Many job applicants think the only thing left to do after an interview is to send a thank you letter. While sending an interview thank you letter is important, don’t get complacent and think that is all you have to do at the end of your interview.
First and last impressions are the strongest, so you want to end the interview gracefully and do the proper follow-up. As a hiring manager, here are three things I want you to eep in mind.
At the end of the interview, I will almost always ask you if you have anything else to say. Most candidates stumble a bit with this one and end awkwardly. The best way to end the interview is to thank me for my time, summarize your qualifications and reiterate your interest in the position. After the interview, do a personal debriefing. Write down the names and titles of everyone you met, your opinion of how you thought the interview went, questions you were asked that you found difficult, and any other information you learned about the company and the job. Even if you don’t get this job, it will help you on future interviews. Follow up the interview with an interview thank you letter to the Hiring Manager and anyone else who may have interviewed you. This shows you understand basic business etiquette and have good attention to detail.
The Best Question of All to Ask the Hiring Manager
Early in my career, a very experienced Hiring Manager shared with me the best question ever to ask at the end of your interview. Here it is: “I’m convinced this is the job I want. What do I need to do to convince you that I’m the best person for the job?”
This is a great question. It shows your interest in the job and it flatters the Hiring Manager’s selling skills (yes, if you’re a good candidate I’ll want to sell you on the job). It also gives you one last chance to sell yourself by addressing any specific suggestions I may have about how to “convince” me you’re the best candidate.
If you feel the interview went well, try using this question. I asked this question myself once when I was interviewing and, to my surprise, the Hiring Manager replied, “Well, I’m pretty well convinced already.” I was offered the job the next day.
You’re selling yourself at the interview, so you have to be certain you ask for the sale!
Good luck at your next interview.
Telephone interview tips can help you land your dream job. How? The amount of telephone job interviews conducted by employers has dramatically risen over the past five years and the trend shows no signs of slowing. This is mainly due to the fact that employers are searching for ideal candidates who live out of town, not just those who live locally. Chances are that you may have to “attend” a telephone interview. When you do, these tips will help you out.
Keep in mind that an interview conducted over the phone is just as important as one conducted in an office. You need to prepare for your interview just as you would any other interview. Review questions and practice your answers in front of a mirror or with a friend. Make a list of questions you want to ask. You might also want to study up on the employer you are interviewing with.
Always keep your resume and the classified job ad in front of you during the interview. This will keep vital information within reach. Avoid preparing a pile of documents. If you have a stack of papers in front of you, you will be tempted to browse through papers which will create a noisy distraction during your interview. It will be very difficult extracting information from a huge pile anyway. The key is to keep it simple.
If at all possible, use a home phone line for the interview. Cell phones can be unreliable. A home phone is both more reliable and free of static. Set aside time for the interview. Make sure you are in a quiet place and that will allow you plenty of time to talk. Your interviewer may request to conduct the interview through a video conferencing system on the computer. This is fine, but there could be technical difficulties if you don’t make sure you are up and running ahead of time.
Make sure you set aside plenty of time for your interview. You never want to abruptly halt an interview or disrupt it in any way. One of the best telephone interview tips that you can follow involves getting into an ideal frame of mind before the interview. Schedule time before the interview to relax. Take steps to limit disruptions. Take the call in a private room located away from kids, animals and other potential distractions.
Try to speak up and pronounce your words clearly. Remember; the quality of your voice is your first and only impression. Speak passionately, but avoid becoming too animated or excited. This could make it difficult for the interviewer to understand you.
Another great tip is to dress for a telephone interview just as you would in an in-office interview. While no one will actually see you, you will feel more professional and your voice will convey this.
Telephone interview tips will only help you if you have time to prepare beforehand. If an employer cold calls you and asks to do an interview on the spot, politely ask if you can call back at a better time. Always give a time when you will call back.
Careers in banking and related fields are hot careers today, but before you decide on your career path, you may want to learn a bit more about the banking field and what it has to offer you. This particular field offers a great deal of diversity and is well paid as well, but the field is not for everyone. Read on to find out the essential information about careers in banking and decide whether or not a career in banking is the right choice for you. Career Choices in the Banking Industry
While you may only think of bank tellers when you think of the banking industry, there are actually a variety of different career choices available within the banking world. Of course, probably the most obvious is the bank teller, who deals with cash and customers. You may also want to consider a career as a customer service representative or a new accounts clerk in a bank as well, which involves opening and closing accounts, answering customer questions, and dealing with any customer concerns.
