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Have you prepared your resume, networked for
information, identified potential jobs
and obtained interviews? Is
it time to prepare for your interview with our online coaching?
Getting Started
Although a competent coach may step
you through the following steps, systemic coaching can help you recover
your own inspiration and dissolve old beliefs and habits that may get in your way.
- Read some books about interviews
- Develop a network and contacts
- Talk to some employees of the organizations that interest
you
As you do this, you will likely become aware of how you can
get interview offers. Preparing for job interviews requires that you prepare
yourself mentally and emotionally. Your mental preparation concerns your
knowledge. Your emotional preparation concerns your attitude.
Research
Study the organization. Assess the corporate culture. Talk to
employees. Get their opinions on what the
company really wants from employees and how management really works. Ask
people in the community what they know about the company. (Don't believe
everything you hear.)
Decide if you fit the company. (Even if you decide
you do not want the job, an interview can be good practice). Talk to your network
contacts and read articles about the organization in journals, newspapers and on
the web. As a minimum, you may want to know:
- What is the company history?
- How long has the company been active?
- What is its reputation with customers, suppliers and ex-employees?
- What is the management structure?
- Who are the company’s top officers?
- What are the company’s revenues?
- Is the company financially sound and profitable?
- What are the company's best accomplishments? Its worst
failures?
- Where would your job fit into the organization?
If you can assess the value level of the organization,
you will have a formidable wealth of information about its culture, management
rules and predictable challenges. See
Clare Graves & Values Levels
Application, Resume & Cover Letter
- Be honest, candid and careful in the application.
Emphasize your strengths. Find ways to resolve your weaknesses.
- Your resume is a summary - let it show how you may
be a suitable employee. Interviewers will ask you about your resume.
Ensure that you can discuss any point fully and confidently.
- There are no perfect cover letters. Read a book or two about
cover letters that work and make your letter applicable for the organization
that you wish to work for.
Preparing for an Interview
You need appropriate knowledge and appropriate attitude.
Finding knowledge is often easier than developing an appropriate attitude. Are
you likely to be nervous? Do you sometimes sabotage yourself? Do you habitually
put yourself down? Systemic coaching can help
you develop your attitude.
A coach can help you practice responding to both fair and
unfair interview questions, such as:
- Can you tell me about yourself?
- Where do you want to be in five years? In ten years?
- What is your specialties and why did you choose them?
- How do you spend your summers?
- Tell me about a time you succeeded brilliantly /
failed miserably at work
- What courses did you most like and why?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What non-work activities are you involved in?
- What is your ideal job and why?
- What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
Prepare a short list of questions that you want to ask the employer.
Ask some questions based on your research and concerns - even if you think
you know the answers already. For example:
- Can you please describe a typical day on the job?
- What must people do to be promoted in this company?
- Can you possibly describe an ideal candidate for this
position?
- Can you tell me about the team leaders and people I would
work with?
- Where do you see your company / department in five years?
Interview Day
Shower etc. Go easy on perfumes. Reflect the corporate
culture with your clothes. If in doubt, dress conservatively. This may mean a
suit, tie, white or pastel shirt, leather shoes and dark socks for men; and
knee-length skirt and jacket with a white or pastel blouse, panty hose and low
heels for women.
Plan your trip so you
arrive at the interview a few minutes early. Be careful about smoking or
coffee before an interview. You probably don't want to smell of tobacco
or be on a caffeine "buzz".
First impressions are important. Check yourself in a mirror.
A little nervousness is probably OK, while intense nervousness
might lose you the job. (I know its not fair.) A systemic coach can help you
manage limiting beliefs and any fear of authorities. During the Interview
Let the interviewer set the tone and the pace.
Perhaps keep the conversation moving - gently. Make interviewing you
interesting (but not too interesting). Avoid acting like a clown or a victim.
Enquire about the next step. When will a decision be made?
Will they contact you or should you call back? If you feel
you are a good fit for the job, say so - and say why. If you still want the job, ask
for it.
After the Interview
Analyze your performance and your attitude. How do you feel? How interested
was the interviewer? What stands out in your memory? Where could you have done
better? Were your questions answered?
If you made mistakes, you might contact the
employer and try to remedy them. Or you may call it a
valuable lesson and focus on getting your next interview right.
Follow Up & Follow Through
Send a thank-you letter and gently remind the
interviewer how well you fit the position. If you don't hear from the employer in two weeks,
perhaps telephone and remind them that you're still interested.
Maybe ask if you can provide other information to help them make a good decision.
Some
job opportunities don't work out even when you seem to be a perfect match ...
and you may never know why. Instead, focus on your
next interview - you still can influence that one. And while you are waiting -
why not learn systemic coaching? Consider becoming an expert in relationships.
Online Coaching &
Mentorship
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