How to successfully pass an interview: the main rules. How to successfully pass an interview for a managerial position

What to remember in an interview

How to successfully pass an interview? Pay attention to details: upon receiving an invitation, write down the name of the company, contacts, name of the person with whom you are going to talk. But be careful with addressing by name and patronymic if you do not know the HR person by sight, otherwise you risk being in an awkward situation.

An important nuance the mood remains at the interview: you are not going to the exam, but to the negotiations. The company is also interested in qualified employees, because the selection of personnel is not an easy task. Why, then, do HRs whip up pathos, mention the competition for a vacancy, the presence of talented applicants? They are trying to push for concessions: accepting a lower salary for fear that a competitor will get the position, or accepting an inconvenient work schedule. Potential employers mention that the competition was 100 applicants, and you broke into the top 10? Most likely waiting for you unpleasant surprises. Even international companies do not disdain this technique!

When negotiating a vacancy, the firm also proves its attractiveness to the applicant. Don't fall for tricks and don't lower the bar.

An important aspect of the device remains the level wages. Don't be afraid to say what you want when you're interviewing: getting an income that covers your needs is the main goal. The position will have to be argued, so consider why the amount is justified. How to behave in a job interview to get a decent salary? Do not appear as a supplicant, but do not be indulgent: a calm self-respect is sufficient.

How to pass a job interview: prepare answers

  1. Review the job posting and think about the qualities the applicant needs. Make a list of your skills and abilities, check how it matches the first list.
  2. List at least 10 qualities that make you a good candidate for this job. Think about when they were shown: when the HR asks you to illustrate statements with examples, you will be ready.
  3. Study the information about the company, write down the questions that arise in the process of familiarization. You will need to look through the “About us” column on the site, look for reviews on the network and read articles in independent publications covering the work of the enterprise. Think about what distinguishes the firm from competitors - when the HR asks why you want to cooperate, you will give an answer.
  4. Even if you apply for a modest position, the first impression should be impeccable. Choose your clothes in advance, and on the morning of the big day, you won’t find that the jacket is dirty and the shoes need to be repaired. If necessary, put on a business suit; concessions are possible when you get a job in a young and creative team. But appearance should be neat, and the use of accessories should be moderate. Women should give up earrings in the form of pendants or an abundance of bracelets, and men should limit themselves to watches and a wedding ring. When it comes to perfume, don't forget the "less is more" rule. At the interview, cologne and perfume are not needed.
  5. Practice answering common interview questions. Connect a friend or relative to add some improvisation to the process. With this kind of rehearsal, you won't have to search desperately for answers during the meeting.

Do not be lazy to set aside time for preparation, because you will save yourself from long walks to interviews. Remember that the best improvisation is the one you have rehearsed beforehand. Formulated answers and questions will save you from unpleasant moments.

What not to miss for an interview

Since the impression is made up of little things, gather documents in advance. A prepared list of questions or a copy of your resume will show that you are interested in the position. You will need the following:

  1. A passport or driver's license will be required if the entrance to the building is carried out with passes.
  2. Notepad, where you write down the address of the company and the name of the HR, will also come in handy during the conversation. Do not skimp on buying a solid accessory and a stylish pen!
  3. The list of questions of interest will allow you not to be silent at the interview when it comes time to ask the employer about the nuances.
  4. A list of recommendations will help impress. Indicate contacts of 3 people from the field of activity who can confirm your qualifications.
  5. The portfolio remains a necessary part, but its format depends on the specifics of the activity. If it is not possible to print your work due to their characteristics, bring a netbook for an interview.

What not to do? Do not bring your parents or friends! Recruitment managers note that applicants for positions of different levels make mistakes. If your parents interfere in the process of getting a job, consider that you missed the job.

Do not chew gum or take a cup of coffee with you: when you are invited into the office, the details will look undignified.

How to behave before, during and after an interview

They come to the interview without delay, so plan the route in advance, if possible, walk to the desired point. Arriving at the place on the appointed day, remember the courtesy. Say hello to the receptionist and the HR, shake hands, don't look away, but don't stare either. Turn off your phone before starting a conversation to avoid distractions.

These questions will be asked during the interview: whether you get the job depends on the answers.

During the interview, do not forget that it should not turn into a monologue. Eichars are taught that the ratio of their replies to the applicant's stories is ideally 30/70%. Your goal is to adjust the numbers to 50/50% and control how the conversation develops.

The interviewer asks the question, what professional mistake did you make at your last job? Are you likely to be interested in detailed story so don't let things drift. Do not be afraid to think over the lines, because you do not have to give an answer in milliseconds. Remember that job seekers start talking quickly out of excitement. Make no mistake: listen to yourself and, if necessary, shut up. You can say out loud what you need to think about. But at the end of the interview, when it's your turn to clarify the details, reflections are inappropriate. Pull out a prepared list of questions and show that you are serious about the job.

Finally, find out when to expect a response from the company. To speed up the process, say, “Will you notify me of your decision by next Monday? If there is no news by Friday, can I call or email?” You will show interest in the vacancy and get rid of the long wait.

How to successfully pass a job interview - answers to questions

In order not to pick up answers under the gaze of an HR, think over them at home. The following options will help you:

Consider several answers before starting the interview. HR often asks to develop thoughts or name a couple more character flaws, so readiness does not hurt. But excessive eloquence is inappropriate: the story should take 2-3 minutes.

"Why did you leave your last job": response to HR

The need to explain a previous dismissal becomes a stumbling block. If you were fired from a previous job, demonstrate that you are wise by bitter experience. Also briefly mention the reasons and focus on what you learned from the collaboration. Possible answers to the slippery question:

  1. It turned out that the duties are different from those described in the vacancy. When it became obvious that the cooperation was not beneficial for me or the employer, we decided to stop it. Since then, I have improved my communication skills and defined my professional goals and expectations more clearly.
  2. I prefer to work independently, with a clear understanding of the company's objectives. The type of activity at the previous workplace did not correspond to these character traits.
  3. I prefer to work in a team, where employees direct their efforts towards a common goal. Unfortunately, when I took the position, it turned out that there were internal conflicts in the team. I did my best, and colleagues praised my tact and organizational skills. But I prefer to direct my energies towards working together for the benefit of the company, so I am looking for a healthy atmosphere.

Although the topic of being fired is unpleasant, keep a positive attitude. Remind yourself that the HR has probably experienced career difficulties, so your situation is not exceptional.

The main thing is that you do not speak badly about your superiors or colleagues, even if the negative attitude is justified!

If you have paid for own will to explain the situation more easily. Plead that the tasks you perform have become too easy and you are looking for a job that challenges your abilities. It is permissible to mention that in the old position there was no opportunity for career growth, and it turned out to be difficult to combine the search for vacancies with the full performance of duties. You are also free to refer to the move, the search for a convenient schedule, the desire to prove yourself in a larger company. Just save positive attitude, speak warmly about colleagues and show moderate sorry you had to leave.

"List your best qualities": what to answer

How to behave in a job interview? It is important not only to smooth out the shortcomings, but also to correctly present the merits. Fortunately, such an opportunity is given at the interview, because the question about the strengths will definitely sound. It is necessary to name the traits that are necessary for work and distinguish you from other applicants.

Prepare in advance by making a list of 3-5 qualities; Next to each, write examples of how you have used it in the past. If an HR asks how a trait or skill will benefit the company, you will be ready to answer. An example would be the following answers:

  1. I take work seriously and do not wait for deadlines, preferring to complete it in advance. Last year I received an award for 3 projects completed a week before the deadline.
  2. I have been working in sales for 10 years and own various techniques. The figures are improving every quarter, and every year I receive an award as the best seller.
  3. My communication skills allow me to interact effectively with clients, colleagues and superiors. At the last workplace, the manager noted talents for preparing and conducting presentations.

When asked about strengths, forget about modesty! But you should not indulge in lengthy enumerations of your abilities, because the recruiting manager is interested in practical use skills and qualities. Give a short and precise answer with 2-3 examples.

"Why we should choose you": what answer will help get a job

Questions that imply a story about the benefits of the applicant are often confusing. It's time to forget that praising yourself is immodest: such an attitude will harm you. But the statements must be deliberate, so try to impress the HR.

What do you think is the purpose of an HR manager? If you decide that he just wants to find an employee for a vacancy, then you made a mistake. With a high probability, there are a number of problems in the company, and the HR is looking for a person who can offer solutions. Your task is to determine what the difficulty is and show that you are able to cope with it. Proceed as follows:

  1. Reread the text of the vacancy and write down the requirements for the candidate. Look at the information on the site: probably there is a detailed description official duties. Then look at similar vacancies online and try to understand what is expected of applicants.
  2. Select traits and skills from the list, indicate in which work situations you showed them.

