OPTIMIZE YOUR INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

Practice Interviews Using Interview Trainer

Interview Trainer is designed to help you practice for the most important part of your job search ... the interview. Interview Trainer includes hundreds of real-life interview questions to help you prepare.

We were asked if we could provide recommended answers to various questions included in Interview Trainer. We responded that people need to get away from the notion that there is a particular answer that works best for any given question. Providing recommended answers can actually have negative consequences.

"The essence of your job search is centered on getting job interviews and then doing well in those interviews."

- Job Hunter Pro

The interview is a verbal exchange between two people that takes into consideration a substantial number of variables. Examples of these variables are the type of job, the industry sector, the work history of the applicant, the applicant's skills and education, the organization's work culture, the preferences of the interviewer, the way and tone in which the question is asked, how the question relates to other questions being asked, the goals of the organization, how the job relates to other jobs in the organization, and many more ... whew!

It is easy to see that the best answer to any interview question is one that relates specifically to the person being interviewed and is given in the context of the particular interviewing situation. It is driven by the applicant's need to demonstrate their ability to be successful in the particular job they are being interviewed for.

Because of the number of interviewing variables, we have designed Interview Trainer so that you can review and practice questions that are broken down into various categories. We have also included suggestions about what the interviewer's motivation would be for asking particular questions so that you can consider those motivations when developing your response.

Before we go into more detail, let's start by talking a little bit about interviewers and what you might encounter.

Employment Interviewers

Typically you will find that professional interviewers are highly trained and skilled in the candidate selection process. They know what to ask, what not to ask, and what to look for in the way of responses from job candidates.

Many hiring supervisors and managers, on the other hand, are not well-trained or skilled in interviewing techniques. They may ask poorly conceived questions, inappropriate questions, and in some cases, illegal questions. Even among professional interviewers, there are some who would be better off in different professions.

Because you're likely to experience interviews from people with varied backgrounds, skills, and training, you must anticipate and prepare for a variety of interview questions. Interview Trainer has been designed to help you prepare. Some of the questions in Interview Trainer are tough, some are easy, and some are intentionally questionable (but reflect real life). The section on Sensitive/Stressful Questions can be especially challenging for the unprepared.

The point is that Interview Trainer is designed to help you become good at being interviewed, not how to interview others.

Remember The Four P's

You may recall from the eBook that we narrowed the key to interview success down to the four primary elements of perception, prediction, preparation and practice. Now let's look at the Four P's in the context of the Interview Trainer program.

Interviewing Four P's

Perception

It is up to you to perceive the requirements of your target job and your target employer. Within the context of your skills and background, you must develop a workable interviewing strategy. Interview Trainer will help you prepare as part of this strategy.

Initially, it is best to use the Interview Trainer to practice on a broad range of questions. You will eventually narrow your selection to areas that have the most relevance to the position you are applying for. To do this, think about the important elements of the job using the job description or other information you may have. Then select question categories that focus most heavily on these areas. It can be helpful to develop a list of challenging questions for future practice.

Prediction

With good perceptive skills, you'll be in a better position to predict the kinds of questions that will be asked. Now that you have identified some questions that are fairly focused on the job you are applying for, you can start to refine your selection of question types.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer and employer. Create a picture in your mind of the type of person they would be looking for. What skills, traits, experience, education, attitude, background, etc. would be important to them? Using this mental picture, review the list of questions you developed. Use your intuition and, if available, the job description to predict the types of questions most likely to be asked.

Preparation

Go through all the questions on your list. As you do, take into consideration all of your skills, competencies, and experience. Then start to craft a set of responses within the context of these variables.

The list you create will be very helpful as you prepare for your interview. However, you also need to consider the more generic questions. While they may not be as focused on the specific requirements of the job, these questions still warrant review and practice. You will find that most interviews include several generic questions.

While it takes time to review the many questions available, it is time that can pay off handsomely. A confident and successful interview awaits those who prepare and practice.

Practice

Practicing means taking the first three P's (Perception, Prediction, and Preparation) and incorporating them into as realistic an interview exercise as you can. As you practice, think about key words or adjectives you found in the job advertisement or job description. Structure your responses to the practice questions so that they include those words.

Start your practice exercises with the list you developed. The Interview Trainer will prompt you with the interview question, and will also display some helpful hints about the motivation the interviewer has when asking the question. Recognizing that there is no way to know exactly what questions will be asked, it is very helpful to review as many questions as possible so you have an idea of what to expect.

During your practice exercises, don't try to memorize your response to each question. It is usually better to think about your answers in general terms. This is because there are many ways to ask the same basic question. If you try to memorize a response, a slight change in the wording of a question might throw you off.

A Few Final Words

Nobody knows your background or experience better than you do. By practicing your responses, you'll become more articulate, fluid and confident in how you describe your skills and experience; regardless of how a particular question is asked. In addition, the more questions included in your practice exercise, the less likely an unexpected line of questioning will surprise you. This will give you an edge over other job candidates.

Lastly, this website contains a wide range of tools, materials and advice regarding things you can do before, during and after the interview to hone your job interview skills. One-on-one job search coaching is also available. You are encouraged to take advantage of all of these valuable resources.

 

Using Interview Trainer

Key Points