Friday, November 29, 2019

How to Survive a Video Interview and Other Modern-Day Interview Tactics

How to Survive a Video vorstellungsgesprch and Other Modern-Day Interview TacticsHow to Survive a Video Interview - and Other Modern-Day Interview TacticsTips for Surviving the Modern Interview ProcessThese days, interviews arent just one and done. Here are some new methods companies are trying out.Say goodbye to stuffy boardrooms and executives staring you down across conference tables interviews are changing to meet a new pattern in technology, applicant personality, and company structure. They are becoming longer and mora involved than they used to be. Executives have learned that hiring the wrong people can be extremely costly and by customizing the interview process, they can select better candidates.Here are the top five new methods companies are using to select their new employees.Video screeningsHiring managers use phone interviews to weed out unlikely candidates early in the selection process. This is similar to an ATS screening out candidates resumes. They only have spots for, lets say, 10 candidates and want to interview the best potential employees. But phone interviews dont tell them all they need to understand about applicants. Video interviewsare now replacing phone interviews in the early stages of the process. Video interviews let hiring managers screen mora candidates in less time and give a birds eye view of the person before bringing them in for a formal interview.A video screening can seem intimidating, but weve got some video interview tips to make it a breeze.Tips for nailing your video interviewTreat video interviews exactly the saatkorn as formal interviews and prepare as such.Use the time to sell yourself focus on your best qualities.Dress professionally dont think this is a casual meeting.Print out a script or outline to help you answer common screening questions.Practice for the interview with friend and family or at the local colleges career center.Multiple interview roundsHiring managers and executives learned the hard way that o ne interview isnt enough. They want to get to know the candidates and putting them through a series of interview rounds can help with that. Some companies even have you interview with higher profile management as you progress through the hiring process. The first interview assuming they didnt have a phone or video call pre-screening will determine whether you are a good fit for the company. Questions will be mostly basic to determine your experience, skill level,and education. The next series of interviews will include more senior executives. They will focus on the specifics of previous accomplishments. This is where the color of your tie comes into play.Tips for getting through multiple interview roundsFind out who youre meeting with in advance, and do your homework on each person. LinkedIn is a great resource for this.See if youre comfortable with the employees and environment.Draw attention to your accomplishments and abilities.Follow-up with a letter of appreciation and verify information during the interview.Take notes and ask questions.Interview testsYes, we know you thought thatschool welches over and final exams were history. Some companies now want you to prove you can do what you claim. They no longer want to take a chance and allow strangers to eat up valuable time and money with inaccurate statements. There are a number of different types of interview tests companies may administer to try to weed out imperfect candidates. Some tests focus on specific abilities and skills. Many popular tests assess your ability to think outside the box and come up with ideas in a crunch.Tips for acing interview testsGo to sleep early and eat a good breakfast.Give yourself enough time for each question.Study your skills and determine the ones you need to practice.Go with your gut instinct your first guess often the right one.Sample projects and interview assignmentsSimilar to tests and probationary periods at work, sample projects or interview assignments allow hir ing managers to gauge your actual skills in action. Typically your potential boss will assign a project similar to tasks youd coordinate in the role. Assignments are also a good way to test a candidates commitment to the company. These tasks often are more important than the actual interview. Some are paid projects, others are unpaid. Some companies may also assign real clients and company-contracted projects, plus assign you to a manager for guidance.Tips for effectively completing your interview assignmentResearch all aspects of the project before starting.Ask questions and take notes make sure you understand the project before leaving.Think outside of the box, but always follow directions to the letter.Turn your homework in on time, and include a professional presentation.Test runsThe hiring process is complete, all executives think youre the star candidate. Next, they may ask you to do a test run. One of the most difficult and rewarding interview steps is the probationary period . This period lets the company get to know you on a more intimate level, gauge your skills and abilities in action and see if you are comfortable with the corporate environment. This is the most crucial interview stage. This is the make it or break it phase. Supervisors often are stricter and give harder assignments during the probationary phase.5 steps to getting through the probationary phaseListen to your team members and accept advice.Communicate with your superiors.Watch the clock and follow all deadlines and directions.Calm down and allow your nerves to rest.Hold off on interpersonal quests during probation.Interview takeawaysWhether your dream job follows the standard interview practice or gives you a ten-page essay to write, the most important factor is to learn from everything you do. Think of each interview and stage as a training session. Yes, youre trying to get the job of your dreams. But dont forget to take away information for future scenarios. At the end of every int erview set down and ask yourself three questionsDid I follow my script and outline?What mistakes did I make?What could I have done better?Take notes and learn from this. Whether you get the job or not, every interview counts as a stepping stone in the right direction.Click on the following link for more interview tips.Is your resume landing you the right interviews? Find out how to improve your chances with a free resume review.Recommended ReadingOfficeHours How to Ace Your Next Job InterviewThe Importance of Saying Thank You After an InterviewAsk Amanda Is It Alright to Bring Notes to a Job Interview?Related Articles

