Heather Johnson joins us today with a great primer on how to ace the interview. I especially like Heather’s emphasis on building confidence by planning, researching, and practicing before the meeting. Enjoy! — Kim Isaacs

10 Tips to Ace the Job Interview
by Heather Johnson

Most people dread going on job interviews. The stress of meeting new people, dealing with tough questions, and possibly losing a good job opportunity is enough to unnerve even the most self-assured people. The good news is that with a little preparation, you can “wow” the interviewer and become a frontrunner for the position. Follow these 10 tips to ace the interview:

1. Research the Company – Employers are impressed by candidates who take the initiative to learn about their operations. Your research findings will also help you ask relevant questions during the interview.

2. Learn About the Interviewer – If you know who is interviewing you, find out a little more about the person. Check out the company’s website for employee bios or visit social networking sites like LinkedIn. Be careful not to overdo this, though — you don’t want to appear like a stalker.

3. Practice – Ask a friend, family member, or colleague who is experienced with job interviews to roleplay with you. Here’s a list of 50 common interview questions that you can use as a starting point. Just going through some possible interview questions will help ease your nerves.

4. Dress Appropriately, Yet Comfortably – Wear your best business attire for an interview, but don’t squeeze into something that’s uncomfortable. You’ll feel awkward and your physical discomfort might affect your performance.

5. Tell Yourself You Don’t Need This Job – Even if this seems like your “dream job,” convince yourself that you don’t need the job. This way, it won’t be the end of the world if the interview doesn’t go well.

6. Be Punctual – Plan ahead and allow some extra time for traffic, as you will not make a good first impression if you are late.

7. Make Eye Contact – Make direct eye contact with the interviewer. This shows that you are genuinely interested in what the interviewer is saying.

8. Remain Calm – When people are nervous, they tend to rush through conversations. Take your time while answering questions, and think before you speak.

9. Ask Questions – The interview will help you determine if you even want the job, so be sure to ask questions. You may discover that this isn’t the job for you.

10. Thank Your Interviewer – Not only should the interview end with a “thank you” and a handshake, follow up with a thank you card as soon as you return from the interview.

Perhaps the most important rule is #8–you will perform better if you appear calm and collected, even if you are shaking on the inside.

About the Author: Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of how to become a pharmacist. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com (replace “at” with @ and “dot” with “.”).

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I caught up with my friend and colleague Carole Martin (”The interview Coach”), and I wanted to let you know about a great service that she’s offering: Live Speed Interviewing Events. If your interview skills are rusty, you can sign up for her tele-classes and learn from one of the most talented experts in the field.

In each session, Carole interviews job seekers who take the “hot seat” and are asked common interview questions (including the dreaded, “What are your weaknesses?” question, which I think should be banned at this point). Carole then critiques the responses and everyone learns how to formulate stronger answers to tough interview questions.

I was shocked when Carole told me what she’s charging for the Speed Interviewing sessions (see current rates on her website here), and I told her that participants are getting a great value for these information-packed classes. I don’t know how long she will keep her rates so low, so now is a good time to sign up if you would like to enhance your interviewing skills. Carole also makes recordings of past events available at a discounted rate.

You’re in for a real treat if you sign up — the combination of Carole’s expertise, teaching style, and passion for interview coaching is sure to “boost your interview IQ” so you can ace your next interview!

To your success,

Kim Isaacs

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Here’s a link to another Fox Business News segment with host Anna Gilligan. The topic is the importance of paying attention to and building an online identity that can help you advance your career. More and more employers and recruiters are using the internet to learn about potential hires, so it’s important that they find positive information about you. Don’t get left the dust because employers couldn’t find you on the internet, or worse, they find information that makes them not want to hire you.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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I bought my friends tickets to see The Big Apple Circus. They loved the show, and when I asked about their favorite acts, juggling was at the top of the list. Juggling just seems so amazing (as well as aerodynamically impossible).

The one fact that’s not apparent at the live act is the multitude of times the performers have dropped items during training. Untold hours of practice and lots of mistakes have led to a pristine performance at the circus.

