If an interviewer says, "Tell me a little of your personal history," what do you do? Just like with 'Tell me about yourself,' you may be tempted to talk about your family, your social life, your politics, or your last vacation. But don't.
In the video below, I will tell you how to best answer any questions about your personal history in a job interview.
Click the video to watch.
If you'd like more information about exactly how to answer questions about your personal history or 'life story', please see my blog article that goes into this in much greater detail: How to Answer Interview Questions Q42.
If you would like more great answers to interview questions, check out my 101-article blog series, How to Answer Interview Questions.
Even though the whole point of an interview is for you to answer questions, there is such a thing as talking too much, or too long.
In the video below, I will tell you how long you should talk, how to make sure you aren't talking too long, and how to help the interviewer keep the conversation going in your favor.
Click the video to watch.
I have many more phone interview tips for you in my blog article on this subject: Phone Interview Tips #22.
And don't forget to check out our entire Phone Interview Tips series. It's 37 of the best tips for your phone interviews.
If you have been freelancing or consulting, but now you're applying to work for a company, they are going to have a few questions for you. The perception is that people who have been their own boss can't go back to working for someone else.
In the video below, I will tell you what to say if they ask you about your freelance or consulting work. You can answer these questions in a positive way that affirms how good you are at your job and explains why you want to work for them.
Click the video to watch.
If you'd like more details about exactly how to answer questions about your freelance work, please see my blog article that goes into this in much greater detail: How to Answer Interview Questions Q88.
If you would like more great answers to interview questions, check out my 101-article blog series, How to Answer Interview Questions.
Is your physical location really a big deal when it comes to phone interviews? Absolutely.
I have seen candidates try to phone interview in pretty common places that actually kill their shot at the job because they can't represent themselves well there.
In the video below, I'll tell you what places to definitely avoid, and give you the best place for your phone interview.
In school, 'cheat sheets' are the notes you sneak in to help you ace the test. In phone interviews, you can use cheat sheets, too--except in a phone interview, it's not cheating. It's just smart. (We can call them 'smart sheets.') They will help you ace your phone interview.
In the video below, I'll tell you what kinds of notes you should keep in front of you so you can refer to them during the interview. Click the video to watch.
These do take some work to research and put together, but the investment you make in time and effort is going to pay off big for you in terms of money and job offers. This plan is going to help you have a wildly successful job interview. So, now what?
How do you write a 30-60-90-Day Plan?
1. The first 30 days of your plan is usually focused on training–learning the company systems, products, services, software, vendors, and/or customers. So, most of the items in your 30-day plan should be along the lines of attending training, mastering product knowledge, learning specific corporate systems, traveling to learn your territory (if you’re in sales), meeting other members of the team, or reviewing accounts.
This part of the plan is all about getting your feet wet. Not every boss has a lot of time to train you. If you can show how you can get up to speed on your own, they love it. No hand-holding necessary for you.
2. The next 30 days (60-day) are focused on more field or independent time, less training, more customer introductions, more vendor introductions, reviews of customer satisfaction....just getting deeper into things. More details, more responsibility.
A big point here in this 60-day section is getting feedback from your manager to see how you're doing. Put this in your plan.
3. The last 30 days (90-day) are the "taking off on your own" part. By now, you should be up to speed, rolling with some independence, and contributing significantly. You should know your way around by now and be initiating things on your own: thinking of ways to increase customers or revenue, generating ideas to save time or money, implementing plans or schedules, fine-tuning your schedule, and continuing to get performance feedback. Read more...
Do you know what your phone interview goals are? It's not just to answer their questions and hope they like you. You do have a goal, and you do have to know the best way to hit it.
In the video below, I will tell you what your phone interview goal is, and tell you what has to happen in order for you to hit it.
Then, I will tell you the absolute, most important thing you can do in your phone interview (or any interview) to get you one step closer to the job offer. Click the video to watch.
Interviewers like to ask behavioral-style interview questions like, "Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it." They know that past behavior predicts future behavior, and they want to see how you reacted to a difficult situation.
In the video below, I will tell you a great way to respond to this question. Click the video to watch.
Did you know it's just as important to do your research before the phone interview as it is before the face-to-face interview? If you gather information before the interview gets started, you can have a much better conversation and increase your chances of getting to the next step.
In the video below, I will tell you how to research the interviewer before your interview in 3 different ways:
What to ask when they arrange the call
Where to research the things you need to know before the call
What to ask at the very beginning of your call that will help you tremendously
If you've heard the term but you don't quite know what all the fuss is about, read on and discover this job interview miracle tool.
A 30-60-90-day plan is a written outline of your goals in the first 3 months on the job. It's broken into 3 parts each detailing what you will do in:
the first 30 days (training, getting to know your way around)
the next 30 days (the 60-day part...getting deeper into the details, preparing longer-term goals, etc.)
the next 30 days (the 90-day part...launching off on your own, taking initiative, implementing plans, significantly contributing to the company in your role)
BEFORE your first job interview with a company, you research the job and the company, create one of these plans for the position, and bring it to the interview to discuss with the hiring manager (your potential new boss).
30/60/90-day plans "Wow" hiring managers in a big, big way. Why? Read more...
How can you make the best impression in a phone interview? One way is by choosing the phone that gives you the best connection, eliminating any "Can you hear me?" problems.
Watch the video below and I'll give you some great phone interview tips.
What are typical IT interview questions? What are the best answers to IT interview questions?
Those are questions I recently asked an expert--Jeff Lipschultz, owner of A-List Solutions, a recruiting firm in the Dallas area that places a large number of technology candidates all over the country. He's got a front-row seat for both sides of IT hiring--managers and candidates. Jeff offered some great insight into what interviewers ask and what they're looking for in your answers to IT questions. Here are excerpts from Jeff's best IT interview advice on how to answer IT interview questions: Read more...
What should you do to prepare for your IT job interview?
That's a question I recently asked an expert--Jeff Lipschultz, owner of A-List Solutions, a recruiting firm in the Dallas area that places a large number of technology candidates all over the country. Jeff is the go-to resource for IT professionals in the job search.
Jeff and I had a long conversation about IT interview questions and preparing for the IT interview, and I want to share some of his terrific insights with you. Read more...
Have you ever been asked to describe a time you went against corporate directives? Or bucked the system, went against the company, or violated company policy? This is not a typical job interview question, but this has been asked in job interviews before. It is a very difficult question to answer well.
In the video below, I will tell you what your best approach is to answering this question. Click the video to watch.
HOW TO WRITE A 306090 DAY PLAN - These do take some work to research and put together, but the investment you make in time and effort is going to pay off big for you in terms of money and job offers
read more...
What is a 30-60-90-day plan? 
What are typical IT interview questions? What are the best answers to IT interview questions?
What should you do to prepare for your IT job interview?
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