Be prepared to talk about each time you showed off your strengths and focus on the actions that led to a successful resolution of the problem. Describe the typical difficulties that await an employee in the position of interest, and tell how they were overcome in the past. Such an approach will convince the HR manager that you will find application for your professionalism in the new place.

What else to look for: pass the interview with brilliance

As you think about answering common questions, keep the following in mind:

  1. Decide in advance how much you want to earn. You can get away with the vague phrase “I hope to be paid according to my skill level”, but a specific number will be more appropriate. When moving to another company, an increase in earnings of 15-20% will be a sufficient incentive to change jobs; look at the offers on job sites to understand the situation on the labor market.
  2. It is easier to answer the question “Why do you want to work for us?” if you study the history of the enterprise. Do not focus on your benefits: schedule, payment, convenient location. Tell us what you will bring to the company! For example: “I like that the job is related to sales and marketing. At my previous job, I improved sales by 15%, and during a period of stagnation in the market.
  3. The question of how you found out about the vacancy should not be difficult. But candidates often go into unnecessary details: you should not supplement the answer with a story, as you cannot even think that you will have to work in another place. Eager to show enthusiasm? Say that you saw the ad and did not want to miss such a vacancy. Everybody!
  4. Interviews ask you to talk about times when you disagreed with your boss's decision and what you did. Do not choose a story when you saw the boss's mistake and remained silent. Don't say that you weren't convincing enough, and the company's later losses proved you right. Share that you learned early in your career that sometimes you need to defend your position, backing up your arguments with facts and figures. Share the story of how you convinced the manager and saved the company's budget.

In order not to get confused during the interview, rehearse at home. The more times you go through the standard questions, the more confident you will answer! To figure out how to successfully pass a job interview, you can use the video:

You passed the interview: what to do

After the interview, write down all the questions that caused difficulty: if you do not get a job, then use them to prepare for new meetings. Also don't forget to send a thank you email, as courtesy remains a win-win policy. But to stand out, it is not enough to write: “Thank you for your attention.” You can add a link to a book or article that illustrates an aspect that was mentioned during the conversation. An additional answer to the question is also appropriate: “When you asked me about the main achievement in the profession, I found it difficult (s) to answer. But immediately after the interview, I remembered a case ... "


Familiarize yourself with the questions that HRs ask during interviews. Pay attention to the clarifications and prepare your answers.

Now we have to be patient and wait for the agreed time. It's hard, but don't pester the HR with harassment. Then contact the company in the specified way: if you agreed to send an e-mail, do not call. They made themselves known twice, but there was no reaction? Go to the search for new vacancies. But do not give up hope: the job market is changeable, and you never know when an interview will give a result.

Conclusion

When preparing for a job interview, consider the aspects. Rehearse answers to typical questions several times, prepare documents, compose a letter with subsequent thanks. It is advisable to go to interviews even if you are not going to change jobs, so that future meetings with HRs do not frighten you.

What advice do you have for those looking for a job? Share in the comments!

So, the employer found your resume on the Superjob website, became interested and wanted to invite you for an interview. The job interview is the culmination of the recruitment process. An interview with an employer causes stress even for professional and experienced applicants, so it is important to think in advance how to behave during an interview, how to answer questions asked by a recruiter during an interview. Do you know how to successfully pass a job interview, what to be prepared for? Superjob will help you find answers to these questions!

1. Telephone conversation with the employer

A telephone conversation is your first personal communication with a future employer, and it is important to make a good impression already at this stage. Even if the secretary will make the appointment, he will definitely tell the immediate supervisor or the one who will conduct the interview with you about how the conversation went.

What needs to be done during a telephone conversation preceding a job interview?

Specify what position you are invited to, ask the necessary questions about the vacant position. If the position does not suit you initially, politely report it and refuse the interview, giving reasonable arguments. You should not waste precious time (your own and the employer's) on unpromising meetings.

Write down the name of the company, the name and surname of the person with whom you spoke, a contact number where you can contact him in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Find out who exactly will conduct the interview with you, what is his name. You will make a good impression if you address him by his first name and patronymic when you meet him.

Find out the exact location of the interview. When negotiating the time of the meeting, plan it so that no other business will interfere with you. It may turn out that you have one or more interviews with other employers scheduled that day, then the interview schedule should be planned so that the time between successive interviews is at least 2-3 hours. Remember that you are not waiting for a minute conversation, but a detailed conversation, questions about your work experience and professional skills will be asked at the interview.

Find information in advance on how to behave in an interview. Find out how long a job interview lasts, whether you will have to fill out a questionnaire, pass written tests, and perform practical tests.

2. Preparing for an interview

So, you agreed on the time of the meeting with the employer, now it's time to start preparing for the interview. What needs to be done?

First, prepare the documents that you may need at the interview:

  • summary in two copies;
  • the passport;
  • diploma of education with an insert;
  • diplomas of additional education, certificates of completion of courses, certificates, etc. (You should not take with you documents that are not related to the position for which you are applying).

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information about the company in which you are going for an interview in advance. Connect all possible channels: go to the company's website on the Internet, use business directories, the press or other sources. Familiarize yourself with the activities and history of the company (year of foundation, stages of development), study the names of departments, remember information about the company's achievements, etc. Thus, during a conversation with the employer, you will be able to demonstrate the seriousness of your intentions. At the same time, even if you are not taken to this particular company, you will in any case expand your horizons.

Plan the route of the trip to the interview, calculate the time you need to spend on the road, add another margin of time (30 minutes) in case of possible traffic difficulties that you may encounter on the road. You can make a preliminary trip to the place of the interview if you doubt that on the appointed day you will be able to quickly and easily find the right building.

Think over the answers to the questions of the employer at the interview, which in one form or another will definitely sound during your conversation:

  • why you left (decided to leave) your last job; where do you work now?
  • why do you want to work in our company?
  • what benefits can your activity as an employee bring to our company?
  • name your biggest strengths and weaknesses as an employee;
  • name your greatest achievements as a specialist; Have you had any failures in your professional activity, and what are they?

Prepare to give truthful answers to interview questions (during the interview or after the lie will definitely come up). When answering the question: “Why did you decide to change jobs?” - should not be given negative feedback about colleagues and managers, limit yourself to neutral statements: lack of opportunities for professional growth, irregularity in receiving monetary rewards, remoteness from home, inconvenient work schedule, etc.

Speaking about a possible future job in a new company, make it clear to the interlocutor that you are interested in working in this particular company, that you can be useful to her as a specialist, but at the same time you must clearly understand what the company does in order not to get into trouble. If you manage to behave correctly in this matter, your chances of being hired by this company will increase several times.

When answering questions about your strengths and especially weaknesses, about achievements and failures, be careful. Show sufficient self-criticism to your person, this will raise your authority in the eyes of the interlocutor. When talking about your shortcomings, it is not necessary to list your biggest mistakes. The main thing here is that you can show that you yourself corrected your mistake and saved the company from troubles or reduced them to a minimum.

Get ready for tests or practical tasks(both psychological and professional) that the employer may offer you to pass.

Prepare in advance the questions you would like to ask the employer.

Think over the clothes in which you will go to a meeting with the employer. Everyone knows the proverb: "Meet by clothes, see off by mind." Let the first impression of you be the most favorable. Naturally, the clothes should correspond to the position for which you are applying. Perhaps a strict business suit is not appropriate for every position, but neat business-style clothes, clean hair and nails, and polished shoes will certainly make the necessary positive impression on your interlocutor. There should be no shopping bags, shopping bags, soiled grocery bags, backpacks in your hands!

3. Passing an interview

It's time for an interview that could change your life! What should you keep in mind during an interview?

Try to arrive at the meeting a little earlier than the appointed time. Better you wait 10 minutes at the reception than the employer will wait for you half a minute. Being late for a meeting, even due to circumstances beyond your control, will 99% cross out all hopes of getting a job in this company.

If suddenly, nevertheless, such a situation has occurred, you feel that you do not have time for the appointed time, be sure to call the contact number, apologize, explain the reason for your delay and find out if the employer will be able to accept you on the same day a little later or it is possible to reschedule the meeting for another time.

If you decide not to go to an interview at all (changed your mind about working in this company, you have other urgent matters, etc.) ALWAYS call the employer and let him know, first apologizing that you violated his plans. Don't let a good impression of you, received in a preliminary conversation on the phone, spoil anything!

