Category: Interviews

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Your Values and Their Impact on the Job Outcome

Values shape the person you are. Your values affect your work ethic, personality, beliefs and what you deem to be important.

Often people with similar values create strong rapport and build strong friendships.

In the job interview, you can use values to create likability with the interviewer increasing your chances of a job offer. The employer will value certain aspects of the job more than others, they deem certain company policies and procedures over others and they will reference ways of working. 

If your values match the interviewer’s values you will increase interview rapport.

Understanding Your Values

What is important to you in your career? To understand what you value in  a career I would first ask you to write down your values on a piece of paper. 

Example Values

Your Values

Money

Career progression

Working with others

Seeing the end result to my work

Working close to home

Having targets

Feedback

Personal development

Flexibility

Reliability

Ongoing support

Variation

Now you have a list of your career values; you need to reorder them according to importance, which of your values is more important to you? If you had a choice would you take a job that had value A or value B?

Your Values in Order of Importance

 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Once you know your career values and the values you most require, ask your self “could I have a job that didn’t have Value X?” – Pose this question for all the values on your list.

People who accept a job offer with a company who doesn’t have the same values will soon become bored, agitated or stressed, which will lead to them quitting their job or becoming depressed and falling ill. If you have not reflected on and identified your values then you may fall into the trap of applying for similar unsuitable roles in which you quickly become bored, creating a cycle of negative career choices.

Once you know what you truly value in a career, you can match your values to that of the position you are applying for and I would add, once you find your values in the position you are applying for you will quickly become more excited about the position and this excitement will shine through during the interview which will lead to leaving a lasting positive impression.

Often enthusiastic, passionate and motivated interviewees gain job offers over experienced but boring interviewees – candidates might give the same answers but they are not always heard the same by the bored interviewer.

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Preparing Your Interview Answers for Maximum Impact

Maximum Impact Interview Answers

To beat the job interview competition the savvy interviewee will prepare each interview answer to maximize the impact each answer has on the interviewer.

Don’t fall into the trap of simply re-reading your CV the night before the interview, instead start preparing weeks ahead of the job interview – as soon as you receive the invitation to interview e-mail.

This way you will have time to predict each question, prepare each interview answer and ensure each answer sells you and your skills, work ethic and employment experience.

The simple 3 step process below, will help you prepare each interview answer (the examples we will concentrate on qualities and skills, but the same process can be used for experience related interview questions).

Step 1 Predicting the Interview Question

First think about the position you are applying for and ask yourself “what skills and qualities does the employer require me to possess?” and write a big list of required skills, qualities and experiences. You can also use the job specification or job profiles to predict the essential job criteria.

Step 2 Breakdown the Skill

Each essential job criteria requires a certain skill or quality. Create a mindmap for each required skill, as an example “Communication Skills” – ask yourself “how do you communicate?” – e-mail, face to face, telephone, fax, body language, sign language, etc. make this list as big as possible, there are no wrong answers be creative add anything you associate to communication (or your essential criteria)

Next think about a real example of when you have used this skill or quality and recorded it.

Step 3 Creating the Answer

Now you have a giant list of criteria and a breakdown of those particular criteria, you can now move onto the third stage – paragraphs. All you need to do here is put the breakdown of the criteria into a paragraph (and this doesn’t need to perfect yet)

Let’s use the communication example – remember at this stage the paragraph doesn’t need to read well as we are still in the ideas stage. “I communicate with everyday, over the phone and face to face. When talking over the phone I use my voice tone to build rapport and ask regular questions to ensure the other person is taking onboard what I am saying. When talking to people face to face, I use my body language to increase likeness and watch the other people’s body language and face gestures to check they agree with what I am saying”

Use real life examples show’s the employer two things; one you understand what their essential criteria is and more importantly you have implemented in previous roles (which is often taken for you can do that part of the job)

Your real life examples need to be related to the position you are applying for. In sales jobs communication skills and rapport building are key essential criteria, so you can edit your above profile using real life sales (or any position) experience

“In my previous sales position I was always on the monthly top 10 sales executive’s board often at the top, this is because I understand the importance of communicating with people over the phone. I would often use my voice tone to build rapport with customers and ask customers questions throughout the sales pitch to ensure they were listening to me…..”