Another side of the banking industry includes those who deal with the loan process. There are loan clerks, loan officers, and loan processors that deal with various parts of loan processes within a bank. There are also banking jobs available in collections, accounting, and support areas like office managers, secretaries, and data entry.
The careers that many people have in their sights when they think about banking are management positions. There are many different management careers in the banking industry, including bank managers, financial managers, investment managers, and trust officers. While these types of positions may be better paying, they also require a great deal more work as well.
Education Needed
The education that you will need for a career in banking will highly depend on which particular career you are planning on pursuing. Some jobs, such as bank tellers or customer service managers only require that you have a high school diploma or a GED. Other jobs, such as loan officers, and investment officers, will require that you become certified within your state to sell special products such as IRA’s and Annuities. Some careers in this field may require that you have a degree in business or another similar type degree as well. The great thing about a career in banking, is that once you start out in this field, many times the bank you work with will help you get the education you need to advance in your career, which can save you a great deal of money and make you an extremely valuable employee.
What You Can Expect to Earn
The earnings that you can expect in this field are quite diverse, and depend on your specific job within the field. Tellers are generally the lowest paid people in the banking industry, but still they usually will make between $8-11 per hour, and sometimes more if they have been with the same company for a long time. Clerks and secretaries can expect to make between $10-12 an hour, while customer service reps and bookkeepers will make $11-13 per hour. If you are able to climb the ladder to become an executive secretary or even an administrative assistant, you will see a significant rise in pay and will probably make between $15-17 per hour. Loan officers and financial managers usually make the most in this field, with loan officers making around $20 per hour and financial managers making about $30 per hour.
Quality Companies
If you decide that you would like to pursue a career in the banking industry, you will want to be sure that you find a job with a quality company that will pay you a competitive salary and offer you quality benefits, such as health insurance, vacation days, and 401K as well. If you are looking for jobs in banking in the United States, several companies to consider are Wachovia, SunTrust, Chase Bank, Morgan and Stanly, and Bank of America. In the event that you are looking for a banking job in Canada, some companies you may want to check into include The People Bank, Bank of Canada, and the National Bank. Once you find a quality company to work for, you can start working on advancing your career in banking and working your way up towards success.
If a company has a large number of customers, but doesn’t have the capability to handle calls from those customers, they might contract a call center. These firms help with airline reservations, directory assistance, computer technical help, and other important customer service functions. They are generally staffed with both technically trained and non-technical employees, depending on the job needed. Many students apply for call center jobs because the schedules are flexible in most cases.
All call centers screen their employees, just as any other job would. If you’re applying for a job at a call center and are nervous about the interview, you might be wondering what kind of questions you’ll be asked. Following are the top 5 call center questions, and the best way to be prepared for them.
- “Tell us about you previous experience working for a call center. Describe how you helped the customers.”
This question might arise in the middle of the interview, or at any other point during the process. It’s important to review and consider your past work history before interviewing with the call center. Be prepared to describe highlights of any past call center work you’ve done, and describe any times when you’ve worked successfully with others. Call centers like to look for people they would consider team players. Be sure not to make up any exploits at previous jobs. It’s important to always tell the truth in a job interview.
- “Are you proficient with different kinds of software? What kind of computer experience do you have?”
Internet telephony is common in most call centers. This kind of technology is less expensive than using a land line. Call centers also maintain computer databases of customers, and are concerned with your ability to rapidly learn to navigate and use such software. Log files must generally be created after each call, and most employees must also know such basic office software as MS Word, Excel, etc.
- Question number three isn’t a spoken question, but rather the interest of your interviewer in how you conduct yourself. They will be judging you on your communication skills and grammar to see how you might interact with a customer on the phone. Remember to speak clearly and concisely. Choose your words carefully.
- “What does a call center mean to you?”