When entering the office, be sure to say hello, ask to inform the employee with whom you have an interview scheduled about your arrival. If you are asked to wait a little, do not be indignant and take this as disrespect for yourself. Be patient and do not lose the sense of goodwill with which you went to meet.

Disable beforehand cellular telephone so that nothing can interfere with your conversation.

Entering the office, say hello, addressing by name and patronymic to the employee with whom you will talk. Be sure to smile. Say that you are very pleased with the invitation for an interview in this particular company. This way you will be able to position the interlocutor in advance.

Sit so that your face is turned to the interlocutor. Move a chair if necessary. Do not fall apart in a chair, do not cross your legs under it, do not tighten them; do not fidget nervously with your hands.

Listen carefully to the questions that you are asked, while looking into the face of the interlocutor. Start answering only when you understand what you have been asked. If the question is not entirely clear, then, apologizing, ask to repeat it again. However, do not overdo it - you should never ask almost every question again.

When answering a question, try not to speak for more than 2-3 minutes. This time is quite enough to cover the most important information on the most difficult issue as a whole. Monosyllabic answers "yes" and "no", a quiet voice will give the impression of your self-doubt, inability to explain your point of view.

If you are asked to tell about yourself, you should not indulge in lengthy conversations about your autobiography. Moreover, it is unacceptable to answer that everything is already written in the resume. Tell us about your education, highlight work experience. This will demonstrate once again your professional skills and qualities.

At the interview, you will have the opportunity to ask the questions that you prepared in advance, and those that you had during the conversation.

If you are interested in the possibility of career growth, then it is important to be able to ask this question correctly. Keep in mind that you are invited to the company for a specific position, to solve a certain range of tasks. Not all positions provide for career growth. In addition, it is difficult for employers to discuss this issue without knowing your capabilities and abilities. Nevertheless, it is quite appropriate to find out from the employer whether staff rotation is practiced in the company, whether there are opportunities for growth from this position in the long term and be sure to ask what is needed for this ( additional education, refresher courses, experience or something else). Find out what programs for training or professional development of employees exist in the company. Then you will look like a serious and purposeful person. And this is another plus in your favor.

An open smile, a little good and unobtrusive humor, and then small mistakes will be forgiven for sure. A smile does not interfere with a business conversation, on the contrary, the impression remains that you are an experienced, and therefore self-confident person.

Saying goodbye at the end of the interview with the employee who conducted it, be sure to thank for the opportunity given to you to have an interview in this company, regardless of the final choice that the employer makes.

Good luck with your interview!

Everyone has had a chance to participate in an interview at least once in their life. Someone took part as a candidate for a vacancy, while someone, on the contrary, acted as an evaluator, being a potential employer. Depending on the rules adopted in different companies and even industries, there are different practices for organizing this conversation between the two parties.

What is an interview for?

An interview is a process of communication between an employer and a candidate who applies for an open position in a company. As a rule, the full organization of the interview lies on the shoulders of the HR manager or HR manager. This person must first find a suitable candidate, get management approval of his resume, and then arrange a meeting with the candidate. Some companies do not have a dedicated HR specialist, so organizational issues can be resolved by other people, for example, secretaries or managers directly interested in a new employee. Someone prefers to outsource recruitment issues to an agency or work with a remote freelance recruiter. In this case, the first interview takes place on the territory of the recruiting company.

An interview is necessary for both parties for the initial assessment of each other. The employer assesses the candidate's professional skills and his psychological qualities, and the candidate, as a first approximation, studies the potential job, gets acquainted with the list of possible tasks and often with the immediate supervisor.

What types and methods of interviewing exist

Depending on the level of the position for which the candidate will be interviewing, on the conditions of the interview and on its goals, recruiters can use different kinds and methods of conducting interviews:

  • structured interview;
  • situational or case interview;
  • projective interview;
  • competency interview (behavioral);
  • stress (shock) interview;
  • brainteaser-interview.

Some companies also deliberately practice the group interview format, which is not the most respected among job seekers. Several applicants take part in it at once, forced to compete with each other. At the same time, the employer can choose the most interesting from several candidates.

The personal practice of the author of this material shows that very often fragments are collected in one interview. different types. For example, a recruiter conducts a basic acquaintance with a candidate in the format of a structured interview, asking expected questions about education and work experience. A potential manager participating in the first interview together with a recruiter can ask several cases or arrange a small stressful interview.

Structured interview

The most common is the structured interview. This format is the most logical and simple in terms of organizing the event. The interview takes place in a tête-à-tête format. The representative of the employer asks the applicant standard questions and receives direct answers about the candidate's education, qualifications, work experience, professional and life expectations. Such a conversation allows you to understand the level of compliance of the candidate with the formal requirements for the position, as well as how easily he will be able to fit into the work team.

Most often, the interview is conducted according to a predetermined scheme.

situational interview

A case interview implies that in addition to standard questions, the candidate will be asked to solve several practical problems from the practice of a given company or industry as a whole. This way you can determine the candidate’s train of thought and suggest how he will act in a work situation.

Projective interview

A projective interview involves a shift in focus from the candidate to an imaginary third person who solves some problems. The task of the applicant in this case is to comment as quickly as possible on the actions of the people involved in the situation given by the interviewer. This method is based on the principle that each of us has a tendency to analyze other people's actions from the standpoint of our own experience. So, in order to reveal the life values ​​of the candidate, they ask the question of why the employee could be fired, in which case the employee can steal from the employer or lie to him. Asking why people are late for appointments will help reveal attitudes towards punctuality.

behavioral interview

The longest time is usually the competency assessment interview. Here, it is the candidate's professional experience that is closely studied, and the results of his answers are carefully evaluated according to various types of scales (competences).

shock interview

A stress interview is used to assess the level of conflict and stress resistance of a candidate. This method is non-standard and is most often practiced in relation to representatives of certain professions. In particular, the ability to keep a cool head in the face of a brewing conflict is very useful for top managers, sales people, and insurance agents. It is very easy to understand that you have become a participant in a stressful interview. The interviewer may deliberately provoke conflict, make inappropriate comments, and ask incorrect questions in order to throw the candidate off balance.

Brainteaser interview

The brainteaser interview is used to assess the creativity of candidates. To successfully pass such an interview, the candidate must show a level of resourcefulness sufficient for solving non-standard logical problems and strong skills of independent work.

A long wait before a meeting may not be the interlocutor's forgetfulness, but a test of stress resistance

Other types of interviews

When organizing interviews, various special tools for communication are widely used today. In general, it should be noted that the format of the interview very much depends on the level of the position for which the candidate is applying, as well as on the industry itself, within which the person wants to work. So, for the selection of performers of creative professions (film actors, models, and so on), the interview is called casting or samples and takes place in a format that differs significantly from the introductory interview for office employees.

New forms of interviewing have also opened up thanks to the availability of modern technologies. Thus, video interviews are becoming more widespread in some circles. Such interviews can be arranged using various computer services, the most famous of which is Skype. The convenience of this format lies in the fact that both the applicant and the recruiter, as well as other interview participants, can be located in different parts of the world. The main condition for conducting an interview via Skype is a good Internet channel. Many IT companies conduct at least one of the first interviews with a candidate this way.

There are also special services that allow you to conduct video interviews in a different way. Its essence is that first the recruiter records his questions to the candidate on video, then the candidate answers these questions in front of the video camera and sends his answer to the recruiter. He can view the candidate's response at any convenient time. This format helps the HR professional process large quantity applications.

Video: types of job interviews

How is the interview

A common practice today is to conduct a whole chain of job interviews. A modern candidate will have to go through two to five interviews before receiving the coveted offer. There are no uniform requirements for the number of interview stages, and each company independently determines the procedure for communicating with candidates for each of the vacancies.

Communication most often begins through telephone conversations or e-mail correspondence. If you are looking for candidates recruitment agency, the first contact can also be made by the manager of this agency.

The first interview in the company traditionally takes place with an HR manager. To save time, some employers prefer to have the first conversation over the phone or Skype. Adherents of more conservative methods immediately invite the candidate to the office. At this stage, the HR specialist evaluates the general adequacy of the candidate, as well as compliance with the formal criteria for the vacancy. Some positions require mandatory preliminary testing of the candidate. After the level of professional competencies is confirmed, line managers and, in some cases, top management of the employing company are connected to the interviews.

Of course, we are not always talking about such a long chain of interviews. In most cases, people try to save their time and make a job offer after two or three interviews.

