Max Eggert - Perfect Interview

Contents

About the Book

Are determined to succeed in your job search?

Do you want to make sure you have the edge on the other candidates?

Do you want to find out what interviewers are really looking for?

Perfect Interview is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to secure thier ideal job. Written by a leading HR professional with years of experience in the field, it explains how interviews are constructed, gives practical advice about how to show yourself in your best light, and provides real-life examples to help you practise at home. Whether youre a graduate looking to take the first step on the career ladder, or youre planning an all-important job change, Perfect Interview will help you stand out from the competition.

The Perfect series is a range of practical guides that give clear and straightforward advice on everything from getting your first job to choosing your babys name. Written by experienced authors offering tried-and-tested tips, each book contains all you need to get it right first time.

About the Author

Max A. Eggert is Chief Psychologist with Transcareer, a consultancy that assists individuals in achieving their career dreams. Max first graduated in Theology before transferring to Psychology. He followed this with a Masters in Industrial Relations and postgraduate work in Clinical Hypnosis. When not writing, coaching or running seminars, Max has two other passions: riding his thoroughbreds and dancing Ceroc. As an Anglican priest he is an active member of the parish team at St Mary the Virgin in Waverley, Australia. Should you wish to be coached by Max, for him to provide a workshop, or speak at a conference then please email him at .

Also by the Perfect series

Perfect Answers to Interview Questions Max Eggert

Perfect Babies Names Rosalind Fergusson

Perfect Best Man George Davidson

Perfect CV Max Eggert

Perfect Numerical Test Results Joanna Moutafi and Ian Newcombe

Perfect Personality Profiles Helen Baron

Perfect Psychometric Test Results Joanna Moutafi and Ian Newcombe

Perfect Pub Quiz David Pickering

Perfect Punctuation Stephen Curtis

Perfect Readings for Weddings Jonathan Law

Perfect Wedding Speeches and Toasts George Davidson

For

Max-Charles and Marisin, for all the interviews they have given me and for all the interviews they have to come.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to friends and colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure of working in the important area of Outplacement.

In the early days of Outplacement we all stole our ideas from each other but I stole most from Roy Perry, Sid Hilsum, Bill Huddleston, David Sagar, John Burton, Penny Swinburne and Andrew Hearsey.

Special thanks go to five gifted people without whom this work would not have got off the ground: Sian Eggert, Ros Spry, Ruth Graham-Pole, Kathy Parkes and Lucy Shankleman.

Gender Point

He and she in this book are interchangeable. In writing, sometimes she felt more appropriate than he and sometimes the reverse was true.

Introduction

Over the past few years I have helped thousands of people get the job they wanted. For many people a major difficulty is that they are unskilled in presenting themselves. As a result, they do not always get the jobs they should. And the better people are at their jobs, the less frequently they go to interviews only poor performers get lots of interview practice!

This book shows you how to present yourself and your skills in the best possible way. Research has shown that interviewers make up their minds very early on in the interview, and that personal chemistry between interviewer and interviewee is more powerful in influencing the recruiters decision than anything the applicant has achieved! These and other research findings can be used to your advantage.

A GOOD START

Getting an interview is really good news for the job hunter. It means you are almost there. Most people approach an interview with trepidation, thinking of all the reasons why they should not get the job. We call these wooden legs. Here are some of the more popular wooden legs:

I will not get the job because:

Whilst some anxiety is reasonable and healthy, to take all your wooden legs with you to the interview is just plain daft.

THE GOOD NEWS is:

1. You get an interview only if the interviewer thinks you can do the job on offer. Do you know any interviewer who would deliberately waste their time on no-hopers? Of course not. What you have achieved or have not and how that relates to the job can be seen from your curriculum vitae. Thus your perceived handicaps have already been accepted as presenting no significant problem.

2. Not every applicant is seen. Most shortlists consist of only five or six people, so you have a one in six chance of being selected. Now you have to work out what it was in your application or CV that made you attractive to the interviewer and plan how to maximise your strong points.

3. Strange as it may seem, research suggests that interviewing is one of the most unreliable management techniques. This can work to your advantage: you can train yourself to present the best possible picture of yourself and your accomplishments. It is important always to tell the truth in an interview but, with forethought, rehearsal and good preparation you can present what you have to offer in the most positive and attractive way.

4. The majority of managers have not been trained in interviewing skills. This is particularly true of line managers and senior executives. This puts you in an ideal situation to assist your interviewer gain the information you wish to give about yourself. Once you have read, practised and acted on the suggestions in this book, you will know more about interviewing than most interviewers. You will be able to enjoy an interview with a professional interviewer and assist those who are not very competent.

Will the interviewer mind you being so skilled? No, it will be a pleasant experience for him or her to interview someone who is so well prepared.

5. You are in total control of the information you give about yourself. The interviewer asks the questions, but you decide how to answer them and what information you will release. The professional interviewer is trained to ask open questions, such as

All these questions can be answered in a variety of ways depending on what you choose to say and what information you decided to give.

6. With a little thought and planning you can decide what questions you will be asked. Most interviewers are human they have doubts and concerns, hopes and fears like everyone else. Look at your application and/or CV through their eyes. Think about their organization and the requirements of the position on offer and then ask yourself What questions would I ask?, What would my reservations be if I was considering this application for the position and my job depended on it? (Just think what happens to interviewers who keep hiring the wrong candidate!) Having run through this process you can anticipate the questions and prepare appropriate answers. But remember you must always tell the truth.

No one would run a marathon without training and being sure of the route. As an interviewee, you can train and know the route from your armchair well, almost!!