We wrote last time about the need to use your nervous energy before a job interview in preparation, studying the company and yourself (view that post here).  In this second part, we’ll focus more on tips for the interview itself.

During the Interview

Listen for hints – The questions and comments from the interviewer will likely give you clues about their preferred traits. Without resorting to flattery, target your answers and questions to these highlighted areas. You may want to have a way to take notes during the interview to help.

Give examples – After giving a stellar answer to an interviewer’s question, there is nothing quite so powerful as giving a past example of how you followed your own advice/value/prioritization/approach. Be sure and have several examples in mind so you can easily pick the best few.

Ask questions – When I hired in the past, the most impressive candidates were those who asked intelligent, open-ended questions about my organization. This showed an interest as well as preparation. It also showed someone who was willing to think (a great addition to any team). I was never attracted to a passive interviewee who simply waited for the interview time to expire.

Ask for a tour of your potential work area if appropriate – This is a simple request but can yield several positive things. First, you get more first-hand, personal education about the company. Second, you can ask more questions to build trust with someone already employed by the company. Third, you show a genuine interest in the organization and how it runs. Fourth, you will pick up valuable culture clues to either encourage your job quest with the company or alternatively scare you away.

At the end of the interview, ask a clean-up question – Here are two examples to get you started.

• “Do you have any other questions about my background?”
• “Do you have any concerns about my background that I could address now?”

Say “thank you” – It amazes me how little this two-word phrase is heard. Use good manners before, during and after the interview. Assume EVERYBODY you meet in or near the company setting has a say in the hiring decision and treat them accordingly. It is impossible to always predict pockets of informal power.

There you have it, 6 tips to utilize during the job interview.  Would you have any others to add?  Please take a minute and share your thoughts in the comments below.

This post was written by Michael Friesen, a coach at 360JobInterview.com. He is the author of Expected End: What Culture Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve It. He is leadership coach and a former CFO and Budget Director for the U.S. government. You can schedule an interview with Michael on his 360JobInterview.com coach page.

Photo iStockPhoto © James Tutor

There’s an interesting post over at USA Today Workforce titled Offbeat Interview Questions Asked to Make You Think. The article gives several examples of questions that are designed to see how you think. Many of the examples are pretty extreme. If you have a moment, click over to the post and check it out.

Have you ever been asked any questions like these? Share some of the questions and your job interview experiences below and help others on the job search. And Thanks!

Interviewing with any company can be intimidating but preparation will help chase away some of the butterflies. Remember it is unusual for a company to hire a candidate who fits the job description 100%. View the position advertisement as a dream sheet. You should have a majority of the traits but just because you’re missing a few parts of the experience does not necessarily knock you out of contention.

Without trying to be too traditional, here are some interview thoughts gleaned from hands-on experience.

Before the Interview

Learn all you can about the company – This is much easier in our era of mega-search engines. Look for names, facts, figures, news, anything, etc.

• What are the recent big news items?
• What are the company’s major services or products?
• What are their guarantees?
• What are the approximate revenues?
• What are the customer service trends?
• Who are the big names?
• How do competitor companies look at your interviewing company?
• If you know somebody at the company, quiz them about the organization.
• If appropriate, see if you can make an appointment with someone at the company for your educational purposes (be careful with this one).

Play stump the dummy – Nothing personal … but prepare a list of the toughest questions you can create based on your intimate knowledge of your own profile. The idea is to train hard to make the actual interview seem easier. Be as tough as you can on yourself during the preparation and you will find yourself more confident at the real event. Here are a few starter questions and you can think of more.

• What is your core message related to the position?
• What are your top 3-5 strengths?
• What are your weaknesses? How do you manage around or offset them?
• What will be the most difficult areas of the new job for you?
• Why are you unique?
• How would you interview yourself if you wanted to paint the most complete picture?
• How will you make up any shortfalls in your experience as it relates to the ideal job description?
• What will you do if you are not selected for the position?
• Do you like the company enough to apply for more positions?
• How will you respond if salary comes up early?

In a future post, we’ll talk more about how to maximize your time during the interview.  To summarize, focus any nervous energy you have on preparation. Write it, say it, and think it (or any combination thereof). This will help with the actual interview and keep anxiety in check. Remember too that a little nervousness will help you be sharper in the interview as well. All the best!

And if you have any thoughts or ideas, take a minute and share your best ideas or experiences in the comments below.

This post was written by Michael Friesen, a coach at 360JobInterview.com.  He is the author of Expected End: What Culture Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve It.  He is a leadership coach and a former CFO and Budget Director for the U.S. government.  You can schedule an interview with Michael on his 360JobInterview.com coach page.

