Mock Interviews News

ARTICLES

BOOKS

The 250 Job Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked
by Peter Veruki
Our Price: $9.95
Used from: $0.01

Quant Job Interview Questions And Answers
by Mark Joshi Nick Denson Andrew Downes
Our Price: $39.20
Used from: $39.00

Job Interviews For Dummies
by Joyce Lain Kennedy
Our Price: $11.55
Used from: $2.78

The Job Interview Phrase Book: The Things to Say to Get You the Job You Want
by Nancy Schuman
Our Price: $8.76
Used from: $2.47

Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job
by Nick A. Corcodilos
Used from: $2.91

Tricky Job Interviews

Most people do not particularly enjoy going through the job interview process. It can often be difficult to talk about yourself, especially in a situation where you are essentially selling yourself and your skills to a potential employer. Trying to think of just the right things to say, or not say, especially under pressure, can make all the difference in the end result of a job interview - whether or not you get the job.

As if job interviews were not already stressful enough, you could very likely end up being interviewed by someone who uses tricky tactics in order to draw out the "real" you. There are a number of ways that an interviewer can introduce trick questions, and the best way to keep from getting tripped up on them is to be aware that it could happen, and then try to prepare for it ahead of time.

One way that some interviewers try to get at an applicant is to start discussing the bad or undesirable things about the job you are applying for. They may even appear to be confiding in you, as one employee to another. Most applicants pick up on this trick, because it just seems odd when a representative of a business points out negative things about the business they are representing, but some applicants get tripped up. They feel that the interviewer is just trying to be friendly by giving them a heads up about the position they are applying for. Do not make this mistake. If you follow their lead and agree with them about the negative aspects, they will probably get the impression that you are not going to appreciate your job or that you are easily swayed. If they bring up a negative, counter with a positive and stick to your guns.

The person conducting the job interview may also try to gauge whether you are the type of person to gossip or talk behind someone's back. If they mention the name of someone and ask if you know them, be honest, but never discuss how you feel about that person. The subject matter is completely irrelevent to the interview process, and your personal feelings about another person should never have a place in an interview.

Another trick is when the interviewer pretends that you have some added control over whether you get hired, by asking whether you would like to add anything else about yourself. This typically happens right around the end, and it is usually when the applicant finds themselves practically begging for the position, saying that they work hard or that they are self motivated.

In this situation, you want your last words in the interview to be positive ones that the interviewer is going to remember and take into consideration when deciding whether to hire you. If you come off as desperate and say something to the effect that you really, really need this job, it is not going to bode well for you. Your best bet would be to explain why you chose to apply at that particular company and how you expect your being hired to affect both yourself and the company. Remember, you need to keep it brief. If you allow yourself to ramble on and on, you might find yourself saying things that make you sound needy.

All in all, job interviews can be hectic and stressful, but they are a necessary evil. If you can make yourself aware of the pitfalls before you become trapped in them, you may find that you have a real edge on your competition.

PRODUCTS

Jonathan Storm: Emmy-winning screenwriting is what Bustleton's Adam Mazer knows

The children in Mrs. Kernis' fourth-grade class at Bustleton Elementary didn't know it in the '70s, but they were in the company of genius, performing their little skits: fake celebrity interviews, mock awards shows.

Skipping booze on job interview intelligent move

A recent study concludes that drinking booze during a job interview probably isn't a great idea. The three-year study was conducted by researchers at the universities of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Newspapers, Schools, Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Alabama, Pelham, Alabaster, Calera, Hoover, Birmingham

COLUMBIANA — Cornerstone Christian students need a taste of adulthood before graduation, according to school Director Jay Adams.

WV soldiers played key role in developing new Iraq mission

WV PBS filmmaker Chip Hitchcock watched West Virginia National Guard soldiers helping to "advise and assist" in Iraq. In this story, he observes a crime scene investigation class for Iraqi police.

Teen involved in fatal DWI crash surrenders to police

The 18-year-old who was allegedly drunk and speeding when she crashed head-on into a mini-van has turned herself in at a State Police barracks. The crash killed her passenger, and...