Sunday, November 24, 2019

10 silly things you do that make you less likable

10 silly things you do that make you less likable10 silly things you do that make you less likableToo many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few- the good looking, the fiercely social, and the incredibly talented. Its easy to fall prey to this misconception. In reality, being likable is under your control, and its a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).In a study conducted at UCLA, subjects rated over 500 descriptions of people based on their perceived significance to likability. The top-rated descriptors had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent, or attractive (innate characteristics). Instead, the top descriptors weresincerity,transparency, andcapable of understanding(another person).These adjectives, and others like them, describe people who are skilled in the social side of emotional intelligence.TalentSmartresearch data from mora than a million people shows that people who posse ss these skills arent just highly likeable they outperform those who dont by a large margin.Likability is so powerful that it can completely alter your performance. A University of Massachusetts study found that managers were willing to accept an auditors argumentwith no supporting evidenceif he or she was likable, and Jack Zenger found that just 1 in 2000 unlikeable leaders are considered effective.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreI did some digging to uncover the key behaviors that hold people back when it comes to likability. Make certain these behaviors dont catch you by surprise.Humble-braggingWe all know those people who like to brag about themselves behind the mask of self-deprecation. For example, the gal who makes fun of herself for being a nerd when she really wants to draw attention to the fact that shes smart or the guy who makes fun of himself for having a strict di et when he really wants you to know how healthy and fit he is. While many people think that self-deprecation masks their bragging, everyone sees right through it. This makes the bragging all the more frustrating, because it isnt just bragging its also an attempt to deceive.Being too seriousPeople gravitate toward those who are passionate. That said, its easy for passionate people to come across as too serious or uninterested, because they tend to get absorbed in their work. Likable people balance their passion for their work with their ability to have fun. At work they are serious, yet friendly. They still get things done because they are socially effective in short amounts of time and they capitalize on valuable social moments. They focus on having meaningful interactions with their coworkers, remembering what people said to them yesterday or last week, which shows people that they are just as important to them as their work is.Not asking enough questionsThe biggest mistake people make in conversation is being so focused on what theyre going to say next or how what the other person is saying is going to affect them that they fail to hear whats being said. The words come through loud and clear, but the meaning is lost. A simple way to avoid this is to ask a lot of questions. People like to know youre listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows that not only are you listening but that you also care about what theyre saying. Youll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking questions.Emotional hijackingsMy company provides360 feedback assessments, and we come across far too many instances of people throwing things, screaming, making people cry, and other telltale signs of an emotional hijacking. An emotional hijacking demonstrates low emotional intelligence. As soon as you show that level of instability, people will question whether or not youre trustworthy and capable of keeping it together when it counts.Expl oding at anyone, regardless of how much they might deserve it, turns a huge amount of negative attention your way. Youll be labeled as unstable, unapproachable, and intimidating. Controlling your emotions keeps you in the drivers seat. When youre able to control your emotions around someone who wrongs you, they end up looking bad instead of you.Whipping out your phoneNothing turns someone off to you like a mid-conversation text message or even a quick glance at your phone. When you commit to a conversation, focus all of your energy on the conversation. Youll find that conversations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them.Name-droppingIts great to know important and interesting people, but using every conversation as an opportunity to name-drop is pretentious and silly. Just like humble-bragging, people see right through it. Instead of making you look interesting, it makes people feel as though youre insecure and overly concerned with having them like you. It also cheapens what you have to offer. When you connect everything you know withwhoyou know (instead of what you know or what you think), conversations lose their color.People are averse to those who are desperate for attention. Simply being friendly and considerate is all you need to win people over. When you speak in a friendly, confident, and concise manner, people are much more attentive and persuadable than if you try to show them that youre important. People catch on to your attitude quickly and are more attracted to the right attitude than who you know.GossipingPeople make themselves look terrible when they get carried away with gossiping. Wallowing in talk of other peoples misdeeds or misfortunes may end up hurting their feelings if the gossip ever finds its way to them, but gossiping is guaranteed to make you look negative and spiteful every time.Having a closed mindIf you want to be likable, you must be open-minded, which makes you approachable and interesting to others. No one wants to have a conversation with someone who has already formed an opinion and is unwilling to listen. Having an open mind is crucial in the workplace, where approachability means access to new ideas and help. To eliminate preconceived notions and judgment, you need to see the world through other peoples eyes. This doesnt require that you believe what they believe or condone their behavior it simply means that you quit passing judgment long enough to truly understand what makes them tick.Sharing too much, too earlyWhile getting to know people requires a healthy amount of sharing, sharing too much about yourself right off the bat comes across wrong. Be careful to avoid sharing personal problems and confessions too quickly. Likable people let the other person guide them as to when its the right time for them to open up. Over-sharing comes across as self-obsessed and insensitive to the balance of the conversation. Think of it this way if youre getting into the nitty gritty of your life without learning about the other person first, youre sending the message that you see them as nothing more than a sounding board for your problems.Sharing too much on social mediaStudies have shown that people who over-share on social media do so because they crave acceptance, but the Pew Research Center has revealed that this over-sharing works against them by making people dislike them. Sharing on social media can be an important mode of expression, but it needs to be done thoughtfully and with some self-control. Letting everyone know what you ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with how many times you walked your dog today will do much more harm than good when it comes to likability.Bringing it all togetherWhen you build your awareness of how your actions are received by other people, you pave the way to becoming more likable.Dr. Travis Bradberryis the co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0,and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This articlefirst appeared on LinkedIn.Yo u might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How to Know Which Job Boards to Avoid