The pattern in which each of the interviews in the chain takes place is to some extent standard and is determined by the host. As a rule, the recruiter sets the pace and general mood of the conversation. The professionalism of this person also largely determines the results of the interview and the conclusions that each of the parties will make for themselves. Most often, the scheme of the conversation looks like this:

  1. The recruiter offers the candidate the opportunity to tell about himself that the latter considers relevant in the context of a particular vacancy.
  2. Those present ask him various clarifying questions.
  3. If a potential manager participates in the meeting, he can ask the applicant to solve or comment on any task from the practice of the enterprise.
  4. After the participants from the employer's side find out everything that interests them about the candidate, it will be his turn to ask questions about the company.

What questions are often asked to candidates and how to answer them correctly

Candidates can be asked any question during the interview. Of course, most of the questions will be standard and aimed at clarifying various formal details of the applicant's biography. Answering questions about where you studied and worked should be calm, confident and truthful. There are no special tricks here.

A well-prepared candidate should not be confused by interview questions

Much more interesting and more difficult will be questions with a greater degree of abstraction - those for which there may not be a single correct and unambiguous answer. It is important to remember that when you are asked such a “weird” or “stupid” question, the recruiter will be interested not so much in the content of the answer as in your first reaction. The question may be directed to something unpleasant for you, to a moment in your biography or resume that can cause negative emotions.

Interviews often ask you to talk about your biggest failure and biggest success. When answering, one must be honest, since everyone has ups and downs, and a person who has never experienced either victory or defeat makes a rather negative impression.

Among the non-standard ones is, for example, the question of professional plans for the next five (ten, fifteen, and so on) years. Based on the answer, the recruiter will get an idea of ​​the direction in which you are interested in developing and whether it is interesting at all what kind of career you are going to build. So, if you want to leave for another country in a few years, you may not be hired to work in a government organization, but for an international corporation with offices in different countries, you will turn out to be a very deeply motivated worker. The socially desirable response is to show that you are moderately ambitious and are serious about your future. True, you need to be prepared for the fact that this answer will be followed by an insidious request to tell what exactly you are already doing to achieve your goals. If you do not have a ready answer to this question, the plan announced earlier will look like empty dreams and characterize you not from the best side.

Often at interviews, you can also hear the question of how the candidate is engaged in his professional development. From your answer, the recruiter will understand whether you seriously identify yourself with the chosen specialty, whether you are inclined to self-improvement or will work only from call to call. Be prepared to ask questions about the last professional book you read or the training you took. It is in the interests of a motivated applicant to be aware of the latest innovations in their industry, to be able to explain the contents of the top books in an understandable language, and to explain the methods used in the profession.

Don't try to show yourself smarter than you really are. The use of concepts and terms, the meaning of which is not familiar to you, can go sideways.

Video: Frequent interview questions and answers

How to pass a job interview

On the Internet, you can easily find many articles that detail what and how to do in order to pass an interview and get a job offer. At the same time, if everything were so simple, the very need for such articles would have disappeared long ago. It is important to understand that there is no magic pill, and even the most detailed instructions cannot guarantee a positive outcome of the interview. Expert articles lead general recommendations, following which the candidate will feel more confident in the interview process and will be able to better understand the expectations of the opposite side.

How to prepare

First of all, you need to study all available information about a potential employer: a website on the Internet, social networks, offline points of sale, publications in the media, blogs, and so on. It is not worth neglecting this preliminary research, relying on the fact that you will be able to orient yourself on the spot. You should definitely check the presence of the employer in various anti-ratings, look for employee reviews, from which you can find out if there are problems with paying wages, whether the management is adequate, and so on. Some candidates, having studied the employer in more detail, will generally prefer to refuse to go to an interview, since they will come to the understanding that this company is not suitable for them for some reason. For those job seekers who make it to the employer's office for a meeting on the appointed day and hour, the results of these studies will also serve in good stead. It's rare for an interview candidate to avoid being asked what they know about the company they want to work for. It is obvious that a person who has devoted at least some time to thematic Internet surfing will look much more advantageous against the background of citizens who did not want to pay attention to this issue.

Appearance at the interview is very important - the candidate's clothing must match general style companies

For specialists applying for certain positions, for example, in the field of marketing, PR and public relations, preliminary research of the company in open sources is critical. When searching and analyzing information, they should not only form for themselves some kind of image of the company, but also note the strengths and weaknesses in promotion, think over options for optimizing the strategy for working with external environment. In 99 cases out of 100, the employer will ask the marketer to analyze the site as a test task, and ask the PR specialist how he will promote the company's product or resolve conflicts in social networks.

When preparing for an interview, ask yourself why the employer needs a person for this vacancy, what the company can expect from the candidate. Evaluate your resume with someone else's eyes and think about what slippery moments it has, how you will comment on them if asked. For example, breaks between work, frequent transitions from place to place, short duration of work in specific companies.

Prepare questions that you will ask the recruiter about the company and the vacancy. In addition to the standard question about the content of the job, you have the right to inquire about the reason for the vacancy, in particular, is it a new position that appeared, for example, due to the expansion of the department, the replacement of a departed employee, or the result of the owner dispersing the entire previous department in anger. An indirect indicator by which a company can be valued is the timing of the publication of a job advertisement. That is, the length of time during which the employer cannot find a suitable candidate. Information about staff turnover can also tell a lot about working conditions.

Video: interview preparation

How to behave

If you came to the interview earlier than the appointed time, and you were asked to wait on the couch in the lobby, try to use this time to good use. Instead of monitoring social networks on your smartphone, look around. You may be interested in the quality of the design of the premises, the convenience of planning, the appearance of the employees who catch your eye. Listen to how the receptionist answers incoming calls, how colleagues communicate with each other. If you smoke, go to a local smoking room before your interview. Sometimes from conversations in an informal setting you can find out all the ins and outs.

The author of this material was convinced from his own experience that it is worth paying attention to such an ambiguous thing as toilets. Of course, the quality of the organization of the restroom cannot be the only argument in favor of accepting the proposal or refusing it, but an observant person will be able to draw the right conclusions for himself. The author once happened to attend an interview at a construction company focused on private suburban construction. In order to increase accessibility to potential customers, the company moved to an office near one of the central metro stations, but sales did not grow. The company's management saw the solution to the problem in strengthening the marketing department. The author was greatly embarrassed by a note taped to the toilet stall door, in which an unknown author appealed to colleagues not to steal toilet paper and air freshener. This is hardly capable of creating a sense of reliability and security for potential customers from interacting with the contractor. It is difficult to expect competent business decisions and at least some care for the staff from people for whom such inscriptions are not something out of the ordinary.

If at the end of the interview you did not get a call back, be sure to try to get through to the recruiter to find out the true reason for the refusal. Try not to drive the person to trying to get rid of you at any cost. Explain why you need truthful information. Do not try to challenge the results of the interview.

Common mistakes during an interview

Candidates make a lot of mistakes in interviews every day. The most common is the non-observance of simple and well-known forms of ethics, courtesy and business etiquette: showing up too early or late, dressing inappropriately, being the first to say "you" or, conversely, being too stiff or formal when interviewers offer a soft and friendly manner of communication. Both the lack of contact and excessive swagger will not work in your favor. It is necessary to be able to navigate the situation, feel the interlocutor and be flexible, but be sure to maintain self-esteem in any atmosphere. So, it is useful to show interest in the job, but showing that you are ready for anything to get this job is already wrong. It is always recommended to stick to the balance, the golden mean.

Interview mistakes are largely due to the inability to leave a good impression of yourself.

Do not try to win over the interviewer or potential boss personally (make eyes, joke when inappropriate, be overly verbose). You need to be able to hear what is being asked, clearly identify the main message of the question, answer concisely and specifically, and, if asked, expand the answer in more detail. Do not immediately answer in detail and start a conversation from afar.

An example of a correct answer.

Applicant: "6 people".

An example of an incorrect answer.

Interviewer: "How many people did you manage on this project?"

Applicant: “This project involved both in-state and out-of-state people, as well as several freelancers who changed frequently…”

Often candidates come for an interview without first studying the company and its position in the market. This is also a common mistake. Candidates who are unable to demonstrate even knowledge of the market and the industry as a whole show blatant incompetence.

A negative impression on the employer is made by overly frank candidates, as well as candidates who lie with inspiration. The ideal tactic is to be honest, not to lie, but to keep back a little on some details. For example, do not indicate the real reasons for leaving the company if the real reason was a serious personal conflict with the management, regardless of whether you were right in this situation or not. Conflict is not the best characteristic of an employee. Do not lie in response to a direct question, but also do not focus on slippery moments. It's best not to lie in an interview. When you do not know something, you can say that you do not remember exactly, but you can guess and speculate a little on this topic, if you are allowed. Such behavior will give the impression of an honest person who does not give up and is ready to look for options.

