Southern Technical Recruiters

• The most successful applicants will have a beyond the basics understanding of the company, including: history, competitors and business objectives.
• Research the company's industry to find out market trends and industry-specific issues... Also know what the company's have been doing.
• Check the company web site for their mission and values, products and services and recent press releases. If it's publicly traded, request an annual report from the investor relations department.
• The people connection.  Use people in your network to find out more about the company culture. 

Be prepared for your next Interview…

How well can you answer the following job interview questions?

• Tell me what you know about our company? 

• What specific goals have you established for your career?

• Describe the ideal job for you?

• How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful accomplishments?

• How would you describe yourself?

• How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?

• How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?

• Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a reason to hire you?

• What problem have you had to deal with recently? How did you handle it?

• Would you be open to relocation?

• To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?

• Tell me about the salary range you're seeking?

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Six Interview Mistakes

• Interrogation versus Interview: Most candidates expect they will be interrogated. An interrogation is when one person asks all the questions and the other gives the answers. An interview is a business con versation where both people ask and respond to questions. Too many job seekers believe an interview is an interrogation. With this attitude, candidates do not ask questions and hence do not make their best impression.  You need ot ask questions throughout the interview.  If you don't , you force the interview to be an interrogation.

• Making a Positive out of a Weakness: Unskilled interviewers frequently ask candidates "What are your weaknesses?" Conventional interview advice recommends you highlight a weakness like "I'm a perfectionist" and turn it into a positive. Interviewers are not fooled. If you are asked this question a highlight skill that you wish to improve upon and (most importantly) describe what you are proactively doing to enhance your skill in this area. Interviewers don't care what your weaknesses are. They want to see how you handle the question and what your answer indicates about you.

• No Questions: Every interview concludes with the interviewer asking if you have any questions. The worst thing to say is you have no questions. Having no questions prepared indicates you are not interested and not prepared. Interviewers are more impressed by the questions you ask than the selling points you try to make. Before each interview make a list of 5 questions you will ask.

• Only Researching the Company, What about You? Candidates intellectually prepare by researching the company. Most job seekers do not research themselves by taking inventory of their experience, knowledge and skills. Formulating a talent inventory prepares you to immediately respond to any question about your experience. You must be prepared to discuss any part of your background. Creating a your talent inventory refreshes your memory and helps you immediately remember experiences you would otherwise have forgotten during the interview. Interview Mastery gives you a talent inventory template and many other job search downloads

• Leaving Cell Phone On: We may live in a wired, always available society, but a ringing cell phone is not appropriate for an interview. Turn it off before you enter the company. 

• Waiting for a Call: Time is your enemy after the interview. After you send a thank you email and note to every interviewer, follow-up a couple days later with either a question or additional information. Contact the person who can hire you , not HR (Human Resources). HR is famous for not returning calls. Additional information can be details about your talents, a recent competitor's press release or industry trends. Your intention is to keep their memory of your fresh.