Winning Interview Tips

Six Tips for the First TWO minutes…
Because nothing matters more than a first impression
1.
Everyone knows not to be late to an interview. But recruiters say arriving early is just as bad – in fact, showing up even 10 minutes ahead of time may irritate them. Why? You will interrupt whatever they are doing, which can sow a seed of resentment. It also sends a message: You are an amateur, both overeager and overworried about being late. Arrive no more than five minutes before the interview. If you find yourself there earlier than that, look for a bench outside, read the newspaper and..
just do something else.
2.
While you are waiting for the interviewer to greet you, always remaining standing. “You don’t want the very first thing the interviewer sees to be you to getting your things in order and adjusting your clothing,” says Anne Warfield, president of Impression Management Professionals, a Minneapolis – based career consulting firm.
3.
Sociolinguists at Stanford University have discovered that what we sat accounts for a mere 7 percent of a person’s first impression of us, while our body language constitutes 55 percent. In case they are right, hold your briefcase or bag in your left hand and keep the right one hanging loosely at your hip, ready to shake hands.

4.
When speaking with the recruiter’s assistant, use her name. A simple, respectful “Thanks, Denise” could mean a kind word from Denise to her boss later.
5.
Be prepared for the potentially awkward moment when you and the recruiter walk into a conference room for the interview and there are more than two chairs. If she hasn’t yet taken a seat, rest your hand on one of the chairs and ask, “ Is this a good place for me to sit?” If the interviewer has already set up shop, “choose the seat directly across from her,” says Michele Mamet, associate director of university relations at Bristol-Myers Squibb. “If the table is round, sit next to her, but move away so you can look her dead in the eye.”
6.
The interviewer may well kick things off with the dreaded “Tell me about yourself.” If he asks, you gotta tell him. But since your best overall M.O. is to release information about yourself in strategic deployments throughout the interview, resist the urge to dump it all at once. Rehearse a 60 second commercial spot that summarizes your responsibilities at your last job, capped by your reasons for pursuing this position. Begin this part with the phrase “But what I really want to do is..”

Three Rules for Breaking the Ice
The wrong small talk can make you look small
1.
Family photos can be great conversation starters – if you choose your comments wisely. (You: “Your mother has great smile.” Him:” That’s my wife.”) “Making assumptions about the people in the pictures is dangerous,” says Debra Fine, founder of the Fine Art of SmallTalk, a Denver firm that teaches conversation skills to executives at companies like IBM and Wells Fargo. “If a picture is facing you, it’s fair game, but be vague:” What a great picture. Where was it taken?”

2.
Think before cracking jokes. “The safest, most effective kind of humor is self-deprecating,” says Albert Chen, the former executive director of graduate programs at Kapland Test Perp, “but this is one situation where you don’t want to put yourself down.”
3.
Never talk about traffic, sports, or the weather. You don’t want to be the eleventh automaton that day to say,”Wow, sure it’s hot.”

Five Moves That Show You Are a PRO
Don’t offer up a helping of human pie
1.
Have an agenda. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking the goal is simply to answer the questions that are asked,” says J.Daniel Plants, partner and head of communications and wireless banking at ThinkEquity Partners in San Francisco. “Sure, you have to answer their questions, but the best candidates know how to steer the conversation where they want it to go.”
2.
Wanna be a exec? Your first step is to sit like one. Powerful people have no qualms about taking up a lot of space. Sit up straight in the middle of the chair, with one arm on the armrest and the other on the table. You’ll instantly look and feel more confident in control.
3.
Tell a story. There should be a theme that runs through every answer. Maybe it’s “I’m not only a tech whiz but also an inventor.” Whatever your story, tell it clearly and succinctly. Tailor an explanation of your strengths and weaknesses to support it.
4.
Admit past mistakes in a way that shows you learned something. “Let’s say you once did something that a client wanted but that wasn’t what your boss wanted,” says Joni Johnston, a psychologist and the CEO of WorkRelationships, a management training company whole clients include Nokia and Ericsson. “Explain that while your instinct was to please the client – a good instinct – you learned that your manager’s wishes are most important.”
5.
Obey the rule of three. Have three points to drive home and an anecdote to support each one. If you are applying for a software engineer position, maybe the points are: “I’ve created my own software in my spare time,” and “I understand the software business.” If you’ve thought ahead about what you want to communicate, an interviewer notices.