Video: typical mistakes of applicants

How to prepare for an interview in English or another language

Preparing for an interview in a foreign language essentially has little difference. Of course, a lot depends on how fluent you are in the language. Being confident in your language skills will make the interview process much easier for you. To refresh them, you can watch videos on Youtube with typical questions and answers. Do not memorize ready-made answers. Recruiters are distrustful of candidates who respond very smoothly, with a well-placed voice and extremely logical and verified text. This answer contains all the indicators of memorization and excessive preparedness for an interview. You must be confident and positive, but give the impression of being natural. It is necessary to be natural, and not to portray and seem.

Video: how to prepare for an interview in English if your English is not perfect

What methods of evaluating candidates exist

Candidate evaluation begins even before the interviewer's first call. This is a review of a resume and a cover letter that shows skills in working with text, the ability to structure information and submit it in writing, the level of Russian or foreign language, adequacy of salary requests, self-presentation skills. The next step is the assessment of the candidate by telephone conversation. It is performed based on the tone and timbre of the applicant's voice, as well as taking into account the content of the answers to the questions. Of course, the so-called human factor also plays a significant role here, so the first fleeting impression, even on a phone call, can spoil the situation for the candidate. That is why talking with a recruiter on the phone makes sense only when you are really ready for it, that is, you are not busy with anything, you are not disturbed by extraneous sounds or unwitting bystanders, your voice is calm, you can give thoughtful answers. If you don't feel mentally prepared for a phone conversation, it's best to hang up the call or ask to call back at another time.

It is very difficult to perform an objective assessment of a person, so there is no unambiguously recommended universal test or method for performing such an assessment. In fact, tests and methods are only a tool for collecting data about a person according to a certain system. The main role in the analysis and conclusions belongs to the recruiter or other specialist.

For a fair assessment of the applicant, you must remember the following recommendations:

  • it is worth evaluating not so much the psychological and other qualities of a person as his behavior and specific results of activity;
  • not only the results must be taken into account, but also the conditions under which they were obtained;
  • the results of formal tests can be correctly assessed only by an experienced recruiter with rich professional and life experience, who is a psychologically and socially mature person.

Methods used for evaluation include:

  • method of peer review, when an expert from the industry, in the presence of an HR manager, communicates with a candidate in narrow professional or behavioral areas;
  • professional testing to determine the level of qualification of the candidate or to identify, for example, creative abilities;
  • solving cases and situational problems;
  • filling out personality questionnaires;
  • verification of the recommendations submitted by the candidate.

In practice, recruiters most often use a combination of these methods, since each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, a completed personality questionnaire may provide comprehensive information on a candidate, but the information may be implausible as a savvy applicant calculates socially acceptable answers. Another option is that the personality questionnaire will show the sincere desire of the candidate for a certain activity, but his professional experience and skills may not correspond to his desires at the moment.

Evaluation of a potential employee can be carried out in different directions

There are also non-standard assessment methods for role models of behavior, for example, a film test. Its essence is that a person is asked about his favorite films or offered to evaluate situations from well-known films. Depending on what intentions and possibilities of behavior a person will ascribe to these or those characters, an experienced researcher will draw conclusions about the person himself.

What is a Candidate Evaluation Sheet

For each position there is a set of essential requirements for the personal and professional skills of the candidate. They are placed on a separate sheet, in which the evaluating specialist assigns points or comments on the applicant's compliance with the required level. When each of those present at the interview has such a sheet, all these questionnaires are taken into account in the final analysis. This approach allows you to evaluate the same quality from different angles.

Recommendation to job seekers: never try to look over a recruiter's shoulder to find out what he writes on the evaluation sheet. Instead, make it a rule to take notes during the interview as well. So you will make a positive impression on the employer, form the image of a person who is collected, rational and interested in analyzing the results of the meeting.

A case from the practice of one IT recruiter familiar to the author. One of the candidates of a technical specialty during interviews never hesitated to ask again unfamiliar terms or technologies new to him and always wrote everything down in a notebook. In his free time, this person additionally studied information on identified updates. So he learned what is relevant in the market, what employers need, and each next interview even if it didn't end with a job offer, it made him more prepared anyway. You can, of course, rely on your memory and not write anything down, but in this case, one of the employers really liked this approach of a person to self-education and his focus on self-development. The life values ​​of the applicant coincided with the corporate values ​​of a particular company, and our specialist received a job offer.

The evaluation sheet can also act as a mandatory form of reporting during an interview by a hired recruitment agency.

How to present interview results

The results of the interview are most often drawn up in the form of an evaluation sheet. The more participants from the employer's side take part in the meeting, the more voluminous the "portrait" of the candidate is. The most important are the assessments received from the applicant's potential supervisor, as well as from the leading expert in this specialty.

Photo gallery: an example of filling out an evaluation sheet

Initially, basic information about the candidate is presented The personal qualities of the candidate can be assessed on various scales The assessment of the level of knowledge and skills of the candidate will vary in different areas of activity The assessment of the experience of the candidate is carried out depending on the specific requirements The final entry in the evaluation sheet is recommendations for the candidate

Job interview protocol

The interview protocol is a standard document and should include a brief summary of the candidate's assessment, conclusions about the strengths and risks that the interviewer found in it. Each company has the right to develop its own form of protocol.

Each company has the right to create its own standard protocol template

Of course, the passage of a job interview causes stress for the applicant. However, you can try to minimize the emotional tension during the meeting by paying enough attention preparatory process. inner peace and self-confidence will help the candidate maintain the right attitude in the interview and make a good impression on the potential employer.

How to pass a job interview? This question worries many people before the upcoming meeting with the employer. Employment in the desired company will depend on how the job interview goes, so it will be right to prepare in advance for this event. Everyone knows that any successful career begins with a successful interview, and in order for it to be effective, you need to come to a meeting at least 10 minutes earlier. This will give you the opportunity to navigate in an unfamiliar environment, which will allow you to behave correctly at the interview. It is not recommended to come to a meeting with an employer with a support group - friends, mother, relatives. This will give prerequisites to the conclusions about the lack of independence of a person getting a job.

You must knock on the door before entering. After being allowed to enter, you should introduce yourself to the employer clearly and distinctly. It is considered indecent to be late for an interview, chew gum, talk on the phone, look into the distance indifferently. It is necessary to smile more, show with all your behavior that you are interested in getting a vacancy and are ready to work with dedication in the desired company or firm. It is the first impression that a person makes during a job interview that will be decisive in getting the job you want. It is required to remember that a favorable impression on the employer can be made only once, there will be no second chance. Many people know this, but for some reason they neglect it.

In order for the interview to be successful, you need to try to win over the interviewer. To do this, you must be in good location spirit, clearly explain why you came, thank the interlocutor for the time spent.

It is important to know the name of the interviewer in advance or remember his name during the introduction and address strictly as he introduced himself.

It is very important to be able to cope with the excitement during the interview, because anxiety will not allow you to fully open up and present your positive features character and professionalism. A slight excitement is appropriate - this will help the employer to suggest that a person really needs this job and it is important for him to get the desired position. But you should not draw attention to your person by excessive excitement. Redness of the face, wiping sweat from the forehead, rubbing wet palms, stuttering - will allow us to conclude that the respondent is unbalanced and absent.

If it is possible to choose where to sit, then you should try not to sit opposite the interviewer, since psychologically people who want to get a coveted job tend to perceive the interlocutor as an opponent that interferes with achieving what they want. The ideal option is the opportunity to take a seat next to the interviewer, then he will perceive the respondent as a like-minded person.

If you still had to sit down at the interview opposite the interviewer, then you should take a collected and neat pose, without crossing your arms and legs, thereby demonstrating openness. Also, openness should be noted in the look. Often, respondents do not know how to look at the interlocutor correctly. Having mentally drawn a triangle between the interviewer's eyebrows, you need to look at its center. So the interlocutor will not have the feeling that the respondent is staring at him or he is not focused and his gaze is scattered.

How to pass a job interview if a person is overly emotional? To do this, it is necessary to abandon active gestures and control hand movements. Holding a notebook and a pen in your hands will help you calm down a bit.

How to succeed in an interview

So, the respondent sits, listens to the interviewer and prepares to answer the questions posed. To set the interlocutor on the same psychological wave with yourself, you need to behave in the same way as the interviewer. You should unobtrusively copy his postures, gestures, but you need to do this very carefully.

To successfully pass an interview, you need not to use slang when communicating, bypass the topic of financial, personal and family problems. Categorically losing option in the interview are the following topics covered: politics, religion, intimacy.