Photo iStockPhoto © Ken Kan

Job applicants typically view a job interview as a unilateral event. By that, I mean the assumption is the interviewer will ask questions and the applicant will provide answers to those questions. If the applicant does asks questions, they are only to clarify details of the job and/or to inquire about salary, benefits, training, etc.

If you haven’t done so before, you need to start thinking about the interview as a two-way street. In the vast majority of cases, companies are looking for talented, well-adjusted, hard-working employees. If that describes you, then you should know that the company needs you as much as you need a good job. Since a “good” job is one in which you will find satisfaction, have the opportunity to grow and develop, and be treated well, you should prepare as much to conduct an interview as you will to be the subject of the interview.

Here’s why: Research conducted by Leigh Branham and the Saratoga Institute reveals that, when employees quit their jobs, 70 percent of the time it is a direct result of how they are treated by their manager or supervisor. Combine that with Gallup research showing that over 70 percent of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged and you reach a stunning conclusion: two-thirds of employees are not particularly fond of their jobs, and two-thirds of the time it is because they work for a bad boss.

Might be a good idea to get a sense of who you are going to work for, don’t you think?

A standard response to this thought is, “Well, yes, but I really need to get a job. I don’t know that I can afford to be that particular.” My standard reply: First, you need to improve your skills, enhance your image, and generally do everything possible to build your personal brand. If you put yourself in a position to be a “Top 3″ candidate in every job opening, you will get hired soon. Second, if you know that you will get hired – that you bring strong skills and maturity to the employer – then you can afford to be particular, and you should. A paycheck is important, but not important enough to feel devalued, taken advantage of, ignored, verbally abused, or constantly criticized.

If you are on board, here are some questions you might consider asking (this assumes you are being interviewed by the person who will be your immediate manager or supervisor):

• How would you describe your management style?
• How many employees are you directly responsible for?
• What is most important for you to see in those employees that work for you?
• How long have you been with the company?
• How long have you been the manager of this team (department)?
• In this position, who would be my internal customers?
• What are your expectations for this position?
• How do measure the success of the individual in this position?
• What do you enjoy doing away from the job?

My suggestion is to handle these questions carefully – this is not an an inquisition, but an opportunity to begin building a relationship with your potential new boss. Be conversational. Be interested in the answers. Pursue the answers where appropriate. Remember this: people hire people they like and trust. Be likeable!

Finally, you should always try to talk to people who work for the person hiring you. Ask about the company and the job first, and then ask what they like most about the manager. Their responses – the things they say, and, in many cases, what they don’t say – will tell you a lot about the manager.

My brother is an executive at a large corporation. He called me a few days ago to share his recent experiences in helping others get their careers back on track. He has volunteered to speak at a local university on a couple of different occasions to provide insight to displaced workers on getting hired. His primary message is that getting hired is about positioning; at its very core, job search is about personal marketing.

Big news, right? Like you didn’t already understand that little pearl of wisdom? Sure you did, but here is the deal: on both occasions, he said the appearance of many in the audience was nothing short of embarrassing. People in sweats, unshaven, or in other ways completely inappropriate. Doesn’t that get covered somewhere during the first day of Job Search 101?

Hey, this isn’t about limiting your personal expression. If you want to look like Mr. T, your favorite biker, or a cast member from Cats, knock yourself out. But when you are in job search mode – no matter where you are going – every point of contact is a potential network opportunity. Doesn’t it make sense to be prepared? Shouldn’t you appear professional? Shouldn’t you have an ‘elevator speech’ prepared to describe your capabilities? Shouldn’t you have a resume on hand at all times? Let me recheck – you are trying to get hired, right?

Here is what I know about companies that are hiring – they want employees that are dependable, show initiative, and pay attention to details. They want to hire maturity and good judgment. They don’t want to hire someone who talks about those things in an interview, they want to see evidence that you are that kind of individual. This is where personal marketing becomes important – not only do you need to improve the scope of your job skills at every opportunity (see my last post), but you need to think in terms of positioning yourself effectively.

Positioning, or personal marketing, begins with the “physical” you. What do you look like? What do you sound like? How do you present yourself? Are you professional in appearance? Are you approachable? Welcoming? The answers to these questions create perceptions of your dependability, maturity, and attention to detail. Whether we like it or not, people form opinions of others based on appearance and personal interaction. Which means you could have mad skills, but still lose a great opportunity because you didn’t market yourself well.

Think about it. A hiring manager will usually make a decision on giving you a second interview based on a piece of paper (your resume) and an impression of you formed during a 30-minute conversation. It’s your choice – pursue a career as a feline impersonator, or get serious about your professional image.

