Ninja Job Interview Tactics - Job Interview Technique Lens #5

Although you wouldn't necessarily think about this particular topic relative to job interview tactics, WHAT to bring to your job interview is something you SHOULD think about.

Most people know enough to bring along a few copies of their resume and references, but that's about the end of it.

Of course, writers and artists usually bring along portfolios of their work, but what about the rest of us?

I believe 200% that it is CRITICAL that you bring certain tools to your job interviews. And, here, in a quick word from our sponsor at www.JobInterviewTechnique.net, you'll see the most powerful job interview tactics that will absolutely knock the socks off any interviewer. So go there now!

But, what else? Here are some ideas that have worked exceptionally well for my clients. Once you see what they did, you'll start thinking creatively yourself!

One young man (about 23 years old) was applying to work in the kitchen at a tourist area. Although he didn't have a lot of experience, he did have some beginner training in culinary arts, and had completed a food safety module. He also had a good imagination, and had hand made an imaginary restaurant menu - fully hand-lettered and nicely decorated, with all the parts a typical restaurant menu might have: Appetizers, Beef Entrees, Chicken Entrees, Fish Entrees, Vegetables, Desserts, and Beverages.

It was brilliant! He put this menu in a 3-ring binder, along with the certificate showing his food safety experience. He brought this binder along to his interview, along with a short resume outlining precisely what he felt he could do for this particular employee (please see my Tips for Writing a Resume lens that explains how to do this).

He got the job almost instantly.

Here are a few other quick examples illustrating job interview tactics regarding what to take to the job interview:

If you are applying to be an internet marketing specialist for a company, why not bring several pages of the company's website to the interview. During the interview, you can highlight specific areas on the sample pages where you might concentrate your immediate efforts.

If you are applying to work in public relations, bring a ready made press release to show the company what you can do. Or bring a collection of releases and articles that you have found about the company, ready to put into a binder.

If you are applying to work on a construction crew, bring a neat list of the tools you have at your disposal, a copy of any auto or professional insurance you carry - anything to show the employer that you are ready to go to work.

Get the idea? Good!

Many job interview questions are predictable when discussing various job interview tactics, but what about tough job interview questions? Oh, we're all used to the "Why should I hire you?" question - which actually can be a tough question if you're not prepared with an answer - but let's look at a few others that you might not be ready for.

What about if you are applying to work in sales, and your interviewer suddenly tosses a book across the table toward you and says:
"Ok, Let's see what you've got. Sell me this book!"

Personally, I think this really is a toughie! Unless you know something about your sales prospect, it might be tricky. But, using this example, here's a quick idea that comes to mind (keeping in mind that I'm not a trained salesperson):
"Mr. Smith, I can see from your office bookshelf that you enjoy reading about (whatever the subject is on the book he just tossed you). And I happen to have (book title) that is being recommended by others, who, like you, are highly regarded professionals in the field. Would you like just one copy for yourself, or a few extra copies for your colleagues as well?"

NOTE: For all you sales folk out there - I'd like to hear how YOU would answer this tough question! Below this module is a place for you to give me your input.

A typical tough job interview question is the old:
"So, what are your weaknesses?"

Some human resource professionals use this question to see if they can throw you a little off balance. I believe some ask the question because they think they need to - after all, doesn't everyone ask this question? So, you can almost count on being asked. Ahhh... but what to say... what to say...

I know that many are tempted to answer in a somewhat flippant manner, "Oh, my weakness is that I'm a workaholic and never know when to quit."

Gag. Gag. Gag. Yuck!

No, my friend, that is NOT the right answer.

Think of something real. Think of some part of you that you feel you really could improve, and relate it to something you have overcome in the past on the job.

For example, I admit that as a writer, I have stacks of paper and files all over the table. These stacks can get unruly, and disorganized which, on occasion tends to throw me off kilter. In order to conquer that, I have been disciplining myself to stop what I'm doing a few times a day and get a handle on the mess before it gets out of hand and stops my forward progress.

And, that might be exactly what I say to an employer.

Keep your answer work-related. In other words, even though one of your weaknesses may be that you can't seem to pull yourself away from Law & Order repeats (ahem... that would be me when I'm on vacation), that's not one that the employer is interested in hearing about (unless, of course we're talking about a fellow Law & Order fan...)

