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Job Interview

Salary negotiation

Career Coach Guide to

This is Me

HR Entrepreneur, Public Speaker and

Career Coach

2013 Leading HR Entrepreneur award

recipient

Former Managing Director of RecruitPlus

Former President of Singapore Professional

Recruitment Organisation

You may have seen me on tv

And read some of my articles

And read some of my articles

And read some of my articles

And read some of my articles

Publication

I also co-wrote a career

guide book

LET’S TALK ABOUT job interview

What is a Job Interview?

A job interview is a meeting organised by a recruiter used to evaluate a potential employee for prospective employment at a company. Job interviews typically precede a hiring decision and often form part of the assessment centre process.

Source: https://www.wikijob.co.uk/wiki/job-interviews

This is a Step-by-step guide to a successful interview

Research Create StoryPractice

StoryDress

Smartly

Grab Food Be Punctual Pop a MintConsistent Impression

Eye ContactPositive Body

LanguageProfessional, not Personal

Mind The Language

Be HonestMaintain Emotion

Don’t Be Modest

Follow Up

Know what are the interview questions

Or check with the people you know

Create your story

Start with an elevator pitch

Who you are

What you do

How you can help the listener.

Constructed with 3 ps

Passion

those things that make you who

you are.

Previous Experience

Relevant skills you learned

through previous experience and

education

Portable Skills

the skills you bring with you to

any job

Complete the following sentences:

My career interest/dream is: _____________________________________

I am passionate about this area/industry because:__________________________

My related experiences, relevant education or credentials for this field include:

________________________________________________

My portable skills and personal assets (gained through any of your life experiences) related to this field are:_____________________________________

Write an outline or full script of what you would actually say, and practice saying it.

Dress smartly

For men

For ladies

Bring a jacket

And Grab some food

But remember to pop a mint

Be punctual

1. Have everything ready the night before.

2. Keep your essentials near the door.

3. Anticipate delays

4. Commit yourself to be 15 minutes earlier

Consistent impression

Be nice to everyone

Security Receptionist

To pass the receptionist test

The Receptionist Test is an unexpected assessment of how the candidate deals with ordinary staff during the interview.

It is effective because it is unexpected.

The key point to remember about the Receptionist Test is:

…your interview starts as soon as you enter the building. Companies can (and will) use every means to make sure that you are the best qualified person for the role.

Mind your Body Languages

POSTURE

bad

EYEbreaking

CONTACT

staring

EYES

shifty

ARMS

crossed

NODDING

excessive

fidgeting

EXPRESSION

mismatched

Hands are clean and dry

Hands are soft (use lotion if necessary)

Finger nails are well-manicured

Fingers are free of large,

obtrusive rings

Breath is fresh and clean (bad

breath can broadcast at arm's length)

Teeth are clean of food

particles

How to do a good handshake

Stand and Deliver

Delivered from a standing, face-to-face position and should not be made from

a sitting position

Rising will show respect for both yourself and the

other person.

Sit once the other person has moved on or joined

you at sitting.

Easy steps to a positive handshake

Stand Firm smile Make contact

Shake 1 to 2 timesCompliment

There are 7 Types of job interviews

1. Informational Interview

To fish for information, ask for advice and learn more about a particular career field, employer or particular job.

Interviewing experts in their field is one more way to become more occupationally literate.

The knowledge that you gain here will make you a sharper and more informed.

2. Screening or Telephone Interview

Last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. You should prepare for it like an open book exam.

Recommended that you have in front of you your resume, the job description, a list of references, some prepared answers to challenging questions and perhaps something about the company.

The vast majority of communication is non-verbal. Because they can’t see your body language, it is critically important to have positive and polished answers with energetic tone and inflection. Be sure to ask what the next step is.

3. Individual Interview

One-on-one exchange at the organizations offices.

Range from 30 to 90 minutes.

If the interview is 30 minutes you have to be concise and have a high impact with your answers.

If it is 60 or 90 minutes you will want to go into much more depth and use specific examples to support your generalizations.

4. Small Group or Committee Interview

This is where you will be meeting with several decision-makers at once. This can be an intimidating experience if you are not prepared.

Be sure to make eye contact with everyone, no matter who asked the question.

It’s important to establish rapport with each member of the interview team.

Try to find out the names and job titles of the participants.

5. Behavioural-Based Interview

Argues that past handling of situation is the best predictor of future performance.

Prepare by thinking of specific examples that demonstrate your competence in core behaviours such as teamwork, problem-solving, communication, creativity, flexibility and organizational skills.

Tell your story and structure it by stating your answers in terms of the situation, the task, what action you took, and what was the result or outcome.

6. Task Oriented or Testing Interview

This is a problem-solving interview where you will be given some exercises to demonstrate your creative and analytical abilities.

A company may ask you to take a short test to evaluate your technical knowledge and skills.

Sometimes a presentation to a group is necessary to determine your communication skills.

7. Stress Interview

During this rare type, the interviewer tries to bait you, to see how you will respond.

The objective is to find your weaknesses and test how you hold up to pressure.

Such tactics as weird silences, constant interruptions and challenging interrogation with antagonistic questions are designed to push your boundaries.

The question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to work for a company that treats me this way even before the offer is made? Rethink the corporate culture.

Top 10 common interview questions

What are your strengths?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

I can dunk crumpled paper intrash can without looking at it

Smart answer

Here is my DISC/MBTI/RAISECreport that list down all mystrengths.

