Ask Marcia, the Transition Chick

5 Guaranteed Ways to blow an interview...

I'm all about helping my clients with job search "roller coaster".  My Get Hired Now Teleseries  (http://www.eCareerCorner.com/transitions/gethired.htm)is designed to combine accountability with support & guidance all in a small group(6 people max!) environment!

We speak of interviewing Do's & Dont's-folks always remember the Donts! :)

These are sure things, GUARANTEED to bomb in an interview!

1.    Be negative!  Find something to complain about-the traffic, the job requirements...Whining works wonders, too!

2.    Exaggerate what your skills are-so what, if you don't know EXCEL...you can fake it, right?  Wrong!
Now, if you've worked with similar programs, learned quickly, feel confident you will quickly be proficient-fine...But saying you're an EXCEL expert?  Not!

3.    Talking, but not listening to the interviewer's questions.  After all, every interview is the same, so why listen anyway?  The interview can be a conversation-talking & listening-2 ears, 1 mouth-Think about it!

4.    Be such a cocky "know-it-all!  Strengths?  Of course, you have a ton!  Weaknesses-never!  Not any!   You have nothing to learn...You're a perfect person!  No one is...

5.    Just go in cold.  You're good at thinking on your feet, right?  Why be prepared?

BONUS-Make sure your references never check out-better yet, lie on your resume and about your past work history!

If you do ANY of these, the interviewer's radar is alerted!  Do all of these & guaranteed, you'll get to do it all again...you'll still be interviewing...

How many are you "guilty" of?

In Abundance!
Marcia The Transition Chick!
Career/Life Transitions Coach
www.eCareerCorner.com

Interview Questions Not For The Faint of Heart!

First, I've been caught up in Identity theft war!  Just, do yourself a favor, make copies of everything!  Only buy online from secure-(little lock graphic in corner) and DON'T FAX your card info!

Several folks have personally asked about weird or seemingly so... interview questions!  Really, it's ok to comment...bet hundreds of others have similar questions...

Some examples of "off the wall" questions

Do you believe in magic?  (for an artsy bistro)
If you were a vegetable-what would you be and why? (Health Food Store Manager)
How many manhole covers are there in Missoula, Mississippi? (A Management Consultant-really wanted to know strategic thinking/research to find answer!)

Moral:  The question may, at first glance-ok, hearing, may seem weird to you, but often real telling to the employer!

Current events as interview chit-chat?

Baltimore & the media is buzzing with the story of the female astronaut, Lisa Nowak and her now being a kidnapper.

So, how could this enter a job interview?  In order to break the ice, a well-meaning interviewer asked if my client had heard of this.

My client didn't know what to say!  I'm in Baltimore-it's a huge story...Sure, she's heard & read & saw on TV!

But, what to say?  Candidates should be prepared for current events chit-chat...And answering in general terms-without giving an opinion is best...

Wondering what other  weird/uncomfortable interview questions you've encountered?

In Abundance!