[lenah]

I have been in retail management for over 7yrs, I am now looking for a job and of course
Going on interviews. I fear them so much, because I don't do a good job at articulating my
Skills an abilities, I am confident in my abilities and feel I can manage any establishment. I feel that my lack of ability to answer those crazy questions keeps me from receiving a job I know I can do and do well. Can someone Help!! :

[dflak]

I’ve been on the other side of the desk, and in my career, I have conducted hundreds of interviews.

The best advice I can give you is to prepare. The questions are the easy part.

There is a book by Martin Yate called “Knock ‘em Dead” (www.knockemdead.com). In this book Yate goes over about 200 of the most commonly questions asked on interviews. He doesn’t give you the answer (there is no single answer), but he does give you advice on how to formulate you own answers.

Imagine being in an interview and the interviewer asks one of these questions. How would you answer it? Give your answer out loud. Make your mouth say the words. When you are comfortable, invite a friend over and role play the interview. Try several variations of your responses until you are comfortable speaking with another person about this specific topic.

Some people are better at this than others, but being a storyteller helps. Instead of telling the interviewer how you WOULD handle a certain situation, tell them how you ACTUALLY DID handle a similar situation.

Every state (I believe) has a Joblink center. Do a Google search on “joblink” to find the center nearest you. Joblink provides a whole host of job-seeking services, and one of them is teaching interviewing skills. They will even conduct a mock interview, tape it and critique it with you. Joblink is your tax dollars at work – this is a free service to the job seeker!

So after you take a couple of “practice swings” with a friend, go to Joblink.

Nothing sells in an interview more than confidence (not cockiness) and enthusiasm. Do whatever you need to do to make you feel good about yourself. Get a good night’s sleep the night before. Yodel, dance, run, beat up a punching bag, or do whatever makes you enthusiastic about life. I suggest you do this just before the interview and not during the interview :-)

It goes without saying, “Dress for success.” It’s almost impossible to over-dress for an interview. Besides, a good outfit might make you feel better about yourself.

To bolster your confidence think of this: they called you based on your resume. There must be something they already like about you. If you’ve been through a screening interview, chances are that they are already impressed with your technical credentials and now want to evaluate how well you will fit into the corporate culture. So try to be yourself, and feel relaxed in the culture.

Remember the power of silence. An interview is not a game of Jeopardy. You don’t have to buzz in with the correct answer before another contestant. You have time to formulate an answer. Chances are you already have the answer near the front of your brain if you have been role playing those questions. Also realize that you are in a time warp. What seems like hours of silence to you might only be a couple of seconds in the real world.

If you think you’ve made a “mistake” during the interview, forget about it. It might not be as big a deal as you think it is, or even if it is, you need to be thinking about the current question. Replay the interview when you get home, and figure out what went well, and what needs improvement.

Also remember that interviewers are people too. You may have to learn how to be an interviewee; they have to learn how to be an interviewer. It’s a lot tougher on the other side of the desk. So if an interview doesn’t seem to be going well, it may be the interviewer’s fault. There isn’t much you can do about this unless you have experience with interviewing. Sometimes you have to pick up the ball and run with it.

The questions you ask are as important as the questions you get asked. By asking the right questions, you can demonstrate your understanding of the new job. Have these questions worked out in advance. Some questions may also occur to you as the interview progresses.

Don’t ask questions about salary or benefits. Nothing ruins an interview more certainly than the question “How much does the job pay?” Let them talk salary first.

Do ask questions about the job itself. “How many people will I supervise?” “How much authority do I have on hire/fire?” etc. Also speak in the first person and in the present tense. Pretend that you already have the job.

The last two questions you should ask are, “What is the next step in the process?” and “When can I expect to hear back from you?”

Go home and immediately write a thank-you note and get it in the mail. If you get rejected later on, write a concession letter. If you are still interested in working for the company thank them again for their time and interest and ask them to keep you in mind for future positions.” Yes, I got at least one job by doing this.

Practice. Go to job fairs and talk to companies even if you have not interest working there. Never turn down the opportunity to interview, again even if it isn’t with a company or for a job in which you have an interest. At the least it’s practice. And just maybe they will call you back and say, “We have a much better position in mind for you.” It happened to me.

[AW805]

I would just add to dflak:
Also many times, it's not just what you say but how you responded. Did you remain calm under pressure, did you become nervous over a difficult question, what was your body language saying...

If you weren't offered the job, follow up with a call and ask the how you did on the interview or if they mind telling you why you didn't qualify. Most companies are very cooperative.