Anyone who has had multiple job interviews, but has not yet been hired, likely has a job interview weakness. In the following article you can discover how one man nailed down what his own interview weakness was. He was able to correct it once he had good feedback.
We all have shortcomings. Your job interview weakness could be the way you lost your last job, your age, a long period of unemployment, health issues, no college degree, anxiety, physical or emotional handicaps, a lack of self confidence, over explaining things, being too honest, being overqualified, not enough experience, or…simply an acute dislike for the whole stinking job interview process.
Perhaps you struggle with a personal appearance issue like weight, height, gray hair, no hair, too much hair in the wrong places…whatever.
Regardless of your fears or job interview weakness, they all fall within 2 broad categories:
- Things you have no control over.
- Things you can do something about.
Let’s address your specific job interview weakness within the 2nd category. But, before we go there, I want you to clearly see that a job interview rejection is a blessing and not a curse.
No one wants to be turned down for a job…especially one you are excited about. In fact, you may be experiencing a lot of turn downs lately, and your self confidence is just about totally shot.
Tip: Look at each job interview rejection as feedback. Try not to take it personally. The company is not rejecting you as a person. After all, you are not your job. Always try and get as much feedback as possible from those who interviewed you. Feedback is a gift.
True Story: Jon was a Product Engineer with a leading Automotive Tier 1 supplier. He lost his job in the wake of the recession. Jobs in his field were scarce. Despite a well written resume and countless hours of interview counseling and preparation, Jon always seemed to get the thumbs down after each and every job interview.
If you prepared a checklist of Jon’s strengths, the list would be long and distinguished. His resume was well written and he had no problems getting interviews. But, he wasn’t getting offers.
Jon decided to take action to figure out once and for all what job interview weakness was holding him back. So, he called his close friend, Matt, who just happened to be a Corporate HR Manager. Matt had interviewed, rejected, hired, and fired a lot of people over the years.
Jon asked Matt if he would meet with in person and do a mock interview. Most importantly, he asked Matt to please give him brutally honest feedback, no holds barred.
They met at Matt’s office instead of a restaurant or someone’s living room to make this mock interview more real. Jon asked Matt to ask him tough interview questions and then to please give him candid feedback.
Matt was happy to oblige.
Jon’s worst job interview weakness quickly became apparent. He talked too much…or as Matt put it, “You over explain things, Jon.”
Special Tip: One of the secrets to answering interview questions is keep your responses short and sweet…60 to 90 seconds max. If your interviewer needs or wants more information, they’ll ask you. Providing too much information, or talking in circles, puts you at risk of being rejected. The 2 reasons candidates tend to talk too much are nervousness and lack of preparation.
So, you’re probably asking yourself, how did Jon take this feedback? And, did it help?
Yes…most definitely.
Soon thereafter, Jon got an interview with a very stable, profitable company located near his extended family. Jon called his manager friend, Matt, and told him the good news. Matt suggested they meet again and do another mock interview. This time Jon nailed the interview.
And..he nailed the real job interview.
Despite being unemployed for several months, Jon was offered a position as a Product Engineer for 10% more than what he was earning at his last job. Six months later he got a raise. More importantly, he loves his job.
If your job interviews are resulting in no offers, or you feel like your job search has hit a brick wall, follow Jon’s example. Ask a trusted associate or friend to do a mock interview with you. You can provide the job interview questions. Ask your friend not to pull any punches. Simply tell it like it is. Then, work hard to turn this job interview weakness into a strength.
Tip: It’s not a good idea to ask your spouse or best friend to go through this with you. People who are too emotionally invested in you will either tell you how wonderful you are, or they will hand you your head by revealing to you your every flaw.
Not good.
Neither of these viewpoints will help you. Find someone who will be objective, open, and honest with you.
