frame left frame top frame right
Job Interviews header image
frame bottom
 
MENU

Your Life. Your resume. Your Move! Post Your Resume FREE Today!

Get a free Wii or Xbox game

ARTICLES
BOOKS

Tricky Job Interviews



Most people do not particularly enjoy going through the job interview process. It can often be difficult to talk about yourself, especially in a situation where you are essentially selling yourself and your skills to a potential employer. Trying to think of just the right things to say, or not say, especially under pressure, can make all the difference in the end result of a job interview - whether or not you get the job.
 


As if job interviews were not already stressful enough, you could very likely end up being interviewed by someone who uses tricky tactics in order to draw out the "real" you. There are a number of ways that an interviewer can introduce trick questions, and the best way to keep from getting tripped up on them is to be aware that it could happen, and then try to prepare for it ahead of time.

One way that some interviewers try to get at an applicant is to start discussing the bad or undesirable things about the job you are applying for. They may even appear to be confiding in you, as one employee to another. Most applicants pick up on this trick, because it just seems odd when a representative of a business points out negative things about the business they are representing, but some applicants get tripped up. They feel that the interviewer is just trying to be friendly by giving them a heads up about the position they are applying for. Do not make this mistake. If you follow their lead and agree with them about the negative aspects, they will probably get the impression that you are not going to appreciate your job or that you are easily swayed. If they bring up a negative, counter with a positive and stick to your guns.

The person conducting the job interview may also try to gauge whether you are the type of person to gossip or talk behind someone's back. If they mention the name of someone and ask if you know them, be honest, but never discuss how you feel about that person. The subject matter is completely irrelevent to the interview process, and your personal feelings about another person should never have a place in an interview.

Another trick is when the interviewer pretends that you have some added control over whether you get hired, by asking whether you would like to add anything else about yourself. This typically happens right around the end, and it is usually when the applicant finds themselves practically begging for the position, saying that they work hard or that they are self motivated.

In this situation, you want your last words in the interview to be positive ones that the interviewer is going to remember and take into consideration when deciding whether to hire you. If you come off as desperate and say something to the effect that you really, really need this job, it is not going to bode well for you. Your best bet would be to explain why you chose to apply at that particular company and how you expect your being hired to affect both yourself and the company. Remember, you need to keep it brief. If you allow yourself to ramble on and on, you might find yourself saying things that make you sound needy.

All in all, job interviews can be hectic and stressful, but they are a necessary evil. If you can make yourself aware of the pitfalls before you become trapped in them, you may find that you have a real edge on your competition.
Jobs


 
 
Appropriate Dress For Interview News

Mona Simpson Quietly Embraces Art

Mona Simpson stopped in New York recently to meet with her publisher about her new novel, My Hollywood.

Read more...


Mikhail Lyubansky: Going Where Glenn Beck Wouldn't: Defining White Culture

My facebook and twitter friend @clyde_online, a community organizer in DC, has been pestering me to define U.S. white culture. Up until now, I've demurred....

Read more...


Board approves sex-ed changes

The Beaufort County Board of Education on Monday gave the go-ahead, with one member dissenting, to using lesson plans developed by a health education think-tank at Appalachian State University to teach students about sex.

Read more...


Comic-Con 2010: Cast and Crew Talk Tron Legacy

Everyone wants to know more and more about Tron Legacy. For those of you not at Comic-Con, we have transcribed the entire Tron Legacy panel which took place on Thursday. Here is the panel's official description: Returning for an unprecedented third year to the fans and convention that started it all, Walt Disney Pictures is pleased to present a special insider look at the upcoming TRON: Legacy ...

Read more...


Gay Talese: Writing tips from a master of observation

American author Gay Talese advises budding writers to pursue ideas that don't seem obvious.

Read more...


 
 
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
bottom bar