With the improvement in technology in recent years, video interviews are becoming more commonplace amongst employers. Though this method may never replace a face-to-face interview, it will become something you may have to prepare yourself to do well.

Something to remember at all times is that a video interview is still an interview. It should not be taken any less seriously than an interview that is conducted in person. You are talking to a potential employer, so don’t think that just because you’re not in the room with him or her physically that you can slouch or get by with any less than you could in person. Prepare as if the interview will be in person, but do it on video.

The thing which you may want to keep in mind most during a video interview is that you may have to be a little more straightforward in presenting your own personal qualifications, aside from what is on your application. What employers see in individuals often determines who gets the job out of a crowd of people who are essentially equally qualified. These things are harder to relate in less personal communication methods, so keep in mind that the employer may not get ‘you’ as clearly in a video interview as in a face-to-face interview.

The key factor in all this is to be versatile. Perhaps the best recommendation is to work on your interviewing skills and be able to apply them effectively to any method of interview. This versatility may even show in the interviews and be viewed by the employer as a very useful character trait and set you off on a great first step toward a job, whether the interview is on video or face-to-face.

Everyone knows the economy is junk right now and people are struggling to keep their jobs. With people being laid off left and right, it’s safe to say that there isn’t much hiring going on. Should you be lucky enough be to receiving an interview in these downward times, there are few horrendous mistakes you need to avoid making when you get the call. Make the best of this opportunity; you may not receive another one for a while.

The Alarm Clock “Didn’t Go Off” (Okay, really you just pressed the snooze button one too many times…)

Be on time! It doesn’t get any simpler, really. If you have issues making appointments, leave way earlier than necessary. Competition is thick and any company you want to be working for isn’t going to accept a lack of punctuality, whatever your reasons. There are ten other people with your qualifications who made it on time, and likely ten minutes early.

Limp is Unattractive. Be Firm.

This is another simple part of a job interview that must be mastered. We all know what the characteristics of a respectable handshake are. Implement them and don’t leave your prospective boss cringing in pain or in pity of your flaccidity.

Spent a Little (or a lot) of Time Behind Bars or Just Hanging on the Couch?

Many people possess serious gaps in their work history, and for many reasons. If you went to prison for 3 years because you used your chemistry degree to master the art of methamphetamine manufacturing, you should probably be prepared with an alternate explanation of your disappearance from the workforce. Don’t worry, though. Respectable companies do employ felons.

Don’t Go for Hobo-Chic. Nobody Wants to Hire a Shlemiel.

Don’t know what to wear? Go scope the place out and see what the employees are wearing and do your best to step it up a notch. This doesn’t mean showing up in a tuxedo. That’ll get you removed from the consideration pile just as quickly as showing up in flannel and a straw hat.

Save Your Trash Talk Side for the Bar

This means no hitting on the secretary or mail carrier, don’t put your feet up on the waiting room table, don’t whine about cold coffee and don’t complain about how long you’ve been sitting there waiting to be seen. Sit tight, shut-up and pretend you’re visiting potential in-laws; everyone is watching!

So you snagged a second interview with the company. Great! Now what? You’ll likely be asked all of the same questions again, whether it is the same individual or a different interviewer. Why are they repeating these things? Didn’t they hear correctly the first time?

Of course they heard correctly the first time. The purpose of reasking the same questions deals with consistency, research, and preparedness. Do your second set of answers mesh well with the first? Did you do further research into the industry, company, and the position? Are you prepared with a plan?

Preparing a plan of action, or proposal, for a prospective employer is usually not part of the thought process for a candidate at the stage of a second interview. It is, however, a potential leg up on your competition. Walk in there ready, showing you did your research and can present it in a concise, interesting, and well-researched manner.

Step 1: Do Your Research

After the first interview, you should have a pretty good idea what the essentials are for this job. Also, you should have done further investigation into the company you’re interviewing at and know they industry at a reasonable level. Research to come up with solutions to potential problems, reach forecasted goals, and to overall show that you’re a cut above the rest.

Step 2: Develop a Plan

Make an outline of a path to follow for accomplishing goals and overcoming unforeseen or existing stumbling blocks. Create a scenario-type plan and go over it in an acutely defined fashion. While the presentation does not need to be anything fancy, a standard Powerpoint, or at least a few charts, graphs, and a script to work off of when at the interview are essential.

Foreseeing and creating a plan of action for potential on-the-job situations is typically not asked for, especially at such an early stage, by the interviewer. It does, however, show initiative, resourcefulness, creativity, and leadership. Essentially, it provides the interviewer with a good picture of the qualities you have to offer for the position in question.

Good luck. If you’re interested in more great interviewing tips, please check out 360JobInterview’s live one-on-one job interview coaching services.