It's important to remember to answer tough interview questions with POSITIVES, not NEGATIVES.

For example, if someone asks you:
"So, why didn't you finish grad school?" the LAST thing you want to say is anything at all that sounds negative.

Here are examples of negative answers:

• "I ran out of funds."
  
• "I couldn't keep up with the workload and work my job at the same time."

Some examples of positive answers are:

• "After taking a few classes, I realized that I was better suited to the direction I'm going in now, and decided to remain focused on that."
  
• "I have to say that I really enjoyed those 2 semesters, but I wanted to focus more on the project and team I was collaborating with on the job. It was a good decision, and the team seemed to agree!"

"How long have you been out of work?"
This question may be more common than you think these days! Please don't blurt out, "I've been out of work for 2 years since the company went bankrupt!" I would prefer to see you divert the question, because I truly don't believe that the interviewer is honestly really interested in hearing about your 2 years of unemployment.

They want to find someone to meet their needs and do a job.

So, in this case, I think it's fair to answer in a positive way that shows you have been busy meeting needs (because, of course you are going to be meeting the needs of your new employer, right?).

For example:
"I've been quite busy since leaving Acme Corporation. I took advantage of having the opportunity to volunteer/consult/remodel the house/take some classes/(or whatever you have been doing) and I'm so glad I had that opportunity. But now I'm done with that, and I want to get back to work..."

There are a lot of other tough job interview questions, and this topic may warrant a lens all its own! If I prepare a lens specifically on this topic, I'll put the update here, and let you know. In the meantime, don't forget to get the cool tools at www.JobInterviewTechnique.net - this stuff is wonderful!

If you need knock-their-socks-off job interview tactics, I will share my favorite job interview tip for teen workers. And I recommend it to everyone - not just teenagers.

Most teens that I have worked with apply for jobs at local theme parks that are open in the summer only, or supermarkets, fast food restaurants, or department stores.

Depending on your local job market, competition may or may not be fierce for part-time jobs. Let's go with the assumption that you are up against a lot of competition. So, you obviously need something that will help you stand out and rise above the crowd.

When you go to a job interview (drumroll please...) BRING something to give your interviewer.

By that I don't mean bring a box of chocolates.

Bring something pertinent to the job you are going after. For example, if you are applying to work at the local hamburger place, find an article where it showed that the company had given $100 to the local kids playground fundraiser, or was a sponsor in the local Special Olympics or other non-profit activity.

Using this example, you might say - at the beginning of the interview, "Oh, Mr. Johnson, before I forget, I wanted to give you a copy of this article I found in last week's paper about what you did for the local kids playground. Maybe we could hang it so customers could see..."

How many other people - teens OR adults do you think will do this?

It gets the employer's attention - of this I am 100% certain. I've used it myself.

So, adapt this little tip to whatever job you're going after, and you will get their attention.

The only other tip I want to be absolutely sure that you hear is this:
After the interview, write a brief thank you note letting the interviewer know how much you appreciated the opportunity to meet, and how you hope you are the one chosen for the job.

Here's a quick example:
"Dear Mr. Johnson, Thanks so much for bringing me in for the interview for the cashier position yesterday. I appreciate it, and hope that you agree that my cheerfulness and energy are a great match for joining the team at Burger World. I also wanted to confirm that yes, I'm available weekends as well. I'd love to work with you, and hope I'll be hearing from you about this soon. Sincerely, (your name, and phone number)"

I'm betting that if you use this advice, your application will head straight to the top of the pile. Try it!

The unfair job interview. Yes. We've all had them. And, if you really want the job at a particular company and you're faced with unfair job interview questions or perhaps even illegal ones, you will need to deal with them. Your best line of job interview tactics here? Answer: Have a lot of applications out there so that you don't get caught up in dwelling on the one bad apple.

Yes, there are questions employers are not supposed to ask. And yes, there are employers who will still ask them.

Personal true story:
I well remember coming back from Antarctica where I had spent numerous seasons working, and applying for one of my first jobs back in "the real world." It was a shock, when one fine day I drove an hour to meet with the owner of a bed and breakfast resort to hear him say the following:
"Oh yeah, you. So, do you plan on having kids?" I knew enough to answer, "If you're concerned about my attendance at work, I've missed only 2 days of work in the last eight years."

