Job Interview Secrets Revealed

TITLE : JOB INTERVIEW SECRETS REVEALED

© copyright 2002 http://www.1jobinterviewtechniques.com
From the book ``Job Interview Secrets Revealed''
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Dear Reader,
I hope you are having success in finding the job & lifestyle
that you desire. In order to aid your success I hope that
this extract from a series of 11 free reports is of great
benefit to you.

The topics covered over the 11 part series are as follows :-

1Introduction ( this one )

2The Players

3Order of Play

4Psychometric / Selection Tests

5In-tray Exercises

6Analytical Problem Solving Exercises

7Presentations

8Group Discussions

9Fact Finders

10The Dreaded Interview

11Conclusion & Summary

My level of lifestyle has somewhat taken a turn for the better
as a result of my career progression over the last 6yrs.
Within that time my salary has tripled and no doubt it will
increase if I carry on applying the principles that I will
describe over the coming chapters. I have had six different
jobs in that time within the same company as I have progressed
up the ladder, working in a number of different areas. I hope
that with the information that I'm about to arm you with, your
lifestyle will & salary will improve greatly as well.

I used to think that I knew enough about interviews to get a
job. I'd be in an interview for anything from 10-20mins to
1-2 days and then that would be it.

I'd come across confidently and then that would be enough to
get me a job. Great in theory, but I never did manage to get
any jobs that I really wanted, I stayed in work, working for
agencies doing various jobs, a few weeks here, a couple of
months there, but nothing that provided me with security and
potential for career progression. I meandered along like this
for the best part of six years. Well paid secure jobs with
great incomes and potential to develop never did come my way,
until I asked myself:-
`` How can I increase my chances of success, is it just luck
or can I influence the outcome of any interview I go to ?''

The answer to those questions, although obvious in hindsight,
was to go and find out about various aspects of interviews and
the exercises that I would have to go through. It was a
massive eye-opener for me. Over an initial period of three
months my strategy was to talk to as many people from different
companies as possible ( including the company that I am
working for now ) about different aspects of interview
techniques.

I spoke to :-

-recent recruits who had been successful
-recent recruits who had been unsuccessful
-personnel managers
-technical / line managers
-people who were still doing the same job after 20yrs
of being recruited

It was an eye-opener for me. I wish I had asked those questions
and gathered the knowledge when I first thought about getting
a job. I'd be earning even more than what I am today.

But nonetheless, I did get the interview techniques & secrets
that I needed to ensure my initial success and my continued
success as I have applied the same principles time and time
again.
Although most of my information was gathered in those
3 months, I have fined tuned my techniques over the years as I
have sought more and more information & applied my findings in
interviews, as I have changed jobs within the company that I
work for, some sideways, some promotions.

So why write a book on interview techniques ? Easy, I have had
so many people over the last few years come to me to ask advice
on various interview techniques. Whether it be just about the
interview itself, or presentations, group exercises, factfinders,
selection / aptitude tests, analytical problem solving tests,
in-tray exercises to interview attire.

So having talked to dozens of people and helping them get jobs
or helping them to get promoted I thought about how many other
people could benefit from this information. I couldn't possibly
talk to every individual out in the big wide world, so the next
best thing is to publish the information.

You may ask, well why don't you keep your secrets closely
guarded ? Well, I don't need to keep them guarded, it's not as
if there is only one job out there that all of us billions are
applying for. Another reason is that when I went into book shops
to find information myself, I couldn't find any decent books
that explained things in plain English, so I asked myself
``How many other people have tried looking for information
without success ? ''. The answer to that was the people who have
come to me and still do come to me for advice, and I only know a
very small minute percentage of the planet's population to put
things into perspective.

I'm sorry to say that there is no magic nor mythical shrouds
that I will unveil to you, but I will reveal the secrets that
I have sought to ensure my own success & other peoples success
who have come to me for advice. You don't need any special
skills to apply them, just common sense and self-motivation
to spend a little time to practice & research your own
campaigns. So let's talk about interviews now.

Interviews - why do we need them ?
Well mainly because of the following reasons :-

(i) To assess a person's suitability and ability for a job,

(ii) A vehicle for interviewee's to sell themselves

(iii) Personnel in some cases to assess whether or not a
person meets the company profile, never-mind whether or
not a person is capable of doing a job

(iv)The line managers ( managers who you will work directly
for andreport to ) to assess whether or not they are
suitable for the department and to see if they can get
on with potential candidates.

(v) To assess the candidates suitability for progression /
development up the company / corporate ladder

(vi)In the case for some graduate recruitments, to assess a
candidates suitability for a ``fast track scheme'' into
management or just into the normal career path.

(vii) Some candidates who are already working for a company
will be given assignments. In some instances these are
given to see whether or not a candidate can show the
ability to do a different job ( especially if it the
assignment were be a promotion if it was to become a
permanent job, or if it is a completely different
function ) . At the end of the assignment the candidate
will have to go through a formal interview process.
If you pass, then all well and good. If you fail the
process ( as I have experienced myself ) then it can be
extremely demoralising. In fact I have seen some
colleagues never really recover from it.

Have interviews always been the same or have they changed over
the years?

For you and me, I wish they had stayed the same. Talking to
some of the old timers that I work with ( shop floor &
office people / scientists ) who were recruited 25-30yrs ago,
they tell me that they had a 15min interview with the manager
they were likely to work with. That was it, they would then
just be told ``yes you'll do, start next Monday'' or
``thanks but no thanks.''

Interviews have changed over the last few years. There are a
number of reasons why :-

(i)The number of people unemployed is higher,

(ii)The calibre of people is generally higher than what
it used to be even 10years ago because people are
arming themselves with a greater and broader range
of skills and qualifications.

(iii)As companies / corporations become more lean &
efficient, they need less people overall, therefore
they need to ensure they recruit the right people

(iv)As a result the competition becomes more fierce
and employers need to assess people in a range of
environments to get what they think is a
`rounded-picture' of potential employee's.

So what are the environments that I will be assessed in ?

You can expect some or all of these depending on the job
that you are going for.

-interviews themselves
-presentations
-group exercises
-factfinders
-selection / aptitude tests
-analytical problem solving test
-in-tray exercises

Over the next 10 reports in this series, I will give you
an insight into each one.

Bye for now,
Howard Letap