The ultimate interview guide is not written as an assurance that you would get hired after you job interview, knowing full well that getting that desired job depends on various factors; such as:

-Your knowledge and experience of the position you are applying for – which includes your area of study back in school or if you have had past working experience on same or related job,
-the work requirements,
-other applying candidates,
-the power of your curriculum and finally,
-your performance during the interview.

I have over the years been opportune to attend various interviews ranging from those I directly applied for, those I was called to attend based on recommendations or interested employers/recruiters who went through my Linkedin profile. There are also some I have attended for the purpose of understanding what it entails and to relive the experience of the process. In all these I have failed some and passed some. I have also been opportune to be in the position of an interviewer and that’s why I feel I can share with you some of the secrets I have gathered over these wonderful period with you.

What is the definition of the word “Interview”? I found a very comprehensive definition from Wikipedia to help us understand once more what it is “An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. Interviews are a standard part of qualitative research” – Wikipedia definition of Interview

So, it is a conversation (not presentation or lecture) between two or more people, goes a long way to let you know that is a two way spoken communication, a conversation is defined as “Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people. Typically it occurs in spoken communication, as written exchanges are usually not referred to as conversations” – Wikipedia definition of Conversation

Now knowing what Interview is and what it entails, lets move forward with the helpful tips and secrets you need to know and practise before, during and after an interview

[center]Improving your Conversational Skills[/center]
This is a very important aspect of the interview process; if this is not effectively executed the chances that we might get the job at the end becomes very slim. For the average Nigerian applicant, this aspect proves difficult because of how our cultural values are fused into our lives while growing up. We were taught to respect elders, avoid words that elders or people in higher positions might be offended with and many more, these have one way or another limited our conversational abilities as we tend to grow up timid, we tend to seek perfect words in our minds before we speak out, we become too cautious, we dig deep to look for ways not to offend the elderly or people in position so as not to sound disrespectful or rude and to maintain our stand in their “good-books”. These ain’t wrong but over the years it has become a limiting factor to our conversational abilities. Most of us have had ordeals with lecturers who deduct our hard earned scores because they got offended by the way and manner at which you asked questions, or defended an answer or executed an arguments that ensued during lectures and many more examples. These and many more ends up affecting our conversational psychology.

For an interview to be successful you need to be very good with your conversational abilities, learn to find comfortable subjects to discuss on with your interviewer or employees of the company in cases where you might find yourself waiting in the reception area or a public area within the company before your interview begins. Get into the act of getting to know other people, be interested in who they are and what they are and use it to build conversations lines. In doing this successfully you will win people to your side, you will make them like you and they will grow fond of you. Who says the lady/gentleman you might have been sharing a good conversation with about the county’s economic situations and policies at the reception isn’t the one who would be interviewing you, meaning you have already won your interviewers heart even before the interview.

I cannot stress the value of good conversation enough, it is key, it is important, it holds the potential to give you that job. Don’t just sit there all quiet, waiting to do the question and answer series, that might only give you the job probably based on your qualifications/experience which was superior to other applicants but you and I know that rarely is the outcome in this modern day.

Let your conversational ability be powerful and learn to win people over with your ability to show interest in them and their lives, everyone loves attention, loves a bit of compliments and someone who listens and shows sincere concern, be that person and see how the world begins to appreciate you.

[center]Knowledge of the Company and the Job functions for which you applied[/center]
Before that interview take your time to find out more about the company; information such as location, company values, mission and vision, their core businesses, market performance over a certain period of time, the culture and the market in which the company operates and seeks to operate in, specific information about your job role, remuneration, compensation packages and benefits. Information as these could be gathered from web researches, speaking to employees of the company, making a call to the HR and many other viable ways you can think of. These improves your confidence and helps you avoid some questions a lot of interviewees asks that most interviewers don’t like (they wouldn’t tell you in the face)

[center]Appearance and Comportment[/center]
Take time out to get the appropriate wears for your interview, there are different dressing forms based on various factors ranging from type of work, sector of the company etc. Get the suitable wears, try them on and ensure they make you look smart and outstanding. Practice your speaking patterns, sitting patterns and make sure you improve on your weak areas, because the way you dress is how you will be addressed

[center]Common Interview Question Reviews[/center]
It is advisable that you review interview questions based on the area you applied for; make researches to find out if you can get possible interview questions from the web, use web tools such as Linkedin, Glassdoor. Don’t forget to find answers to those simple but yet tricky questions that come up in 85% of interviews; would be going over some of them. Remeber, these questions most times are asked not because an interviewer expects you to have a predetermined answer but they are used to examine a lot of skills that you are not aware of; skills such as your ability to convincing in your speech, qualitative and analytical skills, rapid data processing and output speed, your ability to market yourself and maybe even the company, and lots more. Here is a secret for you: No interviewer would go all the way to make sure that your answers are 100% true but 100% convincing, so it means you can tell some fairy-tales but it must be convincing and well thought of so that you don’t end up shooting yourself in the foot. I have interview applicants who tell very convincing fairy-tales and have met some who weren’t lying but were not able to pass any convincing information. Be sure to be clear, precise and convincing. Now let’s look at some of these questions:

Tell us about yourself:

This is a very simple yet difficult questions for most applicants to answer. The response you give to this question might determine the tone of the whole interview (positively or negatively). Here are some tips:

Don’t ever make the mistake of asking that silly question our young ladies ask these days. I termed it the “Good bye, Job” question. Don’t ever ask your interviewer “What do/would you want to know”. It is a no go area.

Don’t answer this question by talking about yourself, I have gotten responses like: My name is Emmanuel, I am 40 years old, lived in Victoria Island and moved to Mainland, I have 16 siblings blab blab, the interviewer is not interested in this, that is why your personal information is already on your CV, most times the personal information we give as answers goes a log way to determine if you would be hired.

Your answer should be/must be about you strength based on the job you are applying for, the abilities you posses that might be useful for the job, your past experiences ad accomplishments that makes you the right person for the job. Use this opportunity to market yourself and see let that interviewer knows what a valuable resource you would be

Why should we hire you?

This question can also come in various forms, such as:

Why should I hire you?
Why are you the best candidate for the job?
Why are you the right fit for the position?
What would you bring to the position?

From experience this question is asked by the interviewer so they can be able to assure themselves that they might be hiring the right candidate, knowing fully well that every candidate that was called for the interview is qualified for the job but not all of them have the skill sets to support their qualification, so this is the opportunity for you to market yourself by talking about the following

Your experience in the industry
Your past experience in performing certain tasks or duties
Technical skills/Managerial skills
Soft skills
Key accomplishments
Awards/accolades /Certifications/Memberships in related industry
Education/training you have received

Stories of how some of your accomplishment were achieved are also important, be ready to give detailed information into what, when, how a certain accomplishment came about, your role in the process either as a leader or team player. These are very key to ensure you are over and above other applicants.

Below, I will be listing 50 most commonly asked interview questions and you should make sure you go through them, make researches and find suitable answers to them. If you need help, you can send me a mail, would be glad to help you. Below is the list:

The 50 Most Common Interview Questions:

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why you are interested in working for [insert company name here]?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16. Discuss your resume.
17. Discuss your educational background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work holidays/weekends?
[url="http://brightonict.com/the-ultimate-interview-guide-moving-from-an-applicant-employee/"]Continue reading here...[/url]

This is wonderful. Thanks

Ok

nel4k:
This is wonderful. Thanks

Thanks

Did I just see "continue reading... " after the long write up Make I go chop rice first