Telephone Interview

{This article originally appeared on Glassdoor}

Companies aren’t created equal, nor are their interview processes. But for job seekers interviewing at a startup, the differences are great compared to doing the dance with an established company.

“At a startup, we look for hackers,” says Greg Skloot, co-founder and CEO of startup Attend.com, the event planning software maker. “We want to see people that can get a lot done quickly, and with very few resources. A startup might not care as much about formalities like GPA, attire, etc. Startups champion the underdog.” Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Fantastic resume submitted.

Check.

Now, get ready for the phone to ring! Acing the first contact from a recruiter or hiring manager is just as important as the in-person interview. Here are five easy steps to make sure you shine. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Experteer Magazine.}

They say that you have to write 100 resumes just to get one interview. So what happens when you finally land one? With any luck, you’ll be blowing them out of the water. After all, it’s been going great. You’re building rapport, crafting a strong narrative for your years of experience and the hiring manager’s head seems to be nodding in tune with your responses. You’ve been thrown a couple of softballs to get warmed up and a couple of tricks ones to show how you think on your feet.

And then, all of a sudden, you get thrown a pitch from left field: that’s a nice engagement ring, comments your interviewer. Are you getting married this year? If alarm bells aren’t sounding in your mind already, they should be – this was a classic example of a no-so-innocent, seemingly-benign, and entirely illegal interview question. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Balance.}

How to Answer Some of the Toughest Questions to Get the Job

There are the basic interview questions that almost every hiring manager asks. There are also interview questions that are more of a challenge to answer. These tougher questions give the interviewer a deeper sense of who you are and whether you’re a good fit for the company.

Some are trick questions and others are designed to put you on the spot to see how you react. There are also those that don’t have a right or wrong answer.

With those, how you respond is as important as what you say when you answer. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Preparing for an interview takes a lot more than Googling a list of common interview questions. You have to make a great first impression appearance-wise (no wrinkly suits here!), have a great knowledge of your target company and its product, and, of course, know exactly how to convey that you’re the perfect fit for the job.

So to help you get prepared, we compiled a list of our all-time best pre-interview tips. From strategizing about how to tackle the toughest questions to packing your purse or briefcase, we’ve got you covered – with 30 ways to make sure you bring your A-game. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Balance.}

There are a few general interview questions that you are likely to be asked, regardless of what job you are interviewing for. One question you will often be asked is, “What interests you about this job?” The interviewer will want to see that you know quite a bit about the job, what the key requirements are, what skills will help you to excel, and how your experience matches up with those expectations. Read more

Remember this and you’ll do better than 95% of the people who receive calls…. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Hiring managers don’t always say what’s on their minds, and sometimes this results in a less effective interviewing experience for you, the job candidate. But, regardless of how good or bad your interviewer is, you’ll very likely still get this question: “Why are you interested in this position?”

The reason for that is because your answer says a lot about all of the most important things the interviewer will be evaluating: your skills, your cultural fit, and your interest. In other words, this is definitely not a question you want to screw up. Here are four common mistakes and how to avoid them. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Real Simple.}

Phone to Phone Introduction

As a stellar would-be employee, you want to sail through the interview process. But before you think that all you need is a knockout résumé and a killer outfit, think again. Nowadays, there’s a step before the in-person interview: the phone interview.

“The global economy means more and more cross-border hiring, where an initial phone interview becomes even more important,” says Sanjeev Agrawal, founder of Collegefeed, a career marketplace for college students.

Employers are increasingly opting for phone interviews to screen potential new hires. By doing so, companies can sort through candidates without committing to the expense and time required for on-site meet-ups. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on TheMuse.com.}

Preparing for interviews is serious business. But even if you practice, and practice, and practice, you could still get a question you just don’t know how to answer. Whether it’s a technical question on something you’ve never heard of before or just something completely unexpected, a question that stumps you can really throw off the pacing of the conversation and leave you a bit shaken up. Read more