You need to re-write your interview answer 3 times to ensure it really sell’s you. After each interview think about which answer worked well and which answers need improving. Reflecting on your interview answers allows you to improve with each and every job interview.

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Job Interview Peak Performance

To be your best in the job interview you need to know how to control your emotions, to access your positive mental state and to be at your job interview peak performance. There are no two ways about it, if you are at your peak mental state in the job interview you are more likely to be offered a job.

As an interview and confidence coach in Manchester, I support people to access their peak state which has led to my interviewing coaching clients receiving more job offers.  Today I will share a technique I use with my clients to boost their mental performance prior to the job interview.

Accessing Your Peak Performance

First, decide which mental state would work best for you. For many confidence is the key emotion that I will allow them to be their best in the job interview. The technique that you will learn is often used by athletes to access their peak performance prior to a game or event.

By following the simple steps below you can teach your mind to focus, increase confidence and to access its peak state.

Step 1 – Choose the state you would like to access

Step 2 – In a seat, close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths counting down on each out-breath
Step 3 – Notice how each breath helps you to relax a little bit more
Step 4 –  Remember a time you felt at your best; you being confident, in the zone, at your peak, focused, or any state that will help you to be the best
Step 5 – With your eyes closed, replay this time in your mind’s eye; see what you can see, hear what you can hear and feel those same positive emotions

Step 6 – Replay this memory and this time, imagine being their seeing things from your own eyes, hearing the positive self-talk and feeling the positive emotions at their peak
Step 7 – As you feel these emotions at the peak, start to spin the emotions, faster and stronger, stronger and faster until they double and triple in intensity
Step 8 – Now, take these feelings and imagine yourself in the future being positive before the job interview, being at your best in the job interview and spin these feelings stronger and faster, faster and stronger until you feel that you will get a job, that you will be successful, that you will be confident in the job interview
Step 9 – Repeat this exercise 3 times and notice how the strength of the emotion increases with every repeated go

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Why Do Psychopaths Get Offered More Jobs Then You?

Not all psychopaths are killers. Many career professionals with psychopathic tendencies will quickly reach the grade of their sector, often kicking people in the face on their rise to the top.

Psychopaths are often found in top-level positions in industries including the finance sector, medical professions and sale roles. One in four people in your workplace could be a psychopath but rarely does the none psychopath recognize the psychopath’s traits, allowing these master manipulators to gain promotion after promotion.

But how do psychopaths win over the interviewer? How do psychopaths quickly climb the career ladder, winning job offer after offer? What do psychopaths do differently in the job interview, and can you learn from these persuaders?

You can use these 5 psychopathic traits to win over your next interviewer.

The Psychopathic Interview

Psychopaths have particular traits which they use blatantly during the interview process. This devilish designed manipulates the interview, stopping you the none psychopath, from being recruited, while helping the psychopath rise through the ranks gaining pay rise after pay rise, promotion after promotion.

Superficial Charm.

The Interview Psychopath wears a well-fitted interview mask, mimicking the employer’s personality or creating a charming front that wins the interviewer over.

This confident charming persona, which is not their real personality, creates strong rapport and likeability. The psychopath will uncover the employer’s values, likes and interests and state how he himself enjoys these same passions and preferences the interviewer’s likes.

To learn from the psychopath you also have to be charming and confident. Research has shown how a warm smile creates positive feelings in the recipient. Create a conversation to find commonality with the interviewer which increases likeability.

A Grandiose Self-Perception.

Psychopaths truly believe they are smarter and more powerful than they actually are. This belief system oozes confidence and confidence is a key quality to winning job interviews.

The psychopath will give examples of past projects, explaining how they achieved the contract KPIs, how they increased profits and how they rallied the team to meet the deadline. The psychopath is happy to blow their own trumpet, and in the eyes of the psychopath their musical instrument is massive.

Take a leaf out of the psychopath book and throughout the interview shout about your achievements, don’t shy away and minimize your effort, instead make it clear that it was you who was the pivotal person that achieved the desired outcome

Deceits and lies.

Most people feel bad when lying, but the psychopath is highly comfortable creating a perfect picture of themselves which may be far from the truth. No matter what the employer requires, the psychopath has the experience, whichever skill is essential the psychopath has in abundance and however the employer approaches task, the psychopath has the same work ethic

Now, we won’t suggest that you lie as this can have implications during your employment. Instead you need to think about previous roles and look at what skills are transferable, how you have approached work different in similar organizations and how your hobbies have given you a new set of qualities and make these fit the interviewer’s essential criteria.

