Some of the most challenging interview questions are found in behavioral interviews which are designed to test your abilities in three ways: 1. Determine how well you work under pressure 2. Find out how well you work with others 3. Establish whether you can resolve conflictsSample Interview QuestionsTo test your stress-coping skills you may get a question like:

“

Tell me about the most stressful situation you’ve encountered in your current position.”To find out how well you work with others you might be asked:

“

Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with your team?”

“

Tell me about a time when you thought your boss was wrong? How did you handle it?”Finally, employers want staff members who can resolve conflicts to gain win-win results for all parties. To discover your conflict-resolution skills you might be asked:

“

Tell me about a time when you had difficulty resolving a customer conflict?”There are three steps to preparing for a behavioral interview.

1.  Behavioral questions ask you about specific events. Take inventory of the stressful or difficult situations you've encountered at work. Think back to times when you didn't agree with your boss, or when your peers drove you crazy, or when customers made unrealistic demands.

2.  If the workplace doesn't provide much to choose from, expand your thought process to include other circumstances where you work or must cooperate with others, like community activities, neighborhood associations, or church functions.  For instance, planning a school fundraiser, participating on a neighborhood committee or participating on a professional association board. Any of these situations are ripe with opportunities for conflict and cooperation, where something must be accomplished for the betterment of the group.

3.  Once you've thought of several situations, plan how you will present them in a positive light.  For situations you didn't handle well (like your boss yelled at you and you ran off crying) present them in terms of what you learned, like this:

“

Yes, I learned an important lesson about following directions and asking questions for clarification when. . . "For situations that did turn out well, present them based on what was accomplished, like this:"Yes, I had to deal with a really angry customer just last week.  But when I calmly asked a few questions I was able to get to the heart of her issue. I was able to fix the problem, and she was happy with us again."With the right interview preparation, you can turn nightmare behavioral questions into opportunities to sell yourself. You’ll be seen as an employee who is able to stay calm under pressure, work well with others to promote corporate goals, and retain key customers, contributing to revenue growth. In other words, the type of person all employers would want to hire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.AlphaAdvantage.com

email: Deb@Alphaadvantage.com

360-260-4965

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DebWalkerCCMC

In today's job market a phone interview is the first step toward a face-to-face interview.

Yet most job seekers dread phone interviews. The lack of facial cues and body language

tends to unnerve interviewees. If you feel this way as well, the following tips will help

you feel more in control and confident for your next phone interview.

Eliminate distractions.

Choose your environment wisely. For best results plan to interview at home in a room cut

off from kids, TV and pets. Use a good quality land line and disable phone features like

call waiting.

Print out these documents.

The best thing about phone interviews is that you can have as much supporting documents

handy as you need. Minimally, have your resume and the job description printed out.

Optimally include a list of your accomplishments that you can share. Additionally, you

can have a list of answers to the toughest questions you anticipate at hand. For

unplanned phone interviews, keep these documents within easy reach so that you are

always ready refer to them.

Watch your own body language.

The toughest thing about phone interviews is the lack of physical cues, but they will

be able to “hear” the positive energy in your voice when you smile as you speak. Your

voice will carry better when you sit up straight, or better yet, stand as you speak.

Ask the right question.

Be prepared with a short list of questions to ask that will uncover your interviewers

“hot buttons.” This will help you to hit the right selling points when you answer his

questions. You'll be less dependent upon body-language ques when you already know what

he wants to hear. Your questions might include:
What qualities are you looking for?

What are the most significant challenges of the position?

Sell yourself.

If you don't sell yourself you won't be invited for the face-to-face interview. Specific

examples are the best way to demonstrate how well you've done your job. Stories sell.

Before the interview practice talking about your best accomplishments. Don't think of it

as bragging. After all, potential employers are looking for people who can solve problems.

If you don't tell them how you've solved problems they will never know that you are the

best candidate for the job.

A face-to-face interview is the goal of the phone interview. Don't be shy to ask to be

included in the next phase of interviews. Let your enthusiasm for the employer and position

come across loud and clear. Once you've aced your phone interview you'll be on your way to

wowing them in person.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deborah Walker, Certified Career Management Coach

Read more career tips and see sample resumes at:

www.AlphaAdvantage.com

email: Deb@Alphaadvantage.com

360-260-4965

We’ve all heard stories of job candidates who looked great on paper but who were absolute disasters in person. With fewer interview opportunities available in our competitive job market, it’s essential to make the best possible first impression. Learn from the mistakes of others and avoid these top five worst interview blunders:

1. Not preparing for the tough interview questions. Like every job seeker, you probably have your own set of tough interview questions you hope will never be asked. The best strategy is to prepare ahead of time with answers to ALL of these questions. A career coach can be a great resource for helping you work out suitable answers with a positive spin on negative or challenging career situations.

2. Failure to match communication styles. Making a great first impression is easier to do when you communicate effectively with your interviewer. The best way to do this is by mirroring his or her communication style. Allowing your interviewer to set the tone of the conversation will put him or her at ease and makes the conversation flow more naturally.   For instance: *   If the interviewer seems all business, don’t attempt to loosen him or her up with a joke or story.   Be succinct. *   If the interviewer is personable, try discussing his or her interests. Personal items on display in the office can be a clue.   *   If asked a direct question, answer directly. Then follow up by asking if more information is needed.  

3. Talking too much.   In my recruiting days, I abhorred over-talkative candidates, and so did most of my client employers who interviewed these candidates. Over-talking takes several forms: *   Taking too long to answer direct questions. The impression: This candidate just can’t get to the point. *   Nervous talkers. The impression: This candidate is covering up something or is outright lying. To avoid either of these forms of over-talking, practice answering questions in a direct manner.   Using role-playing in preparing for your interview will help you avoid excessive, nervous talking.

4. Saying negative things about your current or past employers or managers. Even if your last boss was Attila the Hun, avoid stating your ill feelings about the person or work situation. No matter how reasonable your complaints, your negative comments will be viewed as disrespect towards your boss. When faced with the challenge of talking about former employers, make sure you are prepared with a positive spin on your experiences.

5. Giving away too much salary and earnings information. Candidates often weaken their future earning potential by speaking too freely about their current income. No matter the official salary range of the position you are interviewing for, your current earnings have an enormous effect on the size of the offer. Investing in a career coach to help you answer salary questions can add thousands of dollars to your new job offer. You already know that it takes a strong resume that sets you apart as a candidate of choice to be invited for an interview. The next step is to hone your interviewing skills to actually win job offers. Polishing your interviewing skills can mean the difference between getting the job and being a runner-up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.AlphaAdvantage.com

email: Deb@Alphaadvantage.com

Source: SCM-Operations.com