It will be a mistake to try to suppress the interviewer with your knowledge. It is the interviewer who conducts the interview, and it would be wrong to take away this role from him. He can become aggressive and create a negative impression of the respondent. Only the truth should be told in the interview. If during the conversation the respondent is caught in a lie, then we can assume that this is the end of a career that has not yet begun. Rarely is he able to maintain an opinion about himself that he is better than he actually is, for more than 30 minutes. If the interviewer suspects a lie, he will formulate and ask questions on the same facts in different ways and the real facts will still emerge.

How to successfully pass a job interview? It is required in the interview process to submit your weaknesses correctly.

A frequent and one of the "uncomfortable" questions is the question of a long period without work. Here, applicants often try to tell a lie. You don't need to do this.

At a job interview, it would not be superfluous to talk about the implementation of one-time projects in private, attending any courses or trainings. If trainings and courses are not related to work, then it is better to simply say that you are carried away by a new direction for yourself.

Often at interviews, respondents are stunned by the question of the shortest period of work and why it was so fleeting. Here it is desirable to answer plausibly. You can simply note that the working conditions did not correspond to those that were originally offered at the interview.

If the respondent worked for several months at a previous job, then in this case it can be said that the dismissal occurred without explaining the reasons immediately after the end of the probationary period. HR interviewers know that many companies do this to save on employee salaries and such an explanation will be accepted with understanding.

If a mistake was made at a previous job and understanding that it would be difficult to hide it in front of the interviewer, then it is better to honestly talk about it, focusing on realizing this and not making mistakes in the future. You shouldn't speak badly about previous employers in an interview.

Interviewers often ask common questions, but it's best to answer them in a non-template way. If there is a question about working with clients, then you should answer it that you like working with people. This question is vague and does not carry any semantic load, except for the fact that there is a desire to get a job. It would be better to talk about the experience of working with clients at the interview.

How to pass a job interview the right way? During a job interview, you should move away from patterns: birth, study, marriage (marriage), etc.

Your story should be built on important events labor practices. At the interview, they will listen for no more than 3 minutes, so it is important to meet this time. When talking about your achievements, you should not say “our company” and not “we”, but me. Interviewers often ask personal questions. If there is no desire to answer them, then you can ask how this question is related to future work.

In the interview, many are driven by the question of the size of the future salary. It must be answered honestly, naming the real figure for this work. If you are offered to fill out forms at an interview, it is better to fill them out at home in a relaxed atmosphere, having previously practiced on a draft. According to the completed forms, a person will be evaluated, taking into account handwriting, errors and blots.

How to pass an interview? Answers to the interviewer's questions should fully disclose the candidate and confirm the suitability of the proposed vacancy.

When answering questions, you should understand what the employer wants to hear and what kind of answers you need to give in order to successfully pass the interview.

Interview questions are divided into several types:

— identification of professional competence;

- questions of a personal nature;

— questions-cases simulating the situation at work;

— general questions: experience, education, past jobs;

- questions that reveal the candidate's motivation (career growth, salary).

The following sample questions and answers will help you pass a job interview.

To the question “tell us about your experience, where did you work and what did you do?”, you should tell from the last place of work what functionality you had, what you were responsible for, what issues you solved. It is advisable to tell what difficulties were overcome, while not talking too much and being distracted by extraneous topics.

When answering the question about failures in work or mistakes, it is worth noting that, like all people, you also made mistakes, but in the process of work you learned to avoid mistakes or simply not to make them.

To the question “What is important for you in your work?” appropriate to answer that the possibility of professional growth and development.

To the question “How long have you been looking for a job?” it is worth answering that you have been looking for a job for a couple of weeks and there are already several final offers.

To the question “What qualities help you achieve success in your work, and which ones can interfere?”, You should answer as follows: “a high level of contact, openness, a desire to help a friend, high efficiency, punctuality, accuracy, responsibility, diligence, and to prevent maybe excitement, excessive assertiveness, lack of experience in an unfamiliar situation, but faith in oneself and in the importance of the importance of the matter helps to make the right decision in time.

To the question: “Why should we make a choice in favor of your candidacy?”, You need to answer like this: “I have all the necessary skills and due experience to most effectively implement all the tasks that this position will imply”, or “I am interested in your vacancy ”, or “I am ready to learn and try my hand at a new job for me.”

To the question: “How long are you ready to work in our company?” you should answer like this: "I'm interested in long-term cooperation with your company."

To the question: “Where do you see yourself in a few years?” should be answered like this: "I am interested in professional growth and development, there is a desire to eventually take a responsible position."

Here are some tips to help you succeed in a job interview:

- the respondent should not focus on possible mistakes made during the interview, he should apologize and continue his story;

- if you ask a question that has no answer, then you should say that you need time to think;

- if during the interview it turns out that the level of knowledge is insufficient for work, then you should express your readiness for training. Only this should not be done with a hackneyed phrase, focusing on the fact that we are trained, but it is better to talk about specific examples when such tasks have already been solved and the level of knowledge has increased quite successfully;

- after the end of the interview, you need to thank the interviewer;

- you can’t put pressure on pity when applying for a job, try to arouse sympathy;

- do not talk about your problems, troubles, difficult financial situation;

- you need to be confident in yourself and show with all your appearance that you are able to solve not only your own problems, but also the problems of the company;

- you should not put pressure on the interviewer with your knowledge;

- also, you can’t praise the former boss, thus, the image of the right boss is being imposed on the new boss.

If you didn’t get a job, you need to take this as an experience that will allow you to find the desired vacancy next time.

    • Type #1. multistage
    • Type #2. Monostage
    • 1st stage. Talking on the phone
    • 2nd stage. Preparing for the meeting
    • 3rd stage. Interview
    • 4th stage. Results
    • Council number 1. Don't be late
    • Council number 2. Keeping the look
    • Council number 3. Respect for the employer
    • Council number 4. We act confident
    • Council number 5. Telling about ourselves
    • Council number 6. We behave naturally
  • 5. Selling a pen at an interview - 7 recommendations + an example
  • 8. Conclusion

A new job is an important chance in the life of every person. it is essentially an opportunity to change your current state of affairs. For some, it is important to increase the level of wages, someone strives for self-development and improvement, while others need a comfortable atmosphere in the team and normal working conditions. In any case, we are always looking for such prospects when changing places of our work. And, in order to get the coveted position, you need to properly set yourself up and conduct the very first interview with the manager, to behave with dignity and confidence. How to do it, etc. read on.

The procedure itself does not seem complicated, it is important here to gain a level of trust and convey your abilities as a specialist in the field you are applying for. But, in fact, there are even some parameters that allow, even at the first meeting, to evaluate not only your personal qualities but also professional. How to successfully pass an interview will be discussed later in our article.

From the article you will learn:

  • How to pass a job interview?
  • How to behave in an interview?
  • Popular job interview questions and answers
  • What rules should be followed?
  • How to lead and what to say to your potential leader?
  • Let's analyze a popular case - "How to sell a pen at an interview"

So, let's try to figure everything out in order.

Before you have an interview, you need to competently compose your resume and send it to the employer, so we recommend that you read our article: "", where you can download ready-made resume samples and templates, recommendations and errors for compiling, etc. are considered.

1. What is a job interview?

In fact, an interview is a certain process that involves the acquaintance of the employer and the applicant. During the conversation, each of the two parties draws conclusions for themselves and makes a decision. On the part of the manager offering you a position, your characteristics, business qualities and the level of your compliance with the standards adopted in the company are considered.

And, from the side of the applicant, by and large, the ratio of the level of remuneration to its conditions, the prospects for personal growth, and even the schedule of one's own workload are determined.

Currently, recruitment systems, that is, the very first interview, can be of several types:

  • Individual . This is a method in which only the leader and the applicant participate in the meeting. -For the most part, you are offered to fill out a questionnaire and, based on the specified data, the conversation itself is built.
  • group. This is a form in which several applicants gather in a spacious room at once, and a specialist designed to purposefully engage in the selection of personnel works with the whole audience. This method is most common when hiring specialists for the position of "sales manager" or "sales representative".

According to the level of its complexity and the stages of passing the procedure itself, 2 main types can be distinguished:

Type #1. multistage

Such a system is used in large organizations, where any of the vacancies is the main one and special requirements are imposed on the candidate applying for it. Moreover, you need to go through several stages in order to get a positive decision.

