not taking it seriously. In the past, phone interviews were used primarily for screening. A recruiter or human resources associate called potential candidates to get basic information: are they still looking, do they meet the essential qualifications, do their salary requirements fall in the employer’s range, etc.
They also screened for basic communication skills. Can this person carry on a conversation?
If the candidate passes the initial screening they were invited in for an interview.
Virtual interviews, even for local candidates, was becoming more common when I was a recruiter almost 10 years ago. When COVID hit virtual interviews became the only option.
And it looks like virtual interviews are here to stay.
Interviews 2022
Today, candidates will likely have have several virtual interviews before being invited for an in-person discussion.
- A screening interview – with a recruiter or HR associate
- A longer interview with senior HR personnel
- A phone or Skype interview with the hiring manager’s assistant or someone else on the team
- A phone or Skype interview with the hiring manager
While these steps are a generalization, the point is that you should expect to have 2 to 3 video or phone interviews before meeting anyone in person.
08 Jan
Boost Your Interview Results By Demonstrating Your Value
Most of the resumes I see focus on what people do on a daily basis. The results is a boring list of duties and responsibilities that’s unlikely to inspire anyone to call them. .
Employers want to know what you can do for them. The best way to show your value is to focus on what you’ve done for your current and previous employer. They want to know about the positive impact you’ve made
The same is true for interviews. Employers don’t want to hear about your duties and responsibilities, what you do every day. They want to hear about your achievements.
Maybe you didn’t directly generate revenue, but maybe you saved the account by providing extra service. Perhaps you redesigned a process so it takes 2 days a month instead of 5 freeing staff to take on other duties. Maybe you leveraged your business relationships to build a promising pipeline.
27 Sep
Ignore These 5 Interview Don’ts At Your Peril
It takes a lot of work to secure a job interview. Creating a list of target employers. Preparing a results-driven resume or having one written for you. Spending hours networking online and in person. The list goes on.
When you do get that coveted interview with your target employer be sure to make a good first impression. There are many articles on what to do, here are a few interview don’ts.
Don’t dodge the salary question. Most likely your first interview with a recruiter will include the dreaded “salary” question. While this is a bit uncomfortable on both sides, recruiters need to ask. They need to see if you are in the hiring managers salary range. You can make the process less anxiety provoking by planning in advance.
02 Oct
9 Easily Avoidable Interview Blunders
There is no shortage of articles “how to succeed” in job interviews. You can find advice on how to answer tough questions, suggestions on what to wear and everything else in between. But, sometimes looking at other people’s mistakes can be an even better lesson.
With this in mind, I asked recruiters and hiring managers to send me some “Interview Bloopers” things that made them stop and say “I can’t believe that he or she just did that!” Having worked in the career field for over a decade I’ve heard a lot of stories about inappropriate behavior by candidates. But, some of the submissions, including one candidate’s obsession with reality TV, shocked even me.
While some of these stories may make you chuckle, they should also serve as cautionary tales.
01 Mar
10 Interview Mistakes That Can Cost You The Job
Candidates are, understandably, disappointed when they’re not called back after a job interview. Even if the job wasn’t so great or the boss seemed a bit of a micromanager, they still want to get that second or third interview.
A common candidate complaint is that they don’t get any feedback.
Recruiters are sometimes not forthcoming and HR can be cagy when it comes to telling people why they didn’t get the job.
This happens for a lot of reasons. Sometimes recruiters don’t get anything more than the candidate wasn’t a “good fit.” HR may not provide feedback because of legal concerns. Besides that, everyone is busy.
That’s one of the reason’s CareerBuilder surveys are so valuable. They provide feedback straight from the employer’s mouth.