As we all know the interview stage is the most important stage when it comes to your job search. This is where you as the candidate get to be face-to-face with the employer. Doing job search company research will better prepare you for the interview.

There are many aspects to the interview where you will be tested on your knowledge and how much research you have done. Therefore, it is vital before you get into the hot seat that you are well prepared. Today, I will take you through Part One of Doing your Homework, which is job search company research.

As a diligent job seeker it is essential to  thoroughly research the company’s website before the interview. There are three main aspects that need to be covered when you are conducting job search company research.

1. You want to check their ‘About Us’ or ‘Overview’ page. This page will take you through the history of the company, when they started, who founded the company, why they are in existence and what they are doing presently. This area will also take you through the mission statement. The mission statement will show you the company’s goals and values. This will really give you an idea of what they’ve done and where they are headed. Be sure to be an active reader who is result driven. It is not enough to merely skim read it, try to see where you can see yourself fit in and do not be afraid to broach the topic during the interview. Your interviewers will be impressed that you took the time and effort to actually visit their website. Believe it or not most candidates do not do this step and consequentially do not stand out. But make sure that you do not bring it up where it is not appropriate. The best time to show your research might actually be at the end during the chance to ask questions.
2. The next area you want to take a look at is their ‘Portfolio’, this maybe labeled differently depending on the company. Their portfolio will give you access to see the types of projects they have worked on, and what type of work they typically do. In the portfolio section, you may find out who their main customers are or which industry they serve the most.
3. Lastly, take a look at the company’s corporate social responsibility section. Here you will learn about how they participate in voluntary activities to better the society.

An employer will often want find out what you know about them; specifically, what types of projects they’ve worked on, who their customers are and if you know about their corporate social responsibility policy. Be sure to explore anything outside of these three points too, it is important to go through areas of the website that are relevant and learn as much as you can. Employers are not looking to see whether or not you can memorize their website. They are looking to see if you are well prepared to answer those types of questions, and to see how much research you can do with limited resources because not all websites will give you all the information you need.

Taking the time to do job search company research will not only make you seem well informed, but it will show the employer the amount of interest you have and how dedicated you are to landing the opportunity. These are all positive qualities to have when interviewing. In Part Two of Doing your Homework, we will discuss researching the interviewers and why it is important to learn about who you are interviewing with before you meet them.

 

 

It’s important to always try to get feedback from the Recruiter or Hiring Manager about your performance in an interview. A Recruiter can be an invaluable source for collecting feedback. The Recruiter can help you to ask the right questions and most importantly how and when to ask them. 

Interview Tips Request Feedback

Feedback helps you evaluate your skill set and learn what employers are searching for in a new hire. Feedback can also help you refine your answers to interview questions and improve how you sell yourself in the next interview. Interviewing takes practice and is not something that comes easily to everyone. The Hiring Manager may not always be forthcoming as to why you were not selected for a particular job. After all it can be an uncomfortable conversation that a lot of busy professionals won’t be so keen on sharing. A Recruiter can be an invaluable source for collecting feedback. The Recruiter can help you to ask the right questions and most importantly how and when to ask them.

Generally speaking, if you are not selected after the initial screening process such as the phone interview, the Hiring Manager might not give you a substantial answer as to why you were not selected to proceed to the next step in the hiring process. However, if you have been through multiple interviews, then you are in a better position to ask for feedback because you have established a relationship with the Recruiter and Hiring Manager.

When asking questions, try not to sound defensive and be as gracious as possible when accepting the bad news. Thank the Recruiter or Hiring Manager for their time. It is important to maintain a good relationship with all your contacts. You want the Recruiter or Hiring Manager to keep you in mind for future opportunities. Also, graciousness will take you far…the Recruiter will be more willing to share specific feedback about your skills and experience if they see that you are genuinely interested and want to learn.  Feedback gives you the opportunity to identify your skill shortages, correct mistakes and improve interview performance for the future. 

You should also evaluate yourself throughout the interview process. Try to pick up on cues from the Interviewer as to how you are doing. Sometimes when Interviewers spend a lot of time discussing the company and industry, it’s a very good sign. If you are introduced to other members of the company at the end of your interview, this could also be a positive sign. If the interview is cut short or the Interviewer doesn’t seem focused on your answers, then it might mean that you are not the right fit for the role.

If you’re not chosen for the position and the Hiring Manager calls to deliver the bad news, it’s important to remain gracious through-out your initial shock. Thank them for their time and ask them politely what qualities would have made you a better candidate for that position. Don’t appear argumentative. Express your interest in constructive feedback. If your heart is really set on working for that particular company, let them know about your keen interest and ask to be considered for future opportunities.