An Absence of Emotions.

The psychopath lacks emotions, they don’t feel guilty when lying, or remorse when taking credit for other people’s achievements and the psychopath rarely feels nervous in the interview process.

The psychopath, who always feels superior, looks down on the interviewer increasing their personal feeling of power. The psychopath sees the interview as game, a place to manipulate and deceive, an arena to show off and to showcase his talents.

For many, interview nerves kill the interview. You don’t need to go as far as the psychopath but you can create a new perception of the interview. Instead of one where the all-powerful interviewer questions you, demanding to know the answer, you can frame the interview as a place where you are an authority, an expert and industry specialist, and this person talking to you, wants to learn from you, they want to know why you are so successful and how you always achieve KPIs.

Never Being Wrong.

The psychopath rarely admits to being wrong, making mistakes or errors. In a promotional interview situation the psychopath will quite confidently put the blame on others, highlight colleagues shortcomings and explain how other peoples errors where the catalyst for the failure in the project.

In external job interviews, the psychopath will simply not mention any inadequacies and focus the interview on their unique selling point. When questioned on weaknesses, the psychopath will reframe the answer and talk about development opportunities.

Too many interviewees happily offer up their weaknesses and failures, even when not asked. Instead keep the interviewer focused on your strengths, positives and achievements. You need to associate only positivity to your interview as these create the basis for a successful job interview.

Do You Need To Be A Psychopath?

To increase your chances of being offered a job at the interview you don’t need to be psychopathic, but you can take a couple of tips from the psychopath’s interview approach.

The key to a successful interview is to be confident, charming and likable. You need to frame every interview answer as a positive.

Remember times when you have used the required skill they are questioning you about and reframe negative based interview questions.

By framing the interview as a place to showcase your talent increases confidence and never discussing negativity creates a positive association that can only lead to more job offers.

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Why You Should ALWAYs Question The Interviewer

Many people fail the interview process because they rarely question the interviewer.

During the interview you will be asked around 6-10 questions throughout a 45 minute interview, designed to see if you have the skills, aptitude and experience to work in their organisation.

Often though, these thought-out questions can be highly ambiguous. The interviewee on hearing the question will make their own sense of the ambiguity; wrongly making the question fit their own experience.

The answer the interviewee gives, which they believe is a strong reply, is taken negatively by the interviewer “why are they telling me about X when I want to know Y?”

Your Brain Blocks The Required Answer

The interview questions asked are designed to gather particular information. If asked a generic question, let’s use the example of managing a successful project, the interviewee could talk about managing staff, pre-project planning or problem solving.

If you discuss in detail experiences that aren’t relevant to what the interviewer is interested in hearing or wanting to undercover through the generic question, your interview can falter.

This small issue is a big problem. The interviewers own experiences will filter your answers, and if you don’t state the answers the interviewer is hoping you will discuss then the job offer will drift further away.

Often the interviewer will repeat the question or ask additional questions to give you a chance to change or add to your answer, but because of our own experience relating to the question, we rarely change the given answer.

How Your Mind Differs

Imagine that the employers experience is one where throughout a project, problems appear and the project manager has to fire fight to meet the targets and deadlines (this could be due to the project type, the sector they work in or the way a previous manager managed the project – the reason doesn’t matter, but the employers experience does)

You are asked “how you would achieve targets if an unforeseen problem occurs”. Now, your own experience is being a pro-active planner, which has led to your own practice of being one where predict problems in the initial planning stage to prevent unforeseen issues from appearing.

Your answer in this situation would discuss how you “plan” “prepare” “foresee” “pro-active” “check outside the box” all key skills that have helped you to be successful.

But the interviewer from their own experience is looking for someone to discuss “fire-fighting” “problem-solving” “re-active” “working under pressure”

The outcome maybe the same, but the employer’s experience differs from yours. These two sides of the coins rub against each other and causes interview friction, as the interviewer can’t get the interviewee to see their perspective and vice versa.

The Power of a Question

When asked an ambiguous question, you the interviewee need to clarify the required answer. This way you can frame the answer so the interviewer understands fully what you are suggesting.

