Interviewing for a job is an essential part of the career hunting process
and preparation is one of the keys to success. Job applicants should
practice by preparing answers to questions that are most commonly asked by
interviewers. The employer may ask an applicant about their ideas for the
future, past jobs and most significant accomplishments. It's also good to
be informed about the company when preparing for an interview. Candidates
are often asked why they want to work for that particular company and if
they do some research, it shows that they genuinely care about where they
wish to work and are not just looking for a position. No matter how
prepared someone is for an interview, there are the occasional humorous and
unfortunate circumstances.
OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in temporary office and
administrative professionals, surveyed managers at the 1,000 largest
companies in the nation and asked them, "What is the funniest thing you
have ever heard of happening in a job interview?" The survey indicated that
the behavior of some college graduates today can be counter-productive to
their primary objective of landing a job. The following are some of the
managers' responses:
- "One entry-level applicant wanted so badly to make a favorable impression
with his handshake that it hurt the hiring manager."
- "An extremely nervous recent graduate arrived at the interview wearing a
beautiful new suit with all the tags still on the left sleeve."
- "An applicant brought in a pet lizard to display his "creativity"."
- "An applicant asked his mother to call the company while he was
interviewing to see if he could be given an entry-level Vice President of
Operations position."
- "An applicant brought his family and baby sitter to watch the children in
the company's lobby. After the interview, the family came in and asked
questions, such as when would he be able to start and when would their
health care benefits begin."
- "A recent graduate was doing well until the end of her interview, when
she said that she'd be ideal for the job since she would need a year of
this kind of training before starting her own company."
- "A candidate's cellular phone rang. She said, "excuse me," and promptly
answered the call during the interview."
Remember that candidates get called for interviews because the employers
believe they may have the right qualifications for the job. The examples
here are definitely exceptions, so try to enjoy the process. Relax, prepare
and practice and keep confidence in yourself.
Steven Rothberg and Jennifer Graham, College Recruiter employment magazine.
Information provided by Nancy Buysse, OfficeTeam, Bloomington, Minnesota. OfficeTeam has over 200 locations worldwide and offers online job search services.
