The Everything Practice Interview Book: Make the best impression - and get the job you want!

by Dawn Rosenberg McKay

Overview

Being highly qualified for a job isn't enough to get the competitive edge in today's job market - a candidate needs to ace the interview as well. Career planning expert Dawn Rosenberg McKay gives you the best answers to more than 200 of the toughest interview questions, such as:

• What are your long-term goals?
• How do you handle failure?
• What does success mean to you?
• Why did you leave your last job?

From preparing for the first interview to polishing existing skills, this book arms you with the knowledge of what to say and how to say it, giving you the advantage over competitors and the confidence to succeed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605507262
Publisher:	Adams Media
Publication date:	03/18/2009
Series:	Everything® Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	937 KB

About the Author

Dawn Rosenberg McKay (Long Island, NY) has eighteen years of experience in the career planning field. She manages the Career Planning Site for About.com, and she has written hundreds of articles on the topic of career choice and change, job searching, and workplace issues. She is the author of The Everything? Practice Interview Book and The Everything? Get-a-Job Book, 2nd Edition, as well as several civil service test preparation books.
An Adams Media author.

Table of Contents

Top Ten Things Not to Say on a Job Interview viii

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Preparing for the Interview 1

Understanding Job Interviews 1

Learning about Yourself 5

Learning about Your Prospective Employer 7

Take Time to Rehearse 16

Access Your Network 17

Dealing with Anxiety 18

What to Do about Low Confidence 19

The Night Before and Morning of the Interview 20

Chapter 2 First Impressions Count 22

What to Wear to the Interview 22

What to Bring to the Interview 27

Getting to the Interview on Time 28

Arriving for Your Appointment 29

The Interview Begins 29

Body Language 31

Making Your Exit 35

Interviewing over a Meal 36

Interviewing in a Foreign Country 38

Chapter 3 Revealing Your Personality 40

Why the Personal Questions? 40

Questions and Answers 42

Chapter 4 Discussing Your Skills and Abilities 57

Hard Skills Versus Soft Skills 57

Skills You Haven't Used Professionally 59

Questions and Answers 60

Chapter 5 Highlighting Your Accomplishments 75

Listing Your Accomplishments 75

Discussing Your Accomplishments 76

Questions and Answers 77

Chapter 6 Questions about Your Education 93

How You Spent Your College Years 93

Questions and Answers 95

Chapter 7 Discussing Your Work History 111

How to Present Your Past 111

Questions and Answers 113

Chapter 8 Your Interpersonal Skills 128

An Employee Balancing Act 128

How Do You Resolve Conflicts? 129

Questions and Answers 130

Chapter 9 Did You Do Your Homework? 147

Proving Your Knowledge 147

Highlight Skills That Fit the Company 148

Questions and Answers 149

Chapter 10 What Would You Do If You Were Hired? 165

What You Can Bring to the Company 165

What the CompanyExpects of You 166

Questions and Answers 168

Chapter 11 Difficult or Embarrassing Questions 183

I Hope They Don't Ask Me That 183

How to Answer Difficult Questions 184

Questions and Answers 186

Chapter 12 Dealing with Illegal Questions 202

Laws That Protect You from Discrimination 202

What Questions Are Illegal? 206

Questions and Answers 207

Chapter 13 Behavioral Interviews 222

Behavioral Interviews: The Basics 222

How to Answer Behavioral Questions 224

Questions and Answers 225

Chapter 14 Do You Have Any Questions? 244

Asking Questions Is a Must 244

Preparing Your Questions 246

Questions You Should Ask and Questions You Should Not Ask 246

Chapter 15 What To Do After the Interview 257

Thank-You Letters 257

What to Do If You Don't Want the Job 266

Waiting for a Decision 269

The Job Offer-Finally 270

Appendix A Resources 272

Appendix B Glossary 281

Index 288