“How you would achieve targets if an unforeseen problem occurs”.

Reply “There are two key times to deal with problems one as the problem occurs or by pre-empting problems, which would you like me to discuss?”

“We want to know how you would handle an unforeseen problem in the middle of a project”  

Now you have the details of the required answer, which means you can give an answer the will relate to the interviewers own experience

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Interview Questions and Answers Kitchen Assistant Interview

Interview Questions and Answers Kitchen Assistant Interview

Kitchen assistants earn, on average, £15000-£1800 a year.

The industry is vast with employers, large and small, recruiting for skilled staff. Job roles are often competitive with a mixture of students, job seekers looking for part-time work and wanna be chefs  (who don’t want to take a higher educational pathway) applying for the advertised roles.

How competitive is a kitchen assistant job interview?

Job interview competitiveness - easy

Interview Specfics

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

In the main, kitchen assistants prepare food, support and work closely with chefs, ensuring the chef and his team, have everything they need and ensure the hygiene of the kitchen. With that in mind the interview questions will be based on these duties.

10 Interview Questions and Answers for A Kitchen Assistant

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

To answer the opening job interview question, applicants are required to explain their kitchen assistant experience and state any catering or hygiene-related qualifications.

Start with a summary opening line: “I have over 10 years’ experience in catering” before giving more details “for the last 2 years I have worked at….” Keep this answer about your kitchen-related employment history and your work ethic, not your hobbies and interest.

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – Why do you want to work as a Kitchen Assistant?

The hidden meaning behind this open job interveiw question is employee retention. Restaurants spend a large part of their profits on on-going recruitment. By hiring employees who want a catering career the hired applicant is likely to stay with the organisation.

Show your passion for wanting to work as a kitchen assistant; how you enjoy cooking, mixing ingredients and seeing customers eat your dishes.

Explain how you are excited to be working in the catering sector. If an employer believes this is a job stepping stone for you, they will presume that you will leave once you find a more suitable position and not offer you the kitchen assistant position.

But if the interviewer sees an applicant’s passion and desire, they are more likely to hire them.

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview – What do you think are the main duties of a Kitchen Assistant?

During a kitchen assistant job interview applicants will undrtake an infromal job interview or will be asked a number of competency-based job interview questions. 

Employers will ask the interviewee what duties they are required to perform to test the applicant’s knowledge of a working kitchen. If an applicant can talk about food preparation, food hygiene, and general kitchen duties, the employer will score the applicant high.

To answer this question, list a few duties and make them relevant to past roles “you have to A, B and C in my last role I (give example) …”

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – What experience and qualifications do you have?

For a kitchen assistant position, applicants aren’t required to have a degree-level qualification, as catering employers are more focused on a candidate’s skill set.

Saying that, applicants with a catering related qualification can be seen as more favorable.

Open with a confident line “I’m a qualified and highly experienced kitchen assistant…” and follow this with more detail “I have a food hygiene certificate as well as a Btec Level 3 in catering….”

In the main though, applicants need to state their kitchen experience. Explain if you can prep salads, make sources, trim and peel vegetables and give examples of complying with food hygiene regulations. Using real-life examples works best here.

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – Do you prefer working in a team or alone?

The kitchen assistant role is a team-based position.

The employer is looking for someone who will fit in with the current team. You need to highlight how you are a team player and what you would bring to the team.

In the main, kitchen assistants are required to support other kitchen assistants if demand requires it. As well as working collaboratively, like a well-oiled machine.

Give a work-related example of being part of a team.

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – Describe what you think a daily routine would be like, working in a kitchen?

Often in the kitchen, employees will follow a routine; unloading, prepping food, clearing away, opening up, cooking and serving.

This question is to check your knowledge base of a routine in a kitchen. An experienced kitchen assistant will answer this question confidently, explaining step-by-step what duties they would perform.

Answer this question in a time-line; “when I arrive in the kitchen, my first task is to wipe down the surfaces, before collecting the vegetable for preparation…..”

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – If you prepared a meal and the customer didn’t like it, what actions would you take to resolve the issue?

Situational interview questions, like this one, are designed to check what you would do or have done previously.

When answering this question give 3 steps  “If a customer didn’t like a meal that had been prepared for them I would first reassure the customer that we would give them a new dish free of charge, as this increases customer loyalty. Next, I would explain to the chef what the customer said they didn’t like about the meal before checking that the ingredients or sources hadn’t turned sour.”

