Career Services from Measurability

It is difficult to predict what questions will arise at interviews. There are however a few gems that keep coming up over and over again. I posted previously about the “Salary Question” and in this post I will examine how to handle two additional interview questions that may come up at your next interview.Interview Coaching – Question – Why should we employ you?
This can be taken as a guaranteed question at any interview. Here you have the employer asking you how you meet the job requirements. Some jobseekers take this as the opportunity to babble on about everything positive they have ever achieved. Be careful!! You must take a focused approach. You will have identified the key points the employer is seeking and now is your opportunity to tell them how you meet the requirements. Back up any points with evidence. So tell them what you did but also the results and achievements.Interview Coaching – Question – Why do you want to work for our company?
This question is the employers establishing if you have researched and planned your job hunt and if you have researched their organisation. Another way to ask this question is “How do the company and the role meet your needs?” This question is important as it helps the interviewer find out if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting or a planned approach. You will need to research the company and analyse the role and pick out key points that relate to your career goals.Preparing for interviews can be a daunting thought. By working with an Interview Coach you can access unlimited professional support, experience and advice. This could make the difference between success and failure. Contact us for more information about our service and costs.

Probably the most common question I am asked when providing interview coaching sessions is “How do you handle the Salary question?” Simple think of a figure and multiply it by 10 – That would be nice!!There are a couple of points I make clear to job-seekers.1. It is probably best to dodge answering this question because you could price yourself out of the job BUT worse under-price yourself. I advise job-seekers to respond something like “I am currently on x but I am open to salary depending on the role and the location” This side steps answering and it also give the impression that you are not money driven. Or you could answer with a question “What would a role like this pay in your company?” The important thing is that this strategy forces the employer to lay their cards on the table first. If they make an offer under your expectation then you can negotiate. If they make an offer over your expectation – great!!.

2. If you have a minimum figure and money is a key motivation it is probably best to give the client indication of this if asked. Again how you ask for it is important. There is no point dancing round the question only to find after 3 interviews and alot of time invested that they can’t meet your expectations - wasting you precious time.

3. Final point – it is probably best to let the employer bring up the Salary topic. Only time I would go against this if you have to go to great time or financial expense to attend an interview and what to assess if it is worth your effort.

For additional information on Interview preparation, Interview Coaching, Competency Interviews and more check out our website Measurability.

 Happy Job Hunting

This post will look at two reasons why many jobseekers fail at interview and why Interview Coaching can help..

 Poor communication at a Job Interview - I am not talking about verbal but non-verbal communications. Have you ever heard the 55:38:7 rule. 7% of communication is the words you say so 93% is actually non-verbal. This means that honing non-verbal skills is essential for interview success. You have heard the urban myth that many interviewers make a decision within a few minutes of meeting the interviewee. Interview Coaching can help you get the basics right and you can improve your performance greatly.

Not asking questions at a Job Interview - It is essential that you ask questions. Interviewees will be asked if they have questions at a job interview so have must be prepared for this. By not asking any questions you are sending out the wrong message and a lack of interest in the position or even a lack of preparation for the job interview. Not asking a question is a missed opportunity to get valuable information to help you make important career choices. A job interview is a 2-way process and it is an opportunity for you to find out information about the company.

Interested in interview coaching?

I have been traveling quite a bit with work which will explain the lack of activity on the Blog (excuses!!). I am back for the moment but may go missing again before Christmas and it won’t be to shop. I am working on a project for the education sector at various locations around the country which means I have been staying in a number of hotels. This leads me onto this quick topic.

I have always believed in the power of a smile and this was emphasised while staying in hotels in the last few weeks. Let’s just say a few smiles sorted out a few issues. A smile has the power to change feelings, thought and emotions. Smiles are contagious like yawns and when you smile the world smiles back. I don’t think there is enough smiling going on. Let’s just say the reduction in smiling could have something to do with the increased demand for botox.

It is possible to smile your way to interview. Ok that statement is a bit of an exaggeration but it certainly does help. Many jobseekers take their interview so serious that they forget to smile. Body language makes up 55% of all communication and mastering it is essential for interview success but a simple smile is one of the key tools. When you attend an interview do not forget to smile and perhaps read this poem in the waiting room.

SMILING

Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu.

When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin.

When he smiled I realised, I’d passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth.

A single smile just like mine could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected.

Let’s start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

Paul Mullan founded and manages Measurability. He is a consultant with 13 years career coaching, recruitment and assessment experience in the UK & Ireland. Paul compliments his expertise by tapping into a talented pool of associates with hr, recruitment, occupational psychology and career coaching backgrounds.

Paul has worked with many organisations in a variety of sectors helping them recruit, assess and select the right candidate. He has designed recruitment processes, analysed job requirements, managed recruitment projects and helped oganisations implement psychometric assessment solutions. Paul previously worked with Saville & Holdsworth and was a founder and former Director of Eden Recruitment Limited.

Paul helps jobseekers to achieve career, life & business goals using an innovative approach in a one-one and workshop format. He is unique because he has experienced jobs, recruitment and careers as an employer – hiring staff, as a jobseeker – looking for work, as a recruitment consultant – finding jobs for others and as an assessment/hr consultant – helping company’s design recruitment processes, interview, assess and hire the right people. Paul is a Career Doctor with the Irish Independent for their Thursday Jobs & Careers supplement and The Sunday Tribune, regularly posts career articles on www.recruitireland.ie , www.salesjobs.ie and www.eirjobs.com and comments on jobs, careers and work life balance topics in the media and national radio.

Paul studied in Liverpool and qualified with a Degree in Business Studies from John Moore’s University and has since been awarded a Diploma in Business & Life Coaching. He has extensive training with Saville & Holdsworth including psychometric testing (Level A & B), competency based interviewing, job analysis and competency design and assessment center design.

Measurability is a professional, well established consultancy offering tailored solutions to meet our client needs. Our service is underpinned by psychometric assessment to help organisations recruit and develop the best but also to help individual’s achieve career satisfaction and success