I couldn’t help but see the correlation with job searching. The process can be so frustrating, and is fraught with rejection, roadblocks, and failure. There’s so much competition for the best jobs, and even the strongest candidates can be left jobless for a long time.

The lesson for job seekers? Keep trying. If you don’t get a response to a job posting or don’t hear back from an employer, move forward and keep the momentum going. Reach out to someone in your network. Refresh your resume. Learn new job search skills that will make you more marketable. Job searching is a learned skill, and the more you know, the more successful you will be. When you’re feeling like no good jobs are on the horizon, keep in mind the juggler who has dropped the ball thousands of time before he is able to perform to a live audience.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Many people slow down their job search efforts in the summer. Is this a mistake? Are there opportunities in the summer that job seekers could miss if they’re taking a break? Check out my new article on Monster.com to find out:

Sizzling Summer Job Search Tips

Stay cool,

Kim Isaacs

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Country singer George Strait’s song, “Write This Down” asks his lover to write down that he loves her because he “forgot” to tell her while they were together. Too late, because she’s leaving. It’s a shame he couldn’t use Jott.com, a new service (currently available in the U.S. and Canada) that allows you to call a toll-free number and have your voice message transcribed and emailed/text-messaged to yourself or the person or group of your choice.

Jott.com has great potential to help job seekers. For example, have you ever sat down to write an interview thank-you note, but realized you forgot important information from the meeting? With a free account from Jott.com, you could call Jott.com from your cell phone immediately after a job interview and narrate important points, and the email will be waiting for you when you return home. The service transcribes your voice message, so it’s also a productivity booster. You have to speak clearly (as is the case for any voice recognition program) and the message might not be perfect. I sent myself a message to remember the song “Write This Down” for this blog post, and received an email that said, “Likes this sound.” I have to remember to take the marbles out of my mouth, because other Jotts I’ve tested have been close to perfect.

Hat tip goes to John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing (from the Duct Tape Marketing Newsletter)

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Personal branding expert and networking guru Wendy Terwelp wants job seekers to think about and improve their brand messages. According to Wendy, “Job seekers already have a brand, whether they know it or not. What do people think about them? Are they known for a great sense of humor, or maybe for being a savvy networker?” Wendy says that job seekers can edge out their competition by defining and communicating a consistent brand message throughout the job search.

What are you known for in your industry, and how can you improve your brand message? Wendy offers a Personal Branding Quiz so you can assess your brand message’s status. Click here to take the quiz.

Best wishes,
Kim Isaacs

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Today I received this email with “your resume” in the subject line:

Hi Kim

I recently received your resume for a position our firm had been looking to fill. This position was filled, however your resume appears to be a good match for some of the employers who frequently use our recruiting services in Boston. If you are still actively looking for a job in your field, click this link. If you are looking for a site specific to Boston, try here. Remember that it is important to keep your online resume up to date.

Best of luck,

Jennifer McMillan
HR Manager

I haven’t applied for a position since the early 1990s, so the email is either spam or we’re looking at some pretty slow follow up. Okay, it is obviously spam. However, if I were in an active job search, an email that appeared to come from a hiring manager would surely catch my attention.

Ms. McMillan’s email was deceptive because she was alluding to a resume that I submitted; an unsuspecting job seeker might think it was actual resume follow-up. Job seekers are bombarded with spam all the time - career firms offering a “free resume review” (of course they will find problems and offer to fix for a fee), multi-level marketing plans, get-rich-quick schemes, fraudulent emails pretending to originate from reputable sites, and scammers advertising job opportunities but who are trying to get money or steal the job seeker’s identity.

What can you do to protect yourself and avoid wasting time with spam, while still being open to real job opportunities and services that can help your job search? A good starting point is Monster’s primer on preventing email fraud: Tips for a Safer Job Search.

I recommend setting up a disposable email address specifically for job search activity so you can easily say goodbye to the spam when you land a new position. When reviewing emails, always use common sense and don’t be afraid to investigate companies that raise red flags — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

How do you deal with job search spam? Please feel free to share any tips that have worked for you.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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