  • Phone conversation. To begin with, you will be asked to answer a few basic questions over the phone. This allows you to identify your overall level of compliance and schedule a meeting time and date.
  • Interview at the preliminary stage. When you come to the meeting, most likely, you will be sent directly to the personnel department, where you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire and submit it for consideration. It will need to indicate information relating to personal data, describe educational establishments that have been completed and places of former work. You may have to list the set of qualities that you possess and explain why you are applying for this particular position.
  • Testing. At this stage, most likely, there will be a need to complete several tasks or answer specially designed questions to the human resources manager. For example, they can give a trial text that will need to be translated if the vacancy involves the use of a foreign language, or demonstrate literacy in a computer program if such skills are basic in the position.
  • Main interview. It is carried out immediately and immediately. A specialist can find out from you why the dismissal from your last job took place, whether the schedules offered for this position are comfortable for you, whether it is possible to go on business trips, especially if they are long. The HR manager may ask a number of questions related directly to the work technology itself and its specification.
  • Meeting with the immediate supervisor. It is assigned according to the results of the passed stages. At the same time, a line-level specialist evaluates the applicant using his own methods, close to his department directly, and makes the final decision.
  • Interview with senior management. This is the final stage, which is necessary mainly for acquaintance and judgment about your candidacy will take place on the basis of the data presented at the previous stage by the head of the linear level.

Type #2. Monostage

This interview option is used in an organization that has a small staff and limited capacity. For example, an enterprise employing 20-30 people requires an accountant or secretary. The vacancy is open and you are assigned a meeting time, which, most likely, will be held in a dialogue mode and a decision will already be formed based on its results.

Recently, these two types of interviews have also been called single-level and multi-level.


2. How to pass a job interview - 4 main steps

For example, on special sites on the Internet or when processing information in newspapers, we managed to find several ads that have information that suits your requirements.

1st stage. Talking on the phone

When dialing the indicated number, you need to understand that such a conversation will be the very first idea about you and the further possibility of successfully passing the interview depends on how it develops.

Even if, in a small organization, such a conversation will be conducted by the secretary, then on your part, the conversation should be correct, friendly and positive. After all, in any case, when arranging a meeting with you, he will definitely pass on information about what the first conversation was to the manager.

In order for a telephone conversation to be effective, and first of all for you, you need to do the following:

  • First of all, it is very important to clarify which of the vacancies you are invited to, discuss its parameters and General requirements. If during the conversation it has already become clear that for some reason this vacancy is not suitable for you or you, you should politely refuse the appointed time and try to correctly explain the reason for your refusal. By and large, the time wasted will be a huge disadvantage for you and the entire search process.
  • Secondly, in your own notebook you need to write down the contact details of the organization, the time and date of the proposed meeting, the name of the company, the vacancy that you talked about and the name of the person with whom the conversation took place. Subsequently, this information will be very significant. For example, unforeseen circumstances may arise or it will be difficult to find the location of the enterprise.
  • Thirdly, if there is such an opportunity, you need to find out the name and patronymic of the person to whom you are sent for an interview. This will have an effect when, at the time of the first meeting, it will be possible to address a person not just as “YOU”, but with respect, applying the information received.

Correctly specify the information about the address of the organization and when discussing the time, decide in advance if there are any other circumstances that could prevent this. Moreover, if it so happened that there were several more meetings for that day, the difference between them must be made in 2-3 hours. This will help to be punctual and solve a number of issues. You need to understand that interviews are different, and any of them can be significantly delayed, which will disrupt your plans.

It is worthwhile to carefully study the information in advance on how to behave correctly in an interview, what to talk about and how to make a good impression. We will consider these issues in more detail below.

2nd stage. Preparing for the meeting

At this stage, you need to correctly carry out a series of actions that allow you to properly assemble yourself and set yourself up for the upcoming interview.

  1. "The documents". First you need to take care of all the documents that may come in handy. You can create a resume and print it in 2 copies, put a passport, diplomas of completed education, possible certificates confirming the levels and degrees of courses that you managed to complete at one time.
  2. "Potential Employer". For the purpose of your own self-development, you should try to find information about the organization you are going to. This can be done online. At least superficially studying the goals and directions of activity, products to be sold, years of foundation, development parameters, stages of its formation, you will be able to convincingly explain all your intentions and their seriousness in a conversation with the manager.
  3. "Route". You need to think over your route, with possible stops, transfers and search for the location of the building.
  4. "Questions and answers". Try to think of possible questions that may be asked and rough answers that will be convincing and as honest as possible. Set yourself up for possible tests and special assignments. It would be nice to make up a number of your own questions that may be relevant in the conversation and in the future will help you draw your own conclusions about the vacancy and the job in general.
  5. "Dress code". When all preliminary stages committed, it remains only to decide in what clothes to go to the meeting and how to make the most favorable impression on the leader. Let it be a very strict business suit, well-groomed nails, hair, neat shoes, and this will give the effect of a good attitude towards your candidacy.

3rd stage. Interview

This is exactly what you were trying to do. You should try to come within minutes. 10 before the appointed time, calm down and catch your breath. First, you should inform the secretary that you have arrived, and then, upon invitation, enter the office.

Passing to the chair indicated to you, you need to say hello, smile a little, and, addressing by name and patronymic, thank you for the invitation to an interview in this particular organization. The mobile phone must be either turned off or put on silent mode.

4th stage. Results

Based on the results of the conversation, you will either be asked to wait outside the door, or they will announce the time frame in which the decision will be made. But, it may also happen that, already ending the conversation, the manager will set the date for your internship.

3. How to behave in an interview - 6 practical tips

There are several main nuances and points that you should pay attention to in order for the meeting to be successful, and the impression of you remains only positive. It's not hard to follow them.

As mentioned earlier, you need to come to the meeting at least for 10 minutes early. Of course, you are not familiar with the place, but you definitely need to set yourself up, and being late for at least a minute and a half can negatively affect the beginning of the interview.

Before entering the office, be sure to knock, quickly examine your appearance again, remove chewing gum and all sorts of little things that can ruin it.

Introduce yourself, smile and try to attract the attention of an employee of the organization to yourself. Address him only by his first name and only in rare cases, as he will allow himself to be called.

Try to find the right seat and sit so that your face is turned specifically to the interlocutor. No need to fall apart in a chair or strongly clamp, cross your legs or shift them from one to another.

It has been proven that being clearly in front of his interviewer, a person perceives him as an adversary who has the right to decide your fate. Therefore, it will be more convenient if the chair is placed a little obliquely.

During the conversation, it is important to follow the gestures of your hands. Do not wave them strongly or clench into fists and fiddle with a pen or pencil. You need to try to move them calmly and smoothly. At the same time, your face should be open and sincere. Specialists they advise you to try to mentally draw a circle between you and visually look at its center.

Listen carefully to all questions and try to answer only when asked about it. Moreover, you need to answer in essence and within 2-3 minutes without lengthening or shortening the information. If suddenly the question was not heard, ask to repeat it, but you should not do this very often. By the way, answers like "Yes" and "No", are considered monosyllabic and by saying them in a low voice creates confidence in your indecision and ignorance of the material you are talking about.

In the case when the manager asks you to tell a little about yourself, you do not need to start a story from the moment you were born and delve into great details. Speak clearly and to the point. Tell us about what you graduated from, what positions you held, what was your career growth and a little about the reasons that prompted you to go for an interview in this particular company.

Don't forget to smile, and to lighten things up a little, or to make any of your slips insignificant, use an appropriate joke or a bit of unobtrusive humor. Even in a business conversation, a pleasant smile does not hurt, and perhaps it will tell about your confidence.

At the end of the conversation, you should definitely thank the employee and the company in his person for the opportunity to try to find a job.

4. Job Interview Questions and Answers

Of course, the scheduled interview may take place according to the scenario determined by the employee of the organization inviting you to it. But, in any case, what cannot be ruled out in any way are the questions asked to determine the necessary information. American scientists conducted a number of their own research, developed and confirmed theories, came to the conclusion that in any interviews are asked 20 standard questions, 15 of them are basic, and 5 are additional.

Possible interview questions and answers - 5 questions with answers

Question 1. What can you tell us about yourself?

Answer: you need to try to make the story short, but not dry, while there is no need to shout, use obscene language, use specific phrases related to slang speech. Try to keep within the time period of 3 minutes.

Moreover, during the notification process, disclose information about your education, some successes not only in the professional direction, but also in the personal one.

Mention the success of your own career growth and merits. As a result, tell us why and what you want to change in your own life, and how you would succeed if you got a vacancy in this company. Just don't try to flatter. It's always noticeable.

Question 2. What attracted you to this particular company?

Answer: it can be formed when preparing at home. On Internet resources, having studied a little the history of the company, its direction of activity, you can most correctly build phrases and the whole story. But, do not talk about what will sound corny.

For instance, about the organization itself and how you like it, about the fact that you can change it for the better in the future. A response of this nature would be more appropriate.

