What's one great way to stand out from your competitors in a phone interview? Ask questions.
Most people don't ask questions in a phone interview, but it's one of the best ways to improve your conversation, elevate yourself as a candidate, stand out, and get closer to the face-to-face.
In the video below, I talk more about this. Click the video to watch.
I have many more phone interview question tips for you in my blog article on this subject: Phone Interview Tips #20.
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 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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
Do you know the most important question you should ask in phone interviews? Hopefully, you already know that it’s important that you should ask questions in your telephone interview. But you might not know that one question in particular can ensure a good interview or even turn the tide of a bad interview.
Here’s a secret: There’s really only so many interview questions they can ask you. Some hiring managers like to break out of the rut and ask crazy things to catch you off guard, like “What kind of tree would you be?”, but most of the time they tend to ask the same kinds of questions. There’s just basic information that they all need to know in order to make the decision to hire you.
What you need to know is what questions they’re most likely to ask you so you can be ready to answer them. What are the most typical phone interview questions?
Are you looking for an IT job? Do you know how to handle an IT interview so that you DO get the job?
I am so excited to let you know that I just had a fantastic and very informative conversation with Jeff Lipschultz, owner of A-List Solutions, a recruiting firm in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area since 2007. A-List Solutions places technical candidates in a huge variety of companies all over the United States. He is an incredible resource for IT folks, and he spent over 30 minutes with me doling out all kinds of advice on how to do very well in IT interviews. I have put the entire conversation in an audio recording for you. All you have to do is click the bar below to hear it. Read more...
Have you been in your job for a long time? Have you made lateral moves? Your job interviewer might ask why you haven't been promoted.
Not being promoted is not always a bad thing...there could be a lot of reasons for that. But if they ask, they're concerned and looking for any problems you might present to them if they hired you.
In the video below, I will give you several suggestions for ways you can answer this question in a positive way that alleviates the fears of that hiring manager. 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?
Do you know the most important question you should ask in 
Here’s a secret: There’s really only so many interview questions they can ask you. Some hiring managers like to break out of the rut and ask crazy things to catch you off guard, like “
Are you looking for an IT job? Do you know how to handle an IT interview so that you DO get the job?
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