This seemingly harmless question is a way for your prospective employer to gauge how serious you are, and what your commitment to the job will be. This standard question should be replied to earnestly, and it’s important not to give the impression that you are planning to leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along. Interviewers are usually looking for employees that will stay with the company for a long time and make a career out of their job.
- “What do you consider to be the important of teamwork?”
Employers tend to prefer people who like to work in a team. Loners have a lower chance of being hired. Be sure to let your interviewers know that you can work in a team without becoming stressed or hostile. Management books about the value of teamwork can help you find the words you need to express the value of teamwork in the workplace.
These top 5 call center interview questions are among those you might expect to hear when you’re applying for a job. Technical jobs will have more questions on the technical subject, while non-technical jobs might focus more on teamwork and interpersonal interaction. Whichever job you’re applying for, be sure to be prepared to answer these questions and be on the ball.
Banking interviews are meant to gauge the potential of the candidate to see if he/she has the skills to be placed in any suitable post in the bank. Banking interview questions are meant to measure the attitude, skill and adjustability of the candidate, to draw a conclusion on his/her suitability in the firm. The interviewers will ask as many questions they think is necessary before recruiting any candidate as they are concerned with the fact that the quality and skills of the employees will determines the future of the company.
To become successful in the banking interview process, you need to be well prepared to face the different sets of banking interview questions. Banking interview questions also starts with some general questions about the candidate such as his/her family background, education, and interests. The second and third set of banking interview questions will be meant to know the candidate’s work experience, nature, capacity, ideology, and ability to solve problems. Answering to the fist set of banking interview questions related to your family, qualification, or future planning will be quite easy.
Let us discuss some of the common but very effective banking interview questions.
The interviewer may typically begin with ‘tell me about yourself”. It is a common opener which is meant to set the ball rolling for the next few minutes ahead. Even though this is the common question which will be asked in most of the interviews you can score brownie points by answering the question a bit differently, but at the same time not deviating much from the context.
Other commonly asked banking interview questions include:
General Questions
Why did you choose banking as your profession?
Do you have any previous experience?
Why you left your previous job?
Why do you want to work for us?
How long will you stay with us?
Where you see yourself in another five years?
Finance related banking interview questions
If you could buy one stock today, what would it be and why?
Can you explain the effect of rising interest rates on the United States economy?
What are the main issues ABC Company has to face before entering a given industry (Porter framework)?
Explain the techniques you use to value firms?
What do you mean by cost of capital?
When do you use a WACC versus a cost of equity?
Behavioral Questions
Do you think you have leadership quality? Can you explain when did you show leadership?
Have you think you can perform well in a group?
What is your most noted accomplishment?
What are your positive traits or strengths?
What are your negative traits or weaknesses?
What you can do for the company others people can’t?
Explain an example when you had a personal conflict and how you resolved it?
Tell a time when you had an ethical dilemma and how you resolved it.
What type of person do you find difficult to get along with?
The above mentioned are some of the common questions that are used by most of the banking interviewers. Remember that for a banking job interviewer, there cannot be a dearth for questions. So be well prepared before attending the interview and answer all questions in a positive way. Remember if you have the material they are looking for, you’ll get it.
If you want to work in the Indian banking sector then, it is certainly a good choice as the banking operations are really opening up with a lot of job opportunities for youngsters and the experienced. There are several premium job openings in this sector and can do a lot for your career prospects long time.
The banking operations in India have been at an all time high and can offer several privileged job opportunities in the field of banking. The recruitment process is the based on best practices that is followed internationally for recruiting candidates.
The openings for the posts of clerical staff, probationary officers and management cadre arise regularly. The banking operations jobs in India stress on educational qualifications, along with relevant experience in the field of customer service and banking. There are skilled professionals in the banking and customer service domain that are always required and wanted by the bank. The vast number of jobs and careers that Banking operations jobs in India offers is a testimony of its commitment towards it customers and employees.
The selection process includes the following steps. One has to follow the following methods to qualify finally for a banking job.
o Calling for applications from eligible candidates
o Applying either online or via post
o Receipt of the application
o Dates for the exam and the exam code
o Announcement of the results for the written test
o Interview
o Announcement of successful candidates
o Medical and verification of data including certificates, police records
o Offer letter and joining the bank for a satisfying career.