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question – What is your understanding of kitchen hygiene?

Food Hygiene is key in a kitchen.

Give a detailed answer here of your knowledge and the reason why you use certain chemicals, storing processes, hygiene processes.

To answer the interview question state the process you followed in a previous kitchen, as all kitchens adopt a similar routine when it comes to high hygiene standards.

Kitchen Assistant Job Interview Question -Do you have any questions for me?

Good questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.

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Likeability The Key to Interview Success

People often underestimate the power of likeability in the job interview situation.

Throughout the application process, the employer has checked your qualifications, experience and skill set. The final stage, the job interview, is to decide if you are a good fit for the team, to undercover your unique selling point/strengths and to decide if they like you.

Teams that work well together produce a higher quality of work, have increased retention and employees have fewer sick days. The interviewer at this stage of the application process is looking at your temperament as much as they look at your skill base and experience.

In many situations employers have hired not the best qualified or the most experienced, rather they hire the person they feel will fit in best with the team.

Remember if you have been invited to the interview stage you have already met the essential criteria of the job spec, the employer knows you have the minimum requirements, they are now focusing on your personality, values and work ethic.

How to Increase Rapport

The interview is, for many, a stressful situation. When stressed your personality, likeability and rapport-building skills take a back seat.

These simple techniques will help you increase your likeability increasing your chances of being offered the position.

Gaining Employers Agreement

In the interview, you may find yourself in a situation where you disagree with a point the employer has made. Is this a test? Are you more of an expert than the employer? Do you agree or disagree?

By agreeing with the employer they will like you more than if you disagree. But in many situations, you need to highlight your knowledge and expertise by disagreeing. To overcome this, you can agree than disagree by using this simple line.

“I agree on that point (this breaks down resistance) but (add in your expertise)…” Compare that line to “no that not true” or “I don’t agree with that” these two lines will instantly break rapport, by agreeing and then adding a “but…” you breakdown resistance, the employer likes you and you get your own thoughts/expertise across.

Adding value

To really build up your likeability while at the same time showing off your knowledge and expertise you can use a sneaky technique that works in any sector interview.

The idea is to share your knowledge and expertise, the interviewer will see you as pure gold, thinking “if they are sharing this valuable content with during the interview what will they share when I employ them.

When the interviewer makes a statement, you need to “repeat and then add value” By repeating first, shows that you respect the interviewer’s thoughts, experience and opinions which builds rapport. The sharing of insight will increase the value the interviewer unconsciously attributes to you.

As an example, the interviewer may be discussing a piece of technology they use in your sector. Your answer would be “yes that piece of technology is very good at X(repeat) ……(now add value) recently a new version of the software has come to market the advantages of this is X and the disadvantages is Y…”

By giving both advantages and disadvantages of the technology, you can wait to hear the employer’s opinion and then agree with this, to increase likeability. If you only quoted either the advantage or disadvantage and the employer discussed the opposite you would break rapport. And rapport easier to break than it is to build.

Likeability

People like people who like them.

At the interview end when asked if you have any questions to ask the employer, make reference to how you would enjoy working together as you like there (work ethic, values or commitment)

By stating that you like X about the employer, the employer will automatically like you in return.

As well as structuring your interview questions, as well as preparing your answers, as well as planning which key strengths and unique selling point to discuss you also, and this is key to job interview success, have to learn how to build rapport and likeability.

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Next Job Interview Answers

Job Interview Questions and Answers for Next Retail

The Next company job interview is relatively easy and delivered in a laid-back fashion. Often the first interview round is via telephone, followed by an in-store assessment and traditional interview.

As well as being asked the below job interview questions applicants are normally asked to ‘pick out an outfit for a customer’ It is a focus on customer service skills that will result in a job offer.

NEXT clothing retail interview competitiveness

Type of NEXT job Interview

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

NEXT retail job interview questions and answers

  • Job Interview Question 1: What is your experience in retail?

“I have over X years of experience in retail, my career highlights are A, B, and C (give lots of detail and selling points) I have always enjoyed working in retail and long term I am keen to progress in Next clothing and move into management roles”

    • Job Interview Question 2: How would you handle a customer complaint?

