Six most common job interview types

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

The Stress Interview

Top tips for the six most common interview types

There are several common types of job interviews, beyond the stress interview! Don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter what type of job interview will be conducted, as it serves both of you and the interviewer to know. In this article, Jorgen Sundberg, aka The Undercover Recruiter, talks us through the six of the most common types of job interviews.

1. Traditional one on one job interview

This is the traditional one on one interview is where you’re interviewed by a company representative, most likely the manager of the position you are applying for. If you get the job you will be working with this person directly. They will want to understand who you are and if your skills match those of the job requirements.

You may be asked questions about your resume and your experience, what you can offer the company and what you can bring to the position. The interviewer may ask you questions such as “Why would you be good for this job?” or “Tell me about yourself.” The one on one interview is by far, one of the most common types of job interviews.

2. Panel Job Interview

These can be difficult. In a panel interview, you will be interviewed by three to four interviewers. The panel may consist of different representatives of the company such as human resources, management, and employees. The reason why some companies conduct panel interviews is to save time or to get the collective opinion of panel regarding the candidate. Each member of the panel may be responsible for asking you questions that represent relevancy from their position. Government agencies typically conduct panel interviews and they are very strict on protocol.

3. Behavioural Job Interview

In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the behavioural interview is that your future performance will be based on a past performance of a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire about what you did when you were in XXX situation and how did you dealt with it. In a behavioural interview, the interviewer wants to see how you deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them. Find out how to behave in a behavioural interview.

4. Group Job Interview

Many times companies will conduct a group interview to quickly pre-screen candidates for the job opening as well as give the candidates the chance to quickly learn about the company to see if they want to work there. Many times, a group interview will begin with a short presentation about the company. After that, they may speak to each candidate individually and ask them a few questions.

One of the most important things the employer is observing during a group interview, is how you interact with the other candidates. Are you emerging as a leader or are you more likely to complete tasks that are asked of you? Neither is necessarily better than the other, it just depends on what type of personality works best for the position that needs to be filled.

A group interview is different from a group exercise you may face in an assessment centre. Here are some tips on how to handle group exercises.

5. Phone Job Interview

A phone interview may be for a position where the candidate is not local or for an initial pre-screening call to see if they want to invite you in for an in-person interview. You may be asked typical questions or behavioral questions.

Most of the time you will schedule an appointment for a phone interview. If the interviewer calls unexpectedly, it’s ok to ask them politely to schedule an appointment. On a phone interview, make sure your call waiting is turned off, you are in a quiet room, and you are not eating, drinking or chewing gum.

6. Lunch Job Interview

Many times lunch interviews are conducted as a second interview. The company will invite you to lunch with additional members of the team to further get to know you and see how you fit in. This is a great time to ask any questions you may have about the company or position as well, so make sure you prepare your questions in advance.

Although you are being treated to a meal, the interview is not about the food. Don’t order anything that is too expensive or messy to eat. Never take your leftovers home in a doggy bag either. 😉 You want to have your best table manners and be as neat as possible. You don’t need to offer to pay, it is never expected for a candidate to pay at a lunch interview.

Chew quietly and in small bites so you don’t get caught with a mouthful of food when the recruiter asks you a question.

So, now you have an idea of these six common types of job interviews. However, no matter what type of job interview you go on, always do your best to prepare for it the best you can ahead of time so you can do your best and show them the best of who you are.

Jorgen Sundberg is a Personal Branding Consultant based in London. He helps sales people, entrepreneurs, business owners and executives to create, build and promote magnetic brands to attract more business online. After 7 years of marketing people in recruitment, he started Personal Branding UK and he blogs at The Undercover Recruiter and JorgenSundberg.net. You can connect with him on Twitter @jorgensundberg.

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To get your free e-book and some of our best interview tips direct to your inbox, simply click on this link.