Jobs have been increasingly harder to come by especially for a recent college student. The United State’s job market is and has been in a slump for the past several years. Unemployment levels are increasing which means your chances of scoring a job, especially after college is decreasing. As a recent college graduate, time is of the essence as you will most likely have debts and loans that will need to be paid back sooner rather than later. Upon receiving a time and date for an interview there are several tips you can follow that will help make you stand out and have a successful meeting with your potential employer.
Tip #1 Watch what you are wearing. Dressing appropriately is an immediate notification of the seriousness and professionalism you are showing to your potential employer. You may have heard the phrase “Dress for the job you want” and this is all too important for the initial interview. Wearing dress pants and a dress shirt if you are a male, and a skirt and blouse if you are a female are great starts. If you are applying for a job in the field of transportation, construction, mechanics, or something of that nature this is not very applicable. Also avoiding excessive jewelry and perfume or cologne is suggested.
Tip #2 Go to the interview alone. You are an adult, and an educated one at that. There is no reason for someone else such a friend, relative, or sibling to go with you. You are applying for the job and no one else.
Tip #3 Watch how fast you talk during the interview. On that same note, try to pace the speed of the conversation. Don’t talk too much, but answer the questions directly and elaborate when you need to. You can only say so much about where you went to college or what your family is like.
Tip #4 Arrive to the interview early. Roughly half an hour is a good start. You may be filling out paperwork or signing documents before your scheduled meeting. Arriving early ensures you have time to do this, whether they told you about it or not.
Tip #5 Turn off your cell phone or other device prior to your interview. There isn’t much more distracting than a ringing or vibrating phone during an interview.
Tip #6 Be enthusiastic! Make sure the employer knows just how interested you are in the position and what an asset you can be for the company.
Tip #7 Be yourself. Try to remain calm and look into the person’s eyes. Most likely you will be interviewed by someone who has been a part of the interview process for a while and will see past lies, anxiousness, and nervousness. Be yourself and they will appreciate it.
None of these tips will guarantee you get the job. But all of them will increase your chances and should help you get the job you want. Even if you don’t get the job, look at every interview process as a learning experience and learn from it.
In a quest to save money, time and travel costs some firms and employment service agencies are now adopting “Telephone Job Screening Interviews” as a more and more standard and accepted job employment screening technique. If you expect to be interviewed by phone, prepare by getting a member of your “network” to “role-play” the interviewer. Practice delivering your answers and answering typical run of the mill standard interviewing questions. After all there are very little variations in interview questions and interviewing style in these workups. It is if all these interview “technicians” all read the same book and attended the same school.
If you have submitted resumes or applications, then you should be prepared to expect and handle a call from an interviewer at almost any time. Ensure that you have a businesslike outgoing voice mail message with your name and/ or phone number. Make sure that all of your housemates know to answer the phone professionally and take messages if necessary. Return calls promptly and be prepared to interview immediately or to leave a message with your full contact information and availability.
In order to succeed in a telephone interview there are a number of preambles.
First you must be prepared to take an interview at almost any time, and on the spot. Post your resume and short written spiel or script somewhere in your home so that it can be found accessed and read and referred to in a flash of time. Have paper and pen (pens) handy so that you can write down names and information on the spot. Otherwise you will forget important information – such as names and phone number of contacts. Keep a log of your calls. Transfer this and the contact information, as well as phone notes promptly to your notes which you can store on your computer, in an easily remembered as well as accessible record.
If you do need a moment to collect yourself, politely ask the interviewer to hold for a brief moment while you move to a quiet location. Eliminate all distractions and background noises.
During the phone interview process it best to focus the call on why you are interested in working that or that prospective employer. Obviously this can and should be done on pre interview research. Make it a point to understand and comprehend the employer’s product, services, current developments in the marketplace and business practices and philosophies.
Always, always be professional, courteous and friendly. It is best not to try to lead or “control” the conversation. Let the caller lead the conversation, but ask questions of your own.
Maintain pose and posture as if that very person was standing alongside you, personally interviewing you in that very room, at that very moment. Stand up, smile and speak directly into the mouthpiece of the telephone while you are talking. This will give your voice more energy and a most pleasant tone. Never smoke, eat or chew gum while on the phone.
