what I have seemed to notice is that most of the "soft" questions are generally the same. But when it comes to the technical questions, this differs widely. I have done about 4 interviews since my layoff, all for different types of IT Support positions and the "technical" questions were all different so they were not that easy to prepare for them from one interview to the next. But I think for the technical questions they don't want to hear a correct specific answer, rather your frame of mind and how you would solve a problem like this. For example, some technical questions I have been asked is: What do you do when you can't connect to a printer and print something? My laptop doesn't turn on? What is the difference between a switch and a router? What is DNS/DHCP? What are 7 layers of the OSI model?

Everyone one of us wants/needs to stand out when we get a coveted in-person interview.

Homework: Use Google to do some basic research. What exactly does the company do, what is there product? Where are they Headquartered at? How many employees? How many different locations do they have? And often you can find out has any of their jobs already been outsourced out of the country, or even to other companies. What are their short and long term goals? Most of this information can be hunted down in less than 1 hour of your time.

Look at Glassdoor, Indeed for what others have said about working for the company, those sites also will give information about the companies benefits. Like Medical, Dental,.Vision, 401K, vacation time and so on. You want to have as much knowledge as possible before you start the interview.

Another part of what I call Homework and most people skip this part. Are you doing mock interviews? So you are not saying um, hey, yeah, ah, well, A few will not kill off an interview, but if you are doing all through the interview, guess what? They can tell you did not prepare. And there will be other candidates that did.

Mock interviews, get some questions from the internet, I am sure there are great ones right here on jobcase. You want to be able to answer the questions with a smooth delivery. Which will show you know your stuff and are confident. Oh and keep answers brief and on point. If they want more information, they will ask probing questions. Do not drag on for 5 minutes, answering every question.

Businesses use presentations to share information with their employees and other stakeholders. From changes to the organization chart to a new product, increases in market share and stock prices…a presentation makes it possible to inform a large audience all at once. So, it stands to reason the effective interview preparation should include presentation preparation. Furthermore, since speaking to a crowd makes many people nervous, I recommend that a little extra attention be paid to this phase of interview presentation.

As an interview candidate, you could find yourself in one of these three scenarios related to giving a presentation during the selection process: 1) You could be given a topic and other parameters before your interview and asked to be prepared to give a presentation during your interview; 2) You could be asked to give a presentation on a topic of your choice that is related to your career field or the position that you are interviewing for; or 3) You could be asked, during your interview, to give an impromptu presentation on a specified topic. This post offers steps that you can take to ensure that your presentation is exactly what the interviewer(s) are asking for.

I like to think of giving a presentation as a form of story-telling. Determine the point you want to make during your presentation; choose three points related to your chosen point of view to focus on; take each one individually; then present facts that support your point of view. Take this blog post for example. My objective is to help you create an awesome presentation for your next big job interview. So, I am telling you a story about three possible approaches that your potential employer could use to ask you to make a presentation during their selection process. I will present supporting information on each approach separately to help you in your preparation. Then, I will summarize everything and conclude my post. So, you see? One is presenting verbally and the other is presenting in writing, but the approach is very similar.

The first thing that I recommend is that you make a checklist of all of the requirements that your presentation needs to meet. It doesn’t have to be formal or fancy, but it needs to give you a place to track your progress by checking off each requirement as you work towards completion. Your checklist should also include information regarding your presentation platform (i.e., PowerPoint, Sway, etc.). Once you finish creating your presentation, let someone whom you trust, read it to see if it flows well. If time permits, give a copy of your checklist to a group of family members and/or friends. Do a practice run in front of them and ask them for feedback on how well your presentation meets the listed requirements.

Giving a presentation on a pre-determined topic, with other parameters spelled out for you is the most-advantageous scenario to be in. Think about it, you don’t have to stress, wondering if your topic is appropriate. You also don’t have to figure out an appropriate presentation length, etc. The thing that candidates have to remain mindful of when in this scenario, is that the employer is assessing his/her ability to follow instructions. So, if you are asked to do a five-minute presentation on the best way to complete a work task, don’t give a two-minute, or a ten-minute presentation on all the tasks that you do on your job. You will not have met the outlined requirements per the interviewer’s instructions and will likely not receive a high rating. That is definitely not the outcome that you want after all of your hard work.

Giving a presentation on a career-field-related topic of your choice can provide the freedom of feeling comfortable with a topic that you chose. In this scenario, keep in mind that the interviewer is not only assessing your ability to follow directions, but your creativity, and your ability to exercise sound judgment. Your creativity should shine in your use of transitions from one point to the next, sound effects, and images. There is a balancing act, though. You want your transitions to be non-distracting, but to act as facilitators of the information-sharing process. For example, if you use PowerPoint, it will not be a good decision to use sound effects, flashes, etc. with each slide transition. You may want to consider having only a few of your bullet points slide onto the screen and possibly have one slide fade away to reveal the next slide. I recommend that you use sound-effects sparingly. As cute as you may think they are, they can be quite annoying when over-used. Also, if you do not receive instruction on the length of your presentation, try to have it be no longer than five-to-seven minutes long. You want to leave time for a questions/answer period. Thinking about these types of things will show the interviewer that you are good at anticipating the needs of your audience and valuing their time. Remember that they have to sit through more than one interview, so you want them to remember you for the right reasons. Use your time wisely, by presenting your information, offering strong supporting facts in a succinct manner, to make a great impression.