Here’s what happy readers said about the e-book and interview tips:

“Deborah Barit is a very smart lady…She is good at figuring out what an employer is looking for. It’s like she has ESP, with her help in preparing, I found no surprises in a recent interview and I was prepared for every question….” Cathy, Leichhardt, NSW

“Because I read so many of your posts, I feel as if you were my personal employment coach. I start my new position in two weeks. I had so many obstacles to overcome and each day you posted a solution to my dilemma and how to improve my search. Thank you so much for your input and PLEASE continue to do what you do!”

Click here to get access to the e-book.

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20 great ways to find a job using LinkedIn

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

Looking for a job – Using LinkedIn will be your goldmine!

Thinking of using LinkedIn to find a job?

Well you should!

I have said this before and will say it again until the cows come home.

Using LinkedIn can put the power back into the hands of you the candidate and out of the hands of recruitment consultants – and can help better hiring decisions all round.

 

There are plenty of ways you can be proactive, rather than reactive in your job search.

Here are my 20 top LinkedIn job hunting tips, in no particular order.

1.  Get a decent profile. There is no point being half-hearted. You will miss out on opportunities if your profile does not have enough relevant information showcasing your strengths. This point is my big bandwagon point for Australian professionals and job seekers.

2.  Connect with people. Look up people from your past and find out where they work now. Use the connect email to invite people for coffee and find out what they are up to. Show some interest in them, and what you are looking for, job wise, will inevitably come up.

3.  Join groups of interest and participate in discussions. I know of one person who did little more than this. He was approached by a recruiter about a job, based on the thoroughness of a question he answered.

4.  Find a role model networker who is working in your desired area. Look to see which groups they belong to and join those.

5.  Start a group around your area of interest and expertise. Invite people who can add value to join. Welcome them to the group and ask them a question directly. You can build up your knowledge of their organisation, any problems they may be facing, and approach them with a solution in mind (you).

6.  Look to see who has viewed your profile, and add them to your network. If they are recruiters, see if they have jobs coming up in your area. As a carrot to see you, mention that you may have useful contacts for them.

7.  Look to see where people with your background are working and what their responsibilities are. That way if you want to approach a company directly about jobs, you are making an informed and targeted approach.

8.  Invite people out for coffee to find out what they do. This is a good tactic if you want to change careers. You can find out the good, bad and ugly about their jobs, and whether that might be an area of interest for you.

9.  Add value to your network. Be known as someone helpful. You often have to build trust with people before you can ask them for favours. If you see someone asking a question, then answer it. Be proactive and send them an email with a link.

10.  Update your status with recent information of use to your network. You’ll give people a reason to contact you if you do that.

11.  Link your LinkedIn profile to your personal emails.

12.  Make it easy for people to connect with you. State that you welcome contact in your profile summary.

13.  Put your LinkedIn link to your Facebook profile. I have seen jobs come through friends, and Facebook is one place people tell their friends if they’re looking for staff. You want to make it easy for people to check you out.

14.  Target people with big networks. That increases the pool of people you can search to make contact with if you are looking for jobs.

15.  Go along to social events that are organized via LinkedIn. Often group owners will do this. There is only so much you can achieve online. Trust is better built face to face.

16.  Ask a connection for an introduction. That’s kind of one of the big points of LinkedIn.

17.  Ask for recommendations. A strong recommendation from a former manager carries a lot of weight. This is one big area recruiters and employers focus on when they look at your profile.

18.  Find out what a job really requires. Job advertisements often have a lot of woolly wording. If you can, find a company insider to give you the insight into what the company is about, or even what the job requires. They may even pass on your resume, and save the company a recruitment fee.

19.  If you’re actively looking and public about it, join the job seekers groups on LinkedIn. You’ll find heaps of great tips.

20.  Join our LinkedIn@Lunchtime training, starting soon. We’ll help you launch on LinkedIn with a hit new profile. Or if you prefer more one on one attention, hire us to optimize your profile to help you come up when headhunters search. I can give you tailored training to network effectively and maximize your chances of being found by employers and headhunters.