What is your weakness?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

Beer.

Smart answer

I concentrate on one thingat a time but I since learnedto overcome this.

Why should we hire you?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

I will be the first to likeyour Facebook post

Smart answer

I have all the skills andexperience you are looking forand I’m confident that I would be a superstar in this project management role.

Why have you been unemployed for such a long time?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

It was difficult to go to officedue to rainy season

Smart answer

After 10 years in the workforceI decided to take a break to take up a short course onpresentation to improvemyself in work.

How long will you expect to work with us if hired?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

5 O’clock.

Smart answer

I will leave the day I realizemy boss do not have the spineto make tough decisions.

Describe your management style

REJECTACCEPT

Over-smart answer

Fire-fighting is my management mantra

Smart answer

I think in general a good manager gives clear directions and actually stays pretty hands-off, but is ready and available to jump in to offer guidance, expertise, and help when needed. I try my best to make that my management style.

How do you see yourself in five years time?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

Taking over your position

Smart answer

I am driven to be the best at what I do and I want to work somewhere where I’ll have opportunities to develop my skills and work with people I can really learn from. Some of the most innovative thinkers in the industry work here and that’s a big reason why I would love to build a career here.

What irritates you about co-worker?

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

They smell weird

Smart answer

I believe it is of utmost importance to stay professional, especially in the work environment. We all have differences in opinion, but nothing as adults we can’t discuss and come to an amicable agreement.

Tell me about your ability to work under pressure

REJECT ACCEPT

Over-smart answer

I will quickly finish my work to answer nature’s call

Smart answer

In my current position, I can be faced with stressful situations that require me to work under pressure on a daily basis and have since learned to manage stress. Now it’s just part of the job that I do well.

Behavioral Interview Questions

These questions are being asked in order to understand how you handled a situation in the past and then relate this answer to your likely behaviour in the future.

• Explain how you handle a stressful situation?

• Explain how did you deal with a difficult team member?

• How do you deal with consistently changing priorities?

Based on your answer, your interviewer will draw a conclusion on how you will handle a similar situation in the future. Behaviour questions are a quite common in an interview, and you would need to prepare for it.

Share Response

S Situation: describe a specific situation

H Hindrances: identify any hindrances or challenges faced

A Action: explain the action(s) you took in response

R Results: discuss the results or outcomes from your action(s)

E Evaluate: explain and evaluate what you learned from the experience

Questions for hiring managers

Q1 - How would you describe the corporate culture?

Q2 - How would you describe your management style?

Q3 - What do you look for in a member of your team?

Q4 -fills this job?

Q5 - How long have you worked here?

What do I do After the Interview?

cookie-cutter thank-you notes are a waste of time

Instead use it to continue selling

Overcome Objections

“You’re right. I do not have experience selling HR solutions, but I can assure you in my current and previous roles I successfully sold products and services that were new to me. My approach? Learn what makes that service unique and how it fills a void for the client; once I know that, I can sell benefits which, rather than features, naturally address the true concerns of the client.”

Share How You Have Solved A Similar Problem:

“I have met the challenges of employee retention you are currently facing in your department. As a VP of Human Resources at XY Corporation, I made employee recognition frequent and peer-driven by forming committees and programs for employees to recognize each other with various awards (such as “above and beyond the call of duty”), improving employee retention 15% in two years.”

Highlight Qualifications Missed In Interview:

“During our fast-paced, exciting discussion, I neglected to tell you I spent much of my childhood in Hong Kong and have been back many times as an adult. I am very comfortable with international travel and am in a place in my life where I would welcome it. Given your aggressive goal to double your current revenue in international markets such as Hong Kong, I feel I would be a natural fit.”

Salary Negotiation

Preparing yourself

a "no" could be a veiled "not now but we can't explain why to you"

So Treat this as a business transaction, because it is

Your professional worth≠

your personal worth

Companies expect renegotiation of salary offers and set their salary offer lower than what they expect you to accept, on purpose

PracticeyourNegotiation

Consider what makes you unique and valuable (apart from having been offered the position)

Do your research

Glassdoor.com

jobstreet.com

payscale.com

Mom.gov.sg

Be realistic and reasonable

Even large, wealthy companies need to remain profitable by not bloating employee salaries to any ridiculous extent

Always Make a Salary Counteroffer

Ask about the full compensation package to evaluate what areas to push for in your counteroffer

Determine if you need more time or can make a counteroffer now.

I would like to have some time to think over your offer. Can I give you a call back by [Insert Deadline]?”

Express your interest in the job

“I am really pleased that you have offered me the job and I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to your company”.

State your ideal salary with an acceptable range as your counteroffer

My ideal salary is $95,000 with a range of $84,000-$95,000

Back up why you are giving a certain amount for an ideal salary and salary range

• Experience• Education• Skills• Abilities• Personality

Stand firm and be confident to increase the chance of your counteroffer being accepted

Assure the employer that you want to settle on something to give them time to consider your counteroffer

I would like to settle on something that makes us both comfortable as soon as possible

Compromise

End the request on a positive note, however it has been received by your future employer

Get the offer in writing

Whatever your offer is, never take a job without the entire package being signed off, in print. Go forth you smart negotiator, your new job awaits!

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Job Interview

Salary negotiation

Career Coach Guide to