This blog on Interview Tips Request Feedback is part of our weekly Career Planning Advice Blog at Fusion Career Services. 

 

Preparing for a video job interview is all about set up and practice. Don’t let your dog, the kids or your unusual wall art upstage you. Follow these tips to make sure you are the star in your job interview video!

 Video Interview Preparation:

1. Set the Stage – video interview preparation starts with picking an ideal location in your home where you can sit comfortably in front of your computer and where the background is not too distracting. A home office, dinning or family room are ideal locations. What will the interviewers see behind you? Remove clutter, unusual artwork or other items that may be distracting. 
2. Control Lighting – pick a location where you can adjust the lighting depending on the time of day and brightness outside.
3. Minimize Noise – pick a location where you can close a door or at least position yourself some distance from household or street noises. A room with carpet muffles sounds better than hard surface flooring. Indoor noises to be aware of are toilets flushing, dishwasher, laundry machines, blender, doorbell, phones, and of course pets, children and other people in your household. Don’t forget to consider outdoor noises such as the garbage truck, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction noises, and anything else that could be loud and distracting.
4. Manage Pets, Children and other People Distractions –  if possible, arrange to have someone take the dog and the children out of the house for an hour or two.
5. Silence your Cell Phone – eliminate distractions from your cell phone by turning off the volume.
6. Turn off Computer Calendar Alerts – turn off calendar alerts and other pop-ups and noises that might interrupt the interview.
7. Set up your Computer – download or update the software necessary for the video interview. Test out the platform and make sure you are familiar with how to use it. The most important part of video interview preparation is testing the video application. Can you make a video call, can you answer when someone calls you, do you know how to turn on the camera and adjust volume?
8. Be prepared for Technical Difficulties – test everything a couple of days ahead of time and then do it again the day of the interview. Sometimes there are problems and you need to stay calm and not let this impact your interview.
9. Dress for the Interview – it is a job interview, so dress in the way you would for an in-person interview including dress shoes. For many people, dressing up changes how you feel about yourself and can help keep the interview professional. Resist the temptation to wear sock monkey slippers or pajama pants. You might look down and completely lose your focus. 
10. Practice Good Grooming – similar to dressing up, good grooming is important. Make a special point to check for visible nose hairs.
11. Arrange Seating – don’t sit too close to the computer screen and try to angle your head so that the interviewers are looking at your face straight on and not on an angle where they really will get a view of your nose hairs.
12. Smile and make Eye Contact – don’t forget to smile. Control the volume of your voice. Try not to move around too much. Try to make eye contact with the interviewer by looking directly at the camera lens, not the computer screen. This feels strange and takes some practice.
13. Listen for Time Delays – sometimes there will be a short delay during a video interview, so make sure you pause before speaking to ensure you do not speak over top of someone else.
14. Practice, practice and more practice – whether you are a novice at the video interview or not, practice with a friend. You can video tape yourself, play it back and make adjustments. 
15. Prepare for the Job Interview – don’t get so caught up in the video interview prep that you forget to prepare for the actual job interview. Visit our other Career Planning Advice blogs for more interview tips. 

Good luck with your Video Interview Preparation. If you have any other tips to share please comment.

The job description never paints a full picture of the job. You need to ask the right questions to uncover if the opportunity is the right fit for you. Find out how to ask potential employers questions.

Welcome back to Part 2 of the blog series on Interviewing Employers! Interviewing your potential employer is very important, as we discussed previously the employer should impress you, to ensure you are getting into the right role. In our blog Interviewing Employers Part 1 we talked about asking general questions regarding the role, growth opportunities and culture. Today we will be asking technical questions that are more job related, that are pertinent to ask to ensure you are walking into a great opportunity…

Ask potential employers questions about duties and responsibilities

Looking at a job description it will list your required duties and responsibilities. Before accepting any new position, it is important to know what is exactly expected of you. If the requirement says that you are making outbound calls, your question to the employer is “How many calls per day (or hour) do you expect a person in this position to make?” The point is to find out exactly what is required and what is expected. This way you are not blindsided after accepting and finding out that this opportunity is really not right for you.

Ask about job requirements

Job requirements can range anywhere from an employer asking for exceptional computer skills or requiring that you travel on the job. It is important to break down your questions and find out exactly what it is the employer is looking at. In this case, lets look at travelling on the job. Ask the employer “what percentage of the time am I required to travel? Is it mainly day or overnight travel? Is it local or international travel?”. All of these questions are very important to narrow down if the opportunity is right. This will eliminate any element of surprise and can really show you if you are truly the right fit.