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Dark Ages Recruiters (and job seekers too)

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

The inspiration for this post comes courtesy of Ross Clennett, trainer to the recruitment industry. He talks about “Dark Ages” recruitment practices. His pet peeves include recruiters who ask the strengths and weaknesses questions; the tell me about yourself question; and recruiters who describe organisations as dynamic and opportunities as exciting.

Here are his points in full:

1. Candidate interview ice breakers: “Did you find us ok?’, How’s your day?’ and How’s the weather outside? Is it still sunny/rainy/windy/cold/cloudy etc?” are the three excruciating ice-breakers that burst from the lips of every unprepared or lazy recruitment consultant. Is that the best that you can do? Really? How about reading the candidate’s resume and coming up with something much more personal? It’s not that hard, surely?

2. Agency website “about us” section: “We are a boutique recruitment agency, We are committed to providing the highest standard of service to both candidates and clients”. Yawn, Yawn. Next you’ll be telling me you have an extensive database with access to the very best candidates.

3. Recruitment ads: “This is a dynamic organisation’, This is an exciting opportunity’, Seeking a motivated and enthusiastic person….”. Gawd, after a century of ad writing, are we still reverting to such mindless cliché’s?

4. Interview questions: “Tell me about yourself?, What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest weaknesses?”. Shoot me now if you are still using these useless, completely predictable questions. (If you need convincing why these sorts of questions should be as dead and buried, like Stephanie McIntosh’s singing career, then refer to my InSight article from May 2008 Interview Questions to Avoid and What to Ask Instead).

Ross’s points are a good way to tell a recruiter from a consultant as trainer to the industry, Bronwyn Murphy, wrote a few months ago.

I have a few others to add to this list.

If you want a consultant to take care of you as a candidate and discuss their role in terms of being good for your career, look to see how they network. LinkedIn can give you an idea of this.  For some reason I dislike the LinkedIn group interjections, where people may be exchanging ideas about a topic in a group, and up pops a recruiter with a variation of – ‘Great pay. Great conditions. Call me. Call me now!’ It looks a little desperate.

Now here’s the flip side. Networking is a two way street. Some job seekers forget this as well.

If you are approached by a headhunter in a professional way, via LinkedIn, they meet with you and are interested in you, then help them as well. If you have people you know who may be interested in roles and open to approaches, then recommend them. At the very least give them information about the industry or your role that may help them.

The best consultants know the best candidates in the industry.

You’ll want to be filed in their books under “H” for helpful.

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Stop puffing up your profession. What do you do, really?

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

I was listening to James Valentine this week on abc radio and almost choked I laughed so much.  He had a segment about the one or two key phrases that can sum up any job. He asked his audience: after years of honing your expertise, and earning multiple degrees, what do you actually spend most of your time doing or saying? It’s a funny question. One of my clients, a super smart Trademark Attorney, once told me she just wrote slightly threatening letters to people all day. Me, I help people find jobs. Here’s what James’ listeners said:

Antique Dealer

Furniture removalist (usually interstate)

Concreter

“We dig holes and fill them back up again.”

Plant Propagator

“We root them and shoot them.”

Customer Service – telecommunications

“We’re working on it.”

IT Support

“Have you turned it off and on again?”

Emergency Nurse

“Take your clothes off.”

Pathology Collector

“I stab people all day.”

Flight Attendant

“Would you like to buy something from the menu?”

Hotel Manager

“What flavor would you like?”

“Sorry we can’t serve you anymore.”

“You’re not the first person to call me that.”

HR Manager

Staff member: “Can I do x with employee y?”

HR Manager: “It depends.”

Lawyer

When unsure of the law in a particular scenario: “I need to take further instructions from my client.”

Psychologist

“Well, how do you feel about that?”

Me

“Can you give me a specific example of when you’ve done that?”

“No, I mean a person, time, place or thing.”