Being asked to give an impromptu presentation is probably the most difficult of all scenarios, but if you keep the interviewer’s objective in mind, you will be able to ace the task. Here, the interviewer will assess your ability to think quickly on your feet, as well as your knowledge of your career field. Realize that in business, whether interacting with employees, the board of directors, customers/clients, or the general public, you will be asked questions and expected to respond “off-the-cuff.” So, take it in stride. You may not be able to anticipate exactly what you could be asked to make a presentation on during an interview; however, a great place to start is the vacancy announcement. While reviewing the most-impactful duty statements for the position, think of how you could create a presentation about the subject matter. Create a mental vision of three points, directly related to your subject, that you could discuss during a short presentation. Even taking the time to try and prepare to this extent, could put you miles ahead of the pack during the selection process.

Having a successful career search is possible…and probable with the right amount of, and perspective on preparation. Be proactive and create your own possibilities. Even if reality is not a perfect match, I guarantee you that you will have the upper hand in the process.

Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!

Original Post on HR by Nnamtique (nnamtique.com).

Stay calm and be comfortable with who you are, what experience you have, and have confidence in knowing, and then sharing with prospective employer, what you can bring to the workplace and the team. Remember to not come off as being too prideful and instead humble yourself for having the opportunity to have even been able to interview with an amazing foundation like the UofU. Good luck!

I need some much needed honest advice. I have just been laid off after working for over 5 years as a: Field/Onsite/Remote Advanced Technology Support Specialistat at a large IT Managed Services provider, and I provided: Onsite and Field computer, printer, and point of sale technical support for large corporate companies and small/medium environments. I am getting back into my job search and job hunting once again and need some honest advice on a few important things:

2. Since being laid off I have been on a few interviews.  The main problem I have during interviewing is if I get asked a number of technical questions dealing with the position.  I either don’t know the answer to these questions and I have to come up with an answer “on the fly”.  Usually, I tend to do rather well with Behavioral type questions because it seems I can “bs” my way around them and tell them “what they want to hear”.  However when it comes to technical questions having to do with a specific program or tool I will be using for the position I am interviewing for, is where I freeze up and draw a blank with my answers: Mainly because I honestly don’t know the answer to what the interviewer is asking me and therefore don’t really know how to “bs” my way around it.
   

Lois, I really liked this question the writer offered near the end of the article: "What does it take for an employee to succeed in this position/company?"

I feel this could be an excellent lead-in question to ask, when the HR person or hiring manager says, "So, what can we tell you about us?" As they trot out their "best stuff," you can be "building your case for why you're a great fit with their idealized description,(if you truly feel you are!) and making it a lot harder for them to close out the interview with, "We feel you're not a good fit."

What should I say when asked “why do you want to work for our company”. Please let me know.

Have finally gotten past the first round of interviews. In four days I will be having a face to face interview. I've been trying to get this position for the last 6 years. Needing any interview tips or website information to give me an edge and get hired

I left my job two months ago and despite having multiple interviews (including many that are still looking for people to this day), nothing has worked out for me. I don’t know if my problem is how I interview or something else that no one is telling me. Any tips or tricks to perform better in interviews would be greatly appreciated.

How To Research Your Prospective Company

Proper preparation for job interviews is the crucial difference between interview success and failure. A prospective employer wants to know if you have spent sufficient time finding out about the company before the interview. This indicates your commitment and interest in the job and employer.

You may have heard the advice that it’s important to have some questions for the hiring manager when you’re interviewing for a job. While it’s true that interviewers will expect you to be curious and interested in their organization, and to show that by asking questions, it’s also true that you should come to the interview with a good baseline of knowledge about the company.

Doing a quick internet search on the prospective employer is a start but the successful job candidate needs to go beyond that. The questions you ask in the interview and the way you respond to the interview questions you are asked will reflect the depth of your knowledge of the organization, the industry and the job.

Hopefully, you’ll learn a lot about the company during the interview—like whether the organization and the company culture are a good fit for you, for example. But during the interview is not the time to learn basic information about the company. You should know all that before you set foot in corporate HQ.

The good news is that it’s easier than ever before to learn about an employer before the job interview. Take some time, in advance, to learn as much as you can online. Then, tap into your real-world network to see who you know who can help give you an interview edge over the other candidates. Do your research, and you’ll make a much better impression on the hiring manager.

Here are some resources for researching companies before the interview:

1. The Company Website

The obvious starting point is the company website. Use the website to find out the following:

A brief history of the organization.

Organizational structure, subsidiaries, branches, and holding company.

Major competitors.

All products and services.

Company culture including mission and vision.

Most recent news and happenings (read through the latest media releases and visit the company's Facebook page)

2. Other Online Resources

Corporateinformation.com - Provides information on both US and international companies including company profiles, earnings details and analyst reports.

Business.com - Provides news and research for a large number of public and private companies in a variety of industries.

Searchsystems.net - A Public Records Directory that provides free information on a private company

3. Get The Latest News Reports

www.newspaperlinks.com - Provides links to online newspapers throughout the world. Search for your local newspaper and research back articles on the company.

Google News - Search for company information. Provides company news and updates.

Bizjournals.com - Provides access to over 40 business journals where you can search for periodical articles that provide valuable information on the organization.

4. Industry Information

Preparing for job interviews includes updating yourself on the industry in which the company operates. Find out the the current industry trends, the leading companies in the industry and new developments in the industry.

www.corporateinformation.com - Provides links to resources for over 30 industrial sectors.

finance.yahoo.com - A valuable source of industry news.

5. Social Media

Search for company information and news on social media and networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Use your information to tailor your interview answers to be as relevant to the company as possible. Highlight areas that you can add value to. Ask insightful questions that demonstrate your hard work in preparing for the interview.

Follow Me For Weekly Informative Articles Patrick Coppedge