But, if that weren't enough, he finally tossed my resume aside, and said:
"I only brought you in because I wanted to hear about what it's like to work in Antarctica." Somehow, I had the calmness of mind to politely stand up and say, "I'm so sorry that I've wasted your time, Mr. (whatever his name was). I didn't realize that you didn't have me in mind for the job. But have a great day!" And I left.

I did go over to the state employment agency and told them about the incident, but really, there was nothing anyone could do.

After spending 5 minutes with the guy, I absolutely knew there was no way I wanted to work at his resort. Interestingly enough, to this day, and based wholly on that interview experience, I cannot recommend that resort to anyone who asks about where to stay in that area.

So, the best way to handle seemingly unfair job interviews is with 1) calm, positive attitude, and 2) sense of humor. (And of course, be prepared even further by using the tools at www.JobInterviewTechnique.net!)

Usually, unfair job interviews are characterized by unfair or illegal questions. Occasionally, you face someone who just isn't pleasant (like in my personal example). If you get a negative gut feeling about a company during an interview, that's a pretty good sign that this may not be the job for you.

So that's actually a positive! Right?

Here is another example from real life about an unfair job interview:
A woman had applied to be the assistant marketing coordinator. After meeting with the owner, a manager, and the department head to whom she would be reporting, things were looking very positive.

Then, she met with the financial officer who spent about a half hour going over an extensive plan of action that he suggested would be the focus of the job. All of a sudden, he sat back and said, "So how much do you want to be paid?" This took the marketing professional by surprise, because no offer had been made, and this was only the first interview.

She reports that she said, "Well, I'm honestly not prepared to answer that question, because I have not been offered the position yet, and I didn't think that we were at that place yet." But, he wouldn't relent.

She says, "He just wouldn't stop. He said, 'No, I want you to tell me what you expect to earn here.' I tried a few more times to defer the conversation, saying that this was a very serious matter, and I needed to fully understand the scope of what would be expected. I also explained that since taking the position would necessitate my relocation, that I would need to get a feel for the area that would help me formulate a budget and salary requirements. But he just wouldn't let it go.

"He was beginning to sound like a bully to me, and insisted that I give him a figure. So I finally said, 'Ok. How does $xxx sound?' And he immediately said, 'That's far more than we were planning on paying.' He excused himself, and I was escorted out within minutes.

"It was horrible. I was very shaken, and felt terrible. On my 2 hour drive home, all I could think of was how glad I was that I was out of there. And even though I initially thought I would like to work there, I'm now convinced it would not have been the right place for me."

Although this marketing professional knew that she could respond with a little note about that interview, she chose not to. But, what if she had? What might she have said? It is important to understand that you CAN respond.

Once you regain some of your self-esteem and realize that it's not about you personally (I mean, some people are just unkind, rude, and/or unprofessional), you can respond. Here is an example of what this professional might have written:
"Dear Mr. Jones, I wanted to thank you for inviting me to interview with your organization, and I was impressed by what you are doing there. I did want to give you some feedback about the interview. While we covered a good deal of material during the day, I do not think that Mr. XX's insistence that I name my required salary during the interview was sound interviewing procedures. I've always been under the understanding that a company would first state its interest in the individual before salary negotiations begin, and forcing a response from the interviewee at that early stage of the hiring process is unwise. It may be a good idea to reconsider that strategy in the future. Again, I do appreciate the opportunity to interview, and also the opportunity to offer this feedback. Sincerely, (your name)"

Because you may also be faced with an unfair job interview at one point or another, it is critical to have more than one prospect! If you are seriously job hunting, you should have up to 10 applications in the works. This way, if one interview goes badly or leaves a poor impression upon you, you will not feel as deflated. You may also feel empowered to offer feedback as we just discussed.

But the larger point is this:
Get back out there, stay at it, keep applying, put the bad interviews behind you and be thankful you're not being forced to work there!
Don't forget to visit www.JobInterviewTechnique.net for tried and true methods that will have you soaring above the crowd (and getting the job offers!)

Ok, I just could NOT resist putting in these hilarious job interview tactics - some of the worst interview questions and answers that I found at this link at Career Builder. Visit here => Career Builder Interviewing Article: "You Said WHAT?" and learn from it!

And enjoy!