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5 Top Career Articles on the Web for Graduates

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

5 Top Career Articles on the Web for Graduates

The professional world can be a confusing and scary place for new graduates. Luckily, the web is full of great advice for those who are fresh out of college or university and looking to embark on their new careers. Here, we have compiled some of the best articles for new graduates to help make the transition from the academic world to the professional world much smoother.

1. How to Stay Positive During a Long Job Search

A long and seemingly endless job search can dampen your spirits and it can be difficult to stay positive as you go from interview to interview without results. However, you can effectively keep your chin up if you remember to not wallow in self-pity by heeding the advice given in this blog article. After all, feeling sorry for yourself will not change your current situation. Instead, change your job-seeking strategy – go door-to-door handing out your resume if you were previously just applying for jobs through e-mail. Also remember all of the great traits that you have to offer and give yourself a confidence boost now and then. Finally, patience is one of the most valuable things to retain as you continue the long job hunt.

Many new graduates will unfortunately face long periods of unemployment due to the downturn of the global economy and the fact that many employers are hiring fewer people. However, with patience and a positive attitude, all graduates can eventually find a rewarding career. This article highlights ways that new graduates can keep their chins up in the job search, which is undoubtedly an important thing to know.

2 How to Write a Resume with No Job Experience

While it would be ideal for new graduates to have plenty of professional work experience from internships and fellowships, the truth is that many students simply could not find time during their studies to pursue these activities. As a result, many students graduate from college with a great educational results and a hard-earned degree, but with nearly no professional working experience. This can be a problem because work experience is important to employers. After all, it proves that the graduate knows how to handle working in the field. However, even those with no work experience can sell their resumes by listing and elaborating on their education, related course work, volunteering activities, and even past part-time jobs, as long as all of these things are tailored to explain how they are relevant to the job for which they are applying.

Finding a job soon after college is essential, but it can be challenging for students with no work experience to smoothly make the transition from the academic world to the professional world. This article explains how a graduate’s resume, the first thing many hiring managers see, can be made appealing even if there is no work experience listed on it.

3 5 Tips for Acing Your Phone Interview

The post author is an unofficial expert in phone interviews, having been a part of many successful interviews over the phone. The points she touches on in ensuring that phone interviews go as smoothly as possible include preparing for the interview by practicing answers to possible interview questions, picking a quiet place to sit for the interview, keeping a computer full of reference materials nearby, dressing up for the interview despite it being over the phone, and recording oneself doing a mock interview before doing the real thing. All of these tips ensure that the graduate is as prepared for the interview as possible, and that when the phone interview actually happens, that the process will go well and allow the interviewee to fully concentrate.

Phone interviews are increasingly commonplace, especially for telecommuting and relocation jobs, so it is imperative that graduates understand how to best ace a phone interview. In fact, many employers also are now in the habit of conducting all of their initial interviews over the phone and only bringing in those who impress in these interviews to interview face-to-face. On the phone, graduates do not have the luxury of seeing the interviewer’s reactions, so they must rely on presenting the best versions of themselves to interviewers with only the spoken word. This article gives great advice on how anyone can sell their personality over the phone.

4. 5 Tips for Negotiating a Higher Starting Salary

Some job offers are appealing in every way except for the starting salary. Graduates who find themselves uncomfortable with the starting salary offered by a company may benefit from this article, which delves into the best ways to negotiate a higher starting salary. Once an employer has indicated interest in a graduate, the graduate can carefully and tactfully discuss the salary. Beforehand, however, graduates must do their homework and be aware of what the typical salary for a particular position is, as well as the typical salary for others in similar positions within the company. Then, graduates must evaluate why they should be granted a higher salary, whether it is due to education or previous work experience. Other benefits, such as regular raises and bonuses, should also be kept in mind when determining a plausible higher salary. The key is to make the salary increase a mutually beneficial thing for both the employer and employee.

