How to Hone Your Interview Questions Skills
Interviewing is something that is going to take practice and preparation no matter how experienced you are in the job search process. When you are in the interview you never know what type of interview it will be or what off the wall questions a potential employer might ask you.
It is important to realize the position of the person across the table from you when you are in an interview. The potential employer is looking to find insight into how you act on your feet, how well you can think through problems and all in all how well you would work within the company.
After that initial realization of everyone’s expectations here are 5 tips to help you figure out how to interview well.
How to interview well
- Don’t launch into your answers. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts then give a good answer rather than a fast answer.
- Practice practice practice. I cannot emphasize how important it is to get comfortable being asked questions and having to respond. You do not want the interview to be the place you are being asked your first questions on the spot.
- Know your strengths. It is important to show off in the interview what you are good at. This helps you control the conversation a bit more and makes sure that you cover the important topics.
- Stay calm. No matter what happens it is important that you stay calm. You are in a tough position, you want to stay relaxed and roll with the punches.
- Know your employer. This is probably one of the most important aspects of how to interview well. You need to know something about your employer. If you can’t do the research up front they will think you don’t care. It should only take 15 minutes on the web to discover some important news.
Interviewing well is not something that is going to come easy. It is important that you figure out how to interview well early on so that you do not miss job opportunities.
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I am always pleased to get an interview and try to use it as a learning experience, but sometimes the questions come at you pretty quickly and it is tough to think on your feet. When asked about the one single accomplishment to describe my past position, I am never really sure what to say and I think it shows. I have been at one place for the past 30 years and have had many accomplishments in my mind and find it hard to get down to something specific.
No matter how many times you practice and prepare, there will always be questions that catch you off guard. I applaud you though for taking this head on and trying to get as many interviews so that you gain the experience needed.
The one single accomplishment though is definitely a loaded question that will trip up most interviewees up. Now that you have been asked it though, you can have an answer for it if you are ever asked. My recommendation to answer it would be to focus on one accomplishment that may not have been your greatest accomplishment professionally but your greatest accomplishment that bettered who you are. I think that an answer like this would show character and stature. While I hope that you will never have to have another interview as you seem to have a steady job, please let me know how it goes if you do 🙂
I am always pleased to get an interview and try to use it as a learning experience, but sometimes the questions come at you pretty quickly and it is tough to think on your feet. When asked about the one single accomplishment to describe my past position, I am never really sure what to say and I think it shows. I have been at one place for the past 30 years and have had many accomplishments in my mind and find it hard to get down to something specific.
No matter how many times you practice and prepare, there will always be questions that catch you off guard. I applaud you though for taking this head on and trying to get as many interviews so that you gain the experience needed.
The one single accomplishment though is definitely a loaded question that will trip up most interviewees up. Now that you have been asked it though, you can have an answer for it if you are ever asked. My recommendation to answer it would be to focus on one accomplishment that may not have been your greatest accomplishment professionally but your greatest accomplishment that bettered who you are. I think that an answer like this would show character and stature. While I hope that you will never have to have another interview as you seem to have a steady job, please let me know how it goes if you do 🙂