While preparing for your interview, you run over your answers to the standard questions, check to make sure all of your paperwork is intact, look in the mirror to ensure a presentable image, and make sure you leave yourself enough time to arrive 10 minutes early. What you don’t realize, however, is that this preparation isn’t covering the most important part of the interview: you. Not the “you” that is represented by the above factors, but the you that comes natural and subconsciously. The following are six unconscious mistakes you can make to ruin your chance of getting hired.

Conserving Space

The use of space is one way we make a statement about our confidence and sense of entitlement. The more space you take up (i.e. your choice of seat, where you place your items, your hands), the more confident you appear.

Disregarding Success

Don’t downplay your success or attribute it to something other than talent, hard work, or know-how. Avoid using the following phrases “I just…” or “It was only…”

Inconsistent Gestures

Gestures should complement, not detract from, your message. Allow your gestures to flow naturally from your spoken message and your energy. Be aware of when you wring your hands, bite your nails, tap your fingers, or shake your leg – and stop.

Smiling

Consciously match your facial expression to your message. You do want there to be congruence between your body language and your message. Be discriminating about how and when you choose to smile.

Not Answering the Question

The inability to answer a question directly and succinctly can stem from the desire to have the perfect answer. It’s better to be direct than to sound indecisive or languid.  Directly answer the question you’re asked.

Tone of Voice

The volume of our voices is one more way in which we can manage others’ impressions of us. When we speak softly, the message conveyed is uncertain and lacking confidence. Volume also impacts body language, and the louder you speak, the more gestures you’ll use. Combine appropriate levels of each to convey a sense of authority and expertise.

The best way to overcome and prevent any of the unconscious mistakes you may be making during an interview is practice. Good practice comes from good coaching, and for good coaching, check out 360 Job Interview coaching. When you work with one of 300+ Interview Coaches from 55+ fields, you get personalized interview coaching 24/7 that will prepare you to go into your next interview ready to get noticed and get hired!

If you’re job hunting, chances are you have been scouring every reputable publication, in print as well as online, for valuable, potentially employment-earning tips, tricks, and tactics to put to good use if you’re one of the lucky few to score an interview. In this economy and given the widespread job loss across the country, if you’re given the chance to knock the socks off of a potential employer, you know very well that you may not have many other chances. So with a ‘time is of the essence’ attitude, you’ve most likely been searching for any and all information you can get your hands on in order to convince your interviewer that you’re just the person they’ve been looking for.

While business experts have been forth-coming with their abundant resources and lessons from the trade, it is very easy to take all of the information being supplied to you and apply it a little too vigorously. Being prepared for an interview is certainly a step in the direction of employment; it’s very important to know what kind of questions you will be asked and how you will be expected to answer. However, being prepared is something very different from being an automaton, which could happen if you are focusing too much on the grocery list of tips you picked up the night before on your latest Google search for ‘how to get the job.’

Through the time I have spent filling out job applications and sending out resumes I have come to know one thing about my self in the workforce—If I get the chance to be interviewed for a position I am seeking, I know I will land that job. That is the way it has been since I was asked in for my first job interview that led me to my first job right out of high school and the outcome has never been anything different. I don’t have any in-depth analysis of why this is or any knowledge of the underbelly of the business world; the only thing that I kept in mind during an interview is the fact that this company is interviewing me, not quizzing me on what I had learned while preparing for this moment.

The fondest interview memory I have is from the second job I have ever had; when I was interviewing for a position at a book store. I have been a constant reader all of my life. I have always seen books as a reward; either they were pumping me full of knowledge and intellect or they were providing new and exciting lives for me to live in for a little while, so naturally one of my first jobs was working at a book store. While I knew a great deal about the company, as well as what that company expected of me as an employee, and what that interviewer was expecting from me during the interview, I never lost who I was during the interview process. I was courteous, respectful, answered the questions I was asked exactly as I was supposed to, and was do my best to wow the pants off of the person who was conducting the interview by asking follow-up questions to the duties and responsibilities that were being outlined for me..and then I was asked about who my favorite authors were, and that is when I shined through and through. I never tucked who I was away for the event and as I listed the authors I so frequently read, admire, and cherish, that is the moment I knew I landed the job since right after we finished talking about our favorite authors, my second interview was conducted right there on the spot and the next day I received a call letting me know that the job was mine.

The key to any person-to-person exchange, whether a job interview, business contact, or acquaintance is to unapologetically be yourself. You can read as many interview preparation articles you can absorb in one sitting but the part of the interviewer that is going to stand out for the person conducting the interview is when you show them what kind of person you are and how valuable you would be to their company.