Knowing that the company is in the baby food business, tell us that you have a special love for children and concerns about food safety in the formula market. And by means of employment, you will be able to realize how much this process has been worked out in this company and what you could offer in this direction.

Question 3. How did you resolve conflicts within your team at your previous place of work?

Answer: of course, for such a tricky question, you should try to give 2 or 3 effective methods solutions. But, it’s not worth saying that earlier, your team only did what was in conflict and, as a result, all the necessary functions had to be performed only alone, that the entire amount of work fell on your shoulders because of this.

On the contrary, tell us how you managed to debug the work process, how the responsibilities were clearly distributed, and how such situations themselves arose quite rarely. Convince your interlocutor of your business qualities.

Question 4. What salary would you like to receive?

Answer: in this situation, it's a good idea to look through information on similar vacancies in another organization in advance and decide for yourself a definite amount.

The manager, of course, wants to understand what kind of employee comes to work for him, how much he himself evaluates his work.

But, it’s not worth bargaining here, it’s also not nice to have long discussions about this. You need to understand that if this is a huge organization that has a large staff and is not only regional, but also world famous, then the level of remuneration for your work can be raised by 30% from the average.

Question 5. Why did you leave your previous job?

Answer: by asking such a question, the future employer really wants to know the true reason for your departure and understand that something like this will not affect the process of today's work. In this case, of course, you can’t lie, you need to try to correctly formulate your idea and correctly convey it at the interview.

A situation may arise in which the data about your previous place of work is already known, and the true reason has not been a secret for a long time. And the question was asked to you, only in order to confirm your data.

For instance if you were very busy with incomprehensible work, the deadlines for its execution were limited, and the behavior leading staff is inadequate, you can say the following.

It was difficult for me to cope with the constant flow of work, the deadlines for which were negligible and unrealistic to complete. I am not afraid of large volumes, I like being in the flow of things, but it is necessary to approach the issue of its temporary execution wisely.

Summing up this situation, we can say that in modern world, very often recruitment functions are transferred to special agencies with long experience and wide specialization.

But, even the fact that at the first stage you will not be able to meet with the leader himself does not mean that you need to relax and not even think about the desire to make a good impression on the interlocutor.

On the contrary, it is worth understanding that you have to go through even 2 interviews. And you need to prepare for them with a vengeance. All outsourcing agencies work exclusively under contracts with organizations and are guided mainly by the parameters set by the managers themselves, selecting employees who are most suitable for a given position.

And, there can be many applicants, and your task is not only to charm the interlocutor, proving your business qualities, but also to surpass the rest of the applicants.


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Of course, it is understandable that conducting such a recruitment process is very exciting and the situation becomes stressful. But, there are a number of vacancies in which applicants must initially be resistant to the situation and be able to resolve emerging issues.

In fact, when asking this question at an interview, the manager sets himself the goal of looking at actions in an unplanned situation and identifying the applicant's possession of sales techniques. To do this, of course, you need to understand the motives of the interlocutor and clearly know that the final decision depends on what will happen now, especially if the vacancy involves corrupt actions.

So, what is your model of behavior when asked to sell a pen or other product?

  1. Do not rush, and immediately issue spontaneous decisions. And, if you are even very worried, ask 1 minute to think.
  2. Next, pick up the same product (pen) and try to carefully examine it. Consider it all pros and minuses, make accents for yourself on uniqueness.
  3. Try to stick to the basic stages of sales, and if you are not familiar with them, and there is no experience in this matter, try to study them, at least superficially. For this there is a huge amount of suitable literature and articles on the Internet. Even if such an option looks awkward from the outside, the manager will still appreciate it and notice your perseverance.
  4. Try to understand who you are selling it to and assess the needs of this person, and when asking additional questions use the active listening technique. Analyze answers. For instance, ask: how often do you write? Do you have a spare pen? Or what do you like about it, or maybe you should change something in it?
  5. Trying to make the fact of the sale, you do not need to lie and actively invent. Don't overprice.
  6. Try to maintain verbal contact throughout the entire time. It would not be bad to give this pen into the hands of a potential buyer, so that in reality he himself could evaluate all the properties.
  7. After you still manage to get consent to the purchase, it would be advisable to also offer a notebook or spare paste, and maybe even another related product.

Starting to sell, confidence gradually comes, but, at the same time, your interlocutor will naturally make his objections. And there is nothing strange in this, the main thing is to respond to them correctly and not to go into a stupor.

For instance, to the question: Why do I need her? you can easily and simply answer: “I understand that you already have a pen, so you know what a business approach is, and it would be very disappointing if its ink runs out at the most inopportune moment. Take it in reserve and you will be sure that in any situation, there will be no difficulties.

In fact, to be frank, the situation in personnel policy is very difficult. Managers want to find a really worthwhile specialist and get him into their organization. But, there are only a few of them. Therefore, a smart salesperson who knows how to work and knows how to sell himself in an interview, as well as methods and techniques of sales, applying regularly in practice, will be very necessary. And the interview process helps to understand this.

6. 13 common job interview mistakes

Of course, we try very hard and think through every moment and step, but if we suddenly get a refusal, we cannot understand for a long time what contributed to this.

In fact, there are several typical errors that lead to this result.

  1. being late. The first and worst mistake. In this matter, your punctuality should simply go off scale.
  2. Untidy appearance. It is worth paying special attention to this, especially since you can prepare in advance and thoroughly.
  3. Escort. Such issues are resolved only on their own and no wives, husbands, relatives, girlfriends need to be invited to the offices. A negative opinion is formed immediately.
  4. insecure behavior. Set yourself up for the fact that everything matters, and even if the meeting is unsuccessful, this will give a chance to work in another organization, because there are always alternatives. Calm down and go to the meeting.
  5. Mobile phone conversation. Turn off this connection for a while, it will not be very convenient during the interview to divert your attention and waste other people's time on your personal conversations.
  6. Questions about money. If throughout the meeting the topic of discussing finances and the amount of payments constantly pops up, this will lead to an unequivocal refusal.
  7. Arrogance and self-confidence. This behavior is also unacceptable. It is clear, of course, that you come to offer your knowledge and skills, but this must be done correctly and in accordance with the situation.
  8. Lie. No need to try to lie, because, as you know, sooner or later the truth will be revealed and this will create a negative image for you.
  9. Extra frankness. Often, candidates, when answering questions, try to gain confidence in themselves by voicing unnecessary unnecessary information. And this can be very damaging. No need to discuss your personal life, some kind of dislike for people, or the sins of the past.
  10. Reaction of irritation to asked questions. Many managers may ask the same question multiple times for verification purposes. It is worth keeping an eye on your emotions, although experts allow you to show a little irritability for a question asked three times. In their understanding, such a reaction will tell the interlocutor that you are attentive and follow the conversation. But, do not raise your voice and try to swear.
  11. Criticism of employees or superiors that you have worked with before. In any case, it is not even worth discussing this topic. Often the answers are simply projected onto the existing situation and this is not correct.
  12. Verbosity. This is also one of the main mistakes. This kind of behavior is annoying. The manager wants to hear a clear and meaningful answer to his question. Sometimes there are candidates who start talking about one topic, and in the process manage to discuss several more.
  13. Lack of feedback. After the interview has passed, especially if a promise was made to call you, you should not make quick decisions and independently assume whether your candidacy came up or not. Dial the phone number at the specified time yourself and find out how your conversation ended for the receiving party.

1) How to behave in a job interview - tips and tricks

2) An example of selling a service at an interview

7. How to get a job without an interview

Oddly enough, but interviews as a form of testing a future employee for professional suitability are gradually becoming a thing of the past - more and more people these days find work on the Internet and perform duties from home, working in comfort. Usually, vacancies on the Internet do not necessarily require a rigorous interview, the main thing for the customer is the quality of the work performed.

To get a job online, most often you just need to complete a test task that allows you to demonstrate your skills to the customer. In general, working on the Internet has many other advantages, such as a flexible work schedule and a high stable income. We advise you to download our free course about making money online from scratch - it will help you determine the type of work on the Internet that is ideal for you and start earning money online.

Watch a video about making money on the Internet without investments from a specialist Andrey Merkulov:

8. Conclusion

Now, after reading the information, a certain scenario of actions and answers to the questions are formed: “How to behave at a job interview?”, “How to sell a product?” etc. becomes clear. Do not be afraid and show excessive nervousness, this will not only harm, but may subsequently affect your health.

Gain confidence that you have experience, knowledge of all the main processes, a long period of practice and a huge number of resolved issues. Gather your strength and tune in to the positive. But, on the night before the interview, be sure to get enough sleep, allowing the body to get a little stronger.