Many graduates will not be satisfied with jobs that pay minimum wage or relatively low starting salaries because they likely have various expenses that need covering, such as student loans and rent. However, it can also be difficult to find employment opportunities at all. Therefore, when a student finds a job they are excited to begin, but are deterred by the low starting salary, they should consider negotiating a higher starting salary. This article provides some great tips on how to go about doing this, as it can be a tricky thing for new graduates to navigate.

5. Top 5 Networking Tips to Get You Started

It has often been said that it is not what one knows, but who one knows that affects how far one will get in life. Networking helps for new graduates to get to know as many potentially beneficial people as possible. Graduates can network with a number of different people, from their old college professors to new friends to potential employers. All of these contacts can prove invaluable when it comes to finding lucrative employment opportunities. To make the most out of networking opportunities, this article provides several excellent tips, such as remembering the names of the people graduates meet and finding the best way to keep in touch with people, whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or the phone.

Networking is more important than ever now that job opportunities are scarce. It can allow graduates to find non-advertised job openings and even provide them with a good word prior to contacting the hiring manager, as the graduate can mention that he or she was recommended by a certain person for the position. To ensure that networking opportunities always go well, graduates can read over this article and learn how to make and maintain new worthwhile connections in the professional field.

This guest post is contributed by Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of top online colleges.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com, or below.

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How to become a successful freelance writer – online

by K B , updated on November 8, 2020

A Writer’s Life

In making money online as a freelance writer, my career has changed over the years due to the changes in my skills and changes in the Internet.

Earning Money

Although I can now make a living full time from writing, I use diversified marketing techniques to get enough work.

I have five main marketing techniques that I use to find work:

  • Visit forums where marketers hang out and advertise my writing services in a signature file.
  • Visit content mills like Demand Studio and pick up work from an open order pool.
  • Visit job sites like Rentacoder, Elance, Guru, etc.
  • Get clients by handing out my business card at business conventions.
  • Create mini websites and write reviews about the latest merchant release. Here I get paid a commission when people buy the product.

I use the following marketing techniques.

  • A blog that serves as a branding vehicle for my services.
  • Social media followers on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Video marketing. Putting free videos on high traffic websites like YouTube.
  • Article marketing. Putting free articles on popular article directories.

The money I earn will vary considerably. On one end of the scale, if I were to write a 500 word article for a content mill, I would earn $7.00. On the other end of the scale, if I were to write a 500 word review for my own affiliate I earn an average of $300.

Challenges

The main challenge writing online is that there are a lot of people willing to write for a $1 to $4 an article. Of course, these articles are not very good, with lots of spelling and grammatical mistakes, and the content has usually been scraped from somewhere. However, many marketers and bloggers are not at all interested in quality, so long as the articles have the right keywords and get indexed by a major search engine.

This low pay can be found everywhere: forum, content mills, and even bidding sites. This competition is enough to discourage the most gifted writers. If you write like Hemingway, you will be paid as much as someone who averaged C+ in high school for English.

The way to overcome this challenge is to continue to improve skills and to find more lucrative markets and work with better clients.

Goals

As a writer, I have established 5 goals.

1. Find better paying clients. I want to get clients who are interested in creating quality content that gets traffic from search engine optimization and social media. Some marketers recognize that it’s important to write original and interesting content that adds value to a reader’s life. Over time, this creates more traffic and brands the marketer as someone who produces quality. In the long run, this will create a profitable business.

2. Improve my productivity. By increasing the speed with which I research and write articles, as the faster I am, the more work I can do per hour.

3. Write more for myself. It is much more profitable to write content that earns commission sales than to write for other marketers.

4. Upgrade the type of writing I do, from article writing to copywriting. Copywriting pays much more than article writing and it is the next step in my career growth.

5. Learn more about marketing. The better I understand marketing, the more I can sell my writing services or make money from affiliate commissions.

Louise Baker is a freelance writer and blogger who usually does auto insurance comparisons over at CarinsuranceComparison.Org. She recently wrote about finding cheap car insurance quotes.

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