The Ideal Candidate

Who would be the ideal candidate for this role? In my professional opinion, I would say this is one of the best questions to ask. It puts the hiring manager in a position to honestly say what they are looking for. The job description never paints a full picture of the job. When the hiring manager gets to speaking they will open up about details, characteristics and expectations of the role and candidate. This will allow you to consider the whole opportunity in perspective and truly understand if it is right for you.

Interviewing is a two-way street. Both parties need to know what they are getting into before they make any formal decision. Accepting a new opportunity is a long-term commitment for most individuals. Ask potential employers questions before you accept an offer. Asking the right questions will ensure you are walking into the right opportunity!

Job Searching can be a very lengthy process, especially when you are searching for that right opportunity. Interview potential employers to discover if the opportunity fits!

As a candidate being granted an interview is a huge step forward in the process. Typically, candidates will take the opportunity to research the employers, see who they are and really try their best to impress them. However, candidates should also take the time to interview potential employers and be impressed by them. Below you will find a list of questions to ask with a brief explanation of why it is a good question….

Could you describe a typical day for this role?

Job descriptions say a lot about what the role requires and what skills you need. But it does not tell you how a typical day can look like. Descriptions do not tell you the volume of calls you may receive, or the amount of work there is. Asking this question will clarify what your day may look like, and will offer you more clarity in potentially accepting the role.

What are the growth opportunities for a person in this position?

This question will allow you to see where the position you are interviewing for can potentially take you. It also puts the employer in a position to talk further about the growth opportunities. Whether, they fund an education program, or they promote within their company. This question will really allow you to see your growth potential in the organization.

Could you describe the company culture?

Company culture is an interesting question because this where you can see if you will fit in overall. However, answers for this questions can be vague and it is okay to probe. If an employer answers with fun and dynamic, you can probe and ask what they mean by that. Does it mean the team goes out and participates in outside activities? Is the team a part of sports team? There are many questions that can help in finding out what the company culture is like. Be meticulous and ask the right questions, the interview does not need to be skewed in a different direction. Find out what the culture is like and if it fits within your values it will make the decision of accepting all the easier.

Finding that right opportunity involves many steps, and one of them is interviewing your potential employers. You should be just as impressed with the employer as they should be impressed with you. The questions listed above are guidelines to further questions that can be asked. In the next part of Interview Potential Employers, we will discuss how to ask job specific and technical questions to ensure you are walking into the right opportunity!

Body language is important in any social setting and can help the other person determine how you feel about a situation, especially eye contact. In this blog, Interview Tips Eye Contact, you will learn what eye contact conveys about you during a interview.

Eye contact with an interviewer during an interview conveys many different messages; the most important being confidence and self-esteem which are both important qualities to have as an employee. The interviewer is also able to gage your interest level based on the amount of eye contact you make. If you are constantly having shifty eyes and keep your gaze away from the interviewers, it may show a lack of interest in the opportunity on your part and it can also be seen as disrespectful. However, this may not necessarily be the case in all parts of the world as it is in North America. In Japan for example, it is considered incredibly rude to maintain constant eye contact.

Build Trust

An appropriate amount of eye contact during an interview is extremely necessary in order to help convey sincerity as well as honesty. If you continuously avoid eye contact, you will have a hard time building a rapport with the interviewer and trust will be hard to establish as well because it is difficult to trust someone who you feel is avoiding making eye contact with you. The interviewer will think that you are trying to come up with a lie to the question they have just asked you. 

Show Interest

Eye contact is a really easy way to convey your interest level during an interview. When you are excited and happy, your eyes naturally tend to dilate and exhibit a certain amount of sparkle, which will help the interviewer pick up on how excited you truly are about the opportunity. Avoiding eye contact will make the interviewer think that you are not interested in the job, company, salary or worse—them.

Look, Don’t Stare – Interview Tips Eye Contact

Even though maintaining a good amount of eye contact is extremely important, remember to look and not stare. You don’t want to stare down your interviewer as that can be seen as threatening and just plain creepy. There are certain tactics that you can use in order to maintain a natural eye contact level. Take a short pause and look away to think about the question that was asked in order to formulate a good answer. Breaking eye contact to think of your answer shows that you are confident and are interested enough to think about the question before you answer. You may even consider bringing a notebook to the interview. This shows your interviewer that you are interested enough to take notes and learn about the company, and it helps create an effective and natural opportunity to look away from the interviewer. Often times there are more than one interviewer. It is important to make eye contact with everyone that is present in the room, and refer your answers to everyone, not just the person who asked the question.

Interviewing can be daunting, but you need to realize that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. In order to build good rapport and trust with the interviewer or within any relationship in life, eye contact and body language helps play an integral role. Use the information in this blog, Interview Tips Eye Contact, to prepare for your next job interview.