Interview Tips: Advice From a Harvard Career Advisor
How can you properly prepare for a job interview? Linda Spencer, the Assistant Director of the Office of Career Services at Harvard, gives some practical advice useful to job-hunters of any age.
Carole Martin is an expert on the subject of interviews. You could say that I am passionate about the subject - I eat, drink, and sleep the subject. I have interviewed thousands of people and have watched them make major mistakes and lose the job to someone else. Although I wanted to help them, I couldn't because I was on the other side of the desk. When I returned to grad school in 1993 to pursue my Master's degree, I made a decision to change what I did because I wanted to help people. I love having the ability of making a difference in people's lives.
Find out what their problem is and become the solution. Ask questions to find out how you can help the interviewer accomplish what they need to get done. Then tell them how you can help in that regard.
In trying to decide what type of job you really want, think about what is important to you. If you were to sign up with an online dating service the first task for you to complete would be to describe what you are looking for. “What you are seeking in a mate?” It makes sense. […]
Read this article if you might have trouble explaining why you were out of work, staying at home or are changing careers. Nobody’s perfect. But nobody wants to hear about your problems and baggage either. Especially in the job interview. Some people’s lives begin to sound like a Soap Opera because there have been so […]
Knowing how to answer why you are available may make you seem more desirable or less desirable. The job interviewer wants to know, “Why are you available?” This is a question that is asked in almost every job interview. The answer you give regarding your departure from your last company will be either simple and […]
What makes you unique and different than the next person. You better be able to commuicate this so you will stand out from the crowd. Almost every article – or career coach – will tell you that in order to do well in an interview – and to ultimately get the job offer, you must […]
Be careful on answering what you ‘didn’t like out your last job, company, employer, etc. You don’t want to come off negative. This question is somewhat of a trap, because it asks for a negative answer. If you haven’t given it some thought, you may blurt out something about your boss or the company, and […]
You better have a good answer in mind. This question almost always comes up in one form or another. The first answer that comes to mind is, “Because you have an opening, and I need a job.” While this may be the truth, it is not an answer that will get you points in a […]
How would you answer the question? Give them great reasons. This is one of those broad questions that can take you down the wrong road unless you have done some thinking about what to say ahead of time. This question deals with your ability to sell yourself. Think of yourself as the product. Why should […]
Getting feedback after the interview is invaluable to not only finding out where you stand but also what went right and what went wrong. Asking for Feedback Imagine leaving the interview with a report on how you did and where there were some concerns. Not in this lifetime! You’re not asking for a lot. You […]
Sometimes choosing the correct words in your resume and during an interview can make all the difference. The words you use to express yourself say more about you than you think. In fact, your vocabulary and the use of appropriate words say more about you than the message you are trying communicate. You are judged […]
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