How to Know Which Job Boards to AvoidHow to Know Which Job Boards to AvoidIf you Google the term job mainmotherboards you come up with more than 15 million results. Not surprisingly, each job board claims to be the 1 place to find your next job. Obviously not every job board can be 1, so we compiled a list of job board behaviors to help you know which job boards to avoid.We will also offer some small advice on choosing the right job boards. If you see some of behauptung job board behaviors, be sure to stop using it immediately.1. Job boards charging money to see the company nameEvery website needs a revenue stream, but think about this for a momentYou are not allowed to know the company name and who you might work for unless you pay a fee.It makes one wonder how the interview question will be answered.Interviewer Why do you want to work here?You I didnt. I just wanted to do the work. I found out who you were after I paid to apply.It simply does not make sense. Why pay money for somet hing when you have no idea what you are getting into? If they allow for a free trial, they will benefit if you forget to cancel or shut off auto-renewal payments.2. Gateway websites asking for data before redirecting you to the jobThis one seems to be fairly common. Unfortunately, when you give your data out it usually leads to endless spamming about education courses, webinars, or jobs on other websites. The reality is you can find any job worth its salt on LinkedIn, Google, or a company careers section. You do not need to give away your data to some random startup trying to build a new job board.Does this mean there is an abundance of jobs? No. It means the same job is shared everywhere. BUT...not all of them let you know if the job is still open. That job you tried to apply for by giving away your information to several gateway websites is now going to spam you with false opportunities. You will also find that if you do give your data away, magically a whole bunch of new websites suddenly start contacting you.Note Never agree to let these job boards send you opportunities that match your profile. Why? These are typically promoted jobs that everyone else will be receiving.3. Job boards that do not appear in How did you find us? sectionsIf you had filled out online job applications in the past, you know there is a section of the application that readsHow did you find us?How did you hear about this position?Within that list, you will see the most commonly used websites for employers to find their own candidates. Therefore, if the website you used to find the job is NOT on it, then you should stop using that service. The way you found the job is not currently on the radar of the employer posting jobs, which is a sign the job board is either new or not commonly used.It should be cause for concern anyway that a job you found on a job board does not appear in the list of How did you find us? companies or websites.Safe job boardsThese websites below do not do any o f the following mentioned above. You are allowed to apply and job search without filling out profiles or paying money1. LinkedIn2. Glassdoor3. Indeed4. ZipRecruiter5. Monster6. Dice7. Google JobsIn conclusionTrust your gut feelings when it comes to using job boards. If they seem to take before giving or make demands of you that cause doubt, it is a sign you should avoid it or better, just go to the companys career section to see if the job still exists.As of right now, LinkedIn is the best service for finding jobs largely because you can network easily with individuals at the company of interest. On top of this, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen candidates.