“In my previous roles, I have worked on the customer service desk where I was responsible for dealing with complaints. An example of this was when (give a real-life example of when you turned around a complaint) ”

    • Job Interview Question 3: What would you do if a customer order hadn’t arrived and they desperately needed the item?

“For me, customer service is key for customer retention. I always do my best to support customers. This situation happened to me recently. To support the customer I first checked if we had the item the customer had purchased in the stock room because we hadn’t I rang around other stores and sent a courier to deliver to the customer’s address. This pleased the customer and she ended up spending more money in the store”

      • Job Interview Question 4: How would you deal with busy periods when customers just literally want to get in and out?

“In my last role, I worked in a really busy store and many customers were wanting to come in and buy goods rather than shop around. I had the idea of approaching customers with an iPad to check if we had the goods in-store. This was a real success of the idea was rolled out across all stores”

  • Job Interview Question 5: If you were due to go home and you were supporting a customer what would you do?

“I’m a very customer-focused person. If a customer needs my support I will work with them until they have finished shopping. As an example, when I was working for (company name) I was at the end of my shift when a customer asked for support. I (add actions) and supported the customer with their request.”

  • Job Interview Question 6: Have you ever dealt with a rude customer? What did you do?

“Yes on the customer service desk I worked on I would deal with rude customers each day, but I was very good at calming customers down and resolving their issues. An example was (give a real example with a positive outcome)”

  • Job Interview Question 7: Why do you want to work for Next retail?

“As a next customer, I enjoy the atmosphere in next, plus I like the style of clothing. For me, I want to sell goods that I believe in and because I love the next brand and wear the clothes myself I would find it easy to sell these garments to customers”

    • Job Interview Question 8: Do you have any questions to ask me?

Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company’s growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training, and questions on company values, staff retention, and company achievements.

  • Have you seen an impact on in-shop customers with an increase in online buying?
  • What are the busy times of the year?
  • Who is Next biggest competitor?

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Top 5 Telephonic Interview Bloopers to Avoid

Interviewing for a job, in-person or telephonic, is one of the most critical stages of job-hunting. Many of us experience stress and high anxiety. However, making interview mistakes in any form can make you pay for it!

Most of the companies prefer a telephonic interview, which is probably like a ‘mini job interview’ before the final ‘face-to-face’ interview. If all goes well, it paves the way for the final in-person interview.

If you have an upcoming telephonic interview and you are still thinking how to crack it, understanding some of the common telephonic interview bloopers would help you to excel in it.

These include:

Neglecting the importance of the right place for the interview

Most of us fail to understand the importance of a right environment for conducting a telephonic interview. Avoid a noisy location, in presence of friends, or while driving your car. Choosing your home or a private office cabin where no one disturbs you is a perfect place. When at home, avoid distractions like kids, other phone calls, TV, or your pet barking. Use a right phone connection with the proper network. Take out sufficient time to attend the call and do not assume that it will get over in ten minutes or so.

Treating it casually

Don’t think a phone interview to be just another casual ‘know you’ call. These are seriously taken by employers as a part of their screening process and choosing the best candidates for final interview. Never assume that you will get another call, as this might be your first and the last interview call from the company depending on your performance.

Lack of preparation

When you do not take this interview as real, the chances are high that you will lack in your preparation for the same. Like an ‘in-person’ interview, it is vital to prepare for a telephonic interview by researching about the company, job description, and practicing some common interview questions.

Not concentrating on your voice tone

Since you are not present in front of the interviewer, your voice is the only medium that will help you to send across the right impression. Make your pitch convey that you are interested, enthusiastic, and attentive to answer his questions. Speak clearly and slowly to convey your thoughts clearly. A right voice modulation is the key to overcome the disadvantage of the absence of facial expressions, body language, and eye contact.

Forget to keep the application form handy

Keeping your resume, application form and other required details handy is required to answer any related questions quickly. Do not hassle your phone interview by remembering and looking for required details, such as previous salary, at the time of attending the call. Not doing so gives an impression that you have not prepared for the interview, and hence, you are not much interested!