Job Interview Weakness
by Michael Petras
We all have shortcomings. Your job interview weakness could be the way you lost your last job, your age, a long period of unemployment, health issues, no college degree, anxiety, physical or emotional handicaps, a lack of self confidence, over explaining things, being too honest, being overqualified, not enough experience, or…simply an acute dislike for the whole stinking job interview process.
Perhaps you struggle with a personal appearance issue like weight, height, gray hair, no hair, too much hair in the wrong places…whatever.
Regardless of your fears or job interview weakness, they all fall within 2 broad categories:
Let’s address your specific job interview weakness within the 2nd category. But, before we go there, I want you to clearly see that a job interview rejection is a blessing and not a curse.
No one wants to be turned down for a job…especially one you are excited about. In fact, you may be experiencing a lot of turn downs lately, and your self confidence is just about totally shot.
Tip: Look at each job interview rejection as feedback. Try not to take it personally. The company is not rejecting you as a person. After all, you are not your job. Always try and get as much feedback as possible from those who interviewed you. Feedback is a gift.
True Story: Jon was a Product Engineer with a leading Automotive Tier 1 supplier. He lost his job in the wake of the recession. Jobs in his field were scarce. Despite a well written resume and countless hours of interview counseling and preparation, Jon always seemed to get the thumbs down after each and every job interview.
If you prepared a checklist of Jon’s strengths, the list would be long and distinguished. His resume was well written and he had no problems getting interviews. But, he wasn’t getting offers.
Jon decided to take action to figure out once and for all what job interview weakness was holding him back. So, he called his close friend, Matt, who just happened to be a Corporate HR Manager. Matt had interviewed, rejected, hired, and fired a lot of people over the years.
Jon asked Matt if he would meet with in person and do a mock interview. Most importantly, he asked Matt to please give him brutally honest feedback, no holds barred.
They met at Matt’s office instead of a restaurant or someone’s living room to make this mock interview more real. Jon asked Matt to ask him tough interview questions and then to please give him candid feedback.
Matt was happy to oblige.
Jon’s worst job interview weakness quickly became apparent. He talked too much…or as Matt put it, “You over explain things, Jon.”
Special Tip: One of the secrets to answering interview questions is keep your responses short and sweet…60 to 90 seconds max. If your interviewer needs or wants more information, they’ll ask you. Providing too much information, or talking in circles, puts you at risk of being rejected. The 2 reasons candidates tend to talk too much are nervousness and lack of preparation.
So, you’re probably asking yourself, how did Jon take this feedback? And, did it help?
Yes…most definitely.
Soon thereafter, Jon got an interview with a very stable, profitable company located near his extended family. Jon called his manager friend, Matt, and told him the good news. Matt suggested they meet again and do another mock interview. This time Jon nailed the interview.
And..he nailed the real job interview.
Despite being unemployed for several months, Jon was offered a position as a Product Engineer for 10% more than what he was earning at his last job. Six months later he got a raise. More importantly, he loves his job.
If your job interviews are resulting in no offers, or you feel like your job search has hit a brick wall, follow Jon’s example. Ask a trusted associate or friend to do a mock interview with you. You can provide the job interview questions. Ask your friend not to pull any punches. Simply tell it like it is. Then, work hard to turn this job interview weakness into a strength.
Tip: It’s not a good idea to ask your spouse or best friend to go through this with you. People who are too emotionally invested in you will either tell you how wonderful you are, or they will hand you your head by revealing to you your every flaw.
Not good.
Neither of these viewpoints will help you. Find someone who will be objective, open, and honest with you.
Professional Bio: Michael Petras is a veteran Executive Recruiter of 14 years and also spent 20 years in the Recreational Vehicle Industry as a Sales Director. He hired and trained over 50 sales professionals. Many of these individuals have since gone on to become Directors, Executives, and Presidents of companies both inside and outside the RV Industry. Mike conducts community workshops for job seekers and career changers on a volunteer basis. Visit his free website for more job interview tips and advice at: http://www.job-interview-wisdom.com.
Copyright 2009. Job-interview-wisdom.com. All rights reserved.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Petras
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