What to do then? Some important tips:

  • Do not drink, chew, or eat anything during the interview, as it might not sound pleasant while speaking.
  • Prepare some common questions such as reasons to leave the previous organization, what you know about the current company/role, what are your strengths and weaknesses, etc.
  • Choose a location that has an appropriate background to avoid any distractions.
  • Keep resume details handy to waste any time.
  • Keep relevant questions ready to ask the interviewer at the end.
  • Avoid multi-tasking (no emails, chats, household work, etc. at the time of phone interview).

All the best!

Author Bio:

Swati Srivastava is an avid writer who loves to pen down her ideas and career tips for job seekers and professionals. Her blog posts, new stories, and articles are focused on the extensive domain of employment sector in the gulf. Currently, she is writing for Naukrigulf.com. Follow her @LinkedIn 

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How to Answer Social Media Interview Questions

Social media is the new rising star when it comes to upcoming job sectors.

For many applicants applying for this new role the job interview can be a scary place, as it is hard to predict the interview questions for a position that has only been available for the past few years.

Social media is a common tool for marketing services and products and all businesses are joining in. For some social media positions, you will be part social media assistant and part administrator.

Whereas in large organisations and online marketing companies you be full-time social media coordinator. Even though this role is relatively new competition for these roles is high. Surprisingly though many employers, especially in small businesses hire social media techs but don’t really know what they should ask them to do!!

Job Interview Questions for Social Media Jobs

          • Job Interview Question 1: What is your experience in social media and marketing?

Here you need to discuss your online experience by quoting how you/the company you work for have increased page likes, Twitter followers, +1’s on Google, followers on Instagram and on your like me profile. describe that strategy you used to increase your social media presence and explain how these same skills would benefit the company. Experienced marketers can also discuss marketing strategies, presentations and project management

        • Job Interview Question 2: Why is social media an integral part of a business plan?

To be successful in this sector you need to explain to the interviewer how your skills will increase the company’s social media presence, which increases website hits, increasing sales and profit. Give really examples of this in action and quote figures and percentages. You need to show that you can increase profit, making your wage look insignificant

        • Job Interview Question 3: What social sites do you use and how would you compare them against each other?

This is a knowledge based question. start by discussing the success of well know brands such as Facebook, explain how as an example vine and youtube get a percentage of hits compared to other social media sites and discuss the future of social media – G+ is predicted to be highly popular and how the increase of browsing on smart phones increase year on year

          • Job Interview Question 4: What social media pages or profiles have you created and managed for previous employers?

This is a great question to highlight your worth. start by explaining how poorly a site/page was doing quoting numbers. Discuss what strategies you used to increase hits (in detail) and give the out (number of users, followers, outward referrals to the website and increase in sales from direct referrals)

        • Job Interview Question 5: Which social media platform will popular in the next 5 years and why?

first you need to explain how tablets, phones and TV web channels are changing the face of online marketing. research future trends regarding social media and discuss what you predict will happen, explaining how you would incorporate this into your marketing plan.

        • Job Interview Question 6: How can a business generate income from social media?

As you know there are several money making streams available for the employer. Discuss this in general and then pick one key point that you know your future employer would be interested in and discuss what systems you would implement to make your department a financial success.

        • Job Interview Question 7: Which social media monitoring, analytics and publishing tools do you use?

Again, this question is to test your knowledge. Discuss two or three analytic systems and compare them against each other talking about the pro’s and con’s. Finish this question by explaining how you would use this data to change your marketing campaign.

          • Job Interview Question 8: What are the benefits of platforms such as Hootsuite, TweetDeck?

To answer this question, start by explaining which platforms you have used in the past and give an appraisal of each platform. Discuss any new platforms that have recently come to market and discuss the benefits to that particular company.

        • Job Interview Question 9: What are the pro’s and con’s of a LinkedIn group vs. LinkedIn page

This question can be asked for a range of different social media tools. To answer the question give the advantages and disadvantages of the page/group. If you have had any key successes with any tool, explain this in detail  

        • Job Interview Question 10: How would you design a social media page to increase customer retention?

Before answering this question think about the companies targeted audience and use this knowledge to give a relevant answer. Explain the importance of niching, picture vs text percentage, interactive webpages and tools. The relevant the better!!

        • Job Interview Question 11:Why is Google+ becoming leader in social media?

G+ is becoming a force to be reckoned with. In this answer explain why G+ is increasing in usage. Also discuss some of the Google set backs and recent trails such authorship.

        • Job Interview Question 14: Do you have any questions for me?

 Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.