Beware of yes / no answers. They give no real information or elaborate about your abilities. Similarly be factual in your questions. The rule is to be brief but thorough.
In the same way if you find that you need time to think about a question or series of questions, it is best to avoid using repetitive phrases to “buy “time. There is nothing wrong in noting “I need some to think about that”.
Lastly when the interview wraps up, ask what the next step or steps are. Directly tell the interviewer that you are available for a face-to-face interview at his or her earliest convenience. Follow up on the phone interview. Call back on or two days later. At that point thank the interviewer for his or her time. Restate your interest in the employment position. When you do the follow-up always try to leave the information directly with that very person or job contact. Only as a last resort leave this message by voice mail, fax or email. These are easily forgotten in the whole job employment filling process.
Always be prepared and on the ball for a telephone screening job employment interview.
A behavioral interview is a style of interviewing wherein the job applicant is asked to give examples of situations he has personally been involved in where he demonstrated a particular trait or skill that the interviewer is interested in. A situational interview is a style wherein theoretical or hypothetical situations are given by the interviewer to assess the applicant’s behavior in such a situation. The main difference between behavioral and situational interview is that behavioral interviews focus on past experiences and behavior of the applicant, while situational interviews concentrate on how the applicant will react when confronted with a given situation. These two styles of interviewing are often used in conjunction with each other.
These styles of interviewing job applicants are tailored to specific competencies required for specific job positions, thus specific situations must also be given as examples by the applicant. Vagueness must be avoided. The examples may be ordinary events in his life and not necessarily from previous work experience. These styles can be used to interview both experienced applicants and recent graduates.
For either style, the interviewer needs to identify the required competencies for the job he wants to fill. He must then examine actual situations related to the job where these competencies (or lack thereof) played a critical part in its success (or failure). A set of questions can be developed and framed in such a way that canned responses may be avoided. A rating scale is also prepared after the job is analyzed and the competencies are identified.
For the interviewee, behavioral and situational interviews require him to be well-prepared with specific examples of situations drawn from his past experiences that demonstrate his various competencies. He can examine and make a list of his assets and desirable qualities. He can also look at the job description for the position he will be interviewed for and try to come up with a list of competencies that may be needed for the job. For both of these lists, he can think of situations wherein he had an active role. He should think of problems he encountered in those situations and the steps he took to resolve those problems. He should practice telling his “stories”, which should be concise and to the point. The story should come out naturally and the applicant should be prepared for the interviewer to interrupt him at certain intervals to ask probing questions. Some common competencies interviewers look for in job applicants are skills in decision making, problem solving, communicating, negotiating, leading, working with a team and planning. He may also be asked questions related to working under pressure and, especially if he is applying for a sales position, persuasiveness.
For any kind of interview, the applicant should do some research on the company he is applying to. The company website may have information that may be useful to know. If possible, the applicant should also get some information on who will be interviewing him. Most importantly, it is wise for the applicant to prepare for the different styles of interviews aside from behavioral and situational interview.
It’s time to head for the interview and you have one question. What is the job interview dressing code? Yes. Everyone has that same doubt. Should you be too formal? Should you just be yourself? Should you portray yourself as a happy-go-lucky character and dress as you please? Ear rings, nose rings, tattoos and other stuff that has been your style statement ?should they come off? Would you make more of an impression if you stood out from the rest of the crowd? Yes. These are some questions that plague many people. Dressing for the interview is a big issue and many get stuck at this critical area.
The answer is actually quite simple. The job interview being a formal meeting between people who are assessing each other’s capability and “fit” to work together in a professional environment, the dress code must obviously tilt to the formal. Prepare for it with all the seriousness it requires because you need to create an impression on the employers that you are a serious, responsible and resourceful kind of a person. Now that means that the casual look or the worn out look is out. It means that the conservative look is what you need to work at. Even if you were going for an interview as an odd job man or a part time summer job, it will surely make a difference if you go to the interview dressed formally. One rule that most human resource people advocate is that one must dress as if one is going to the interview of a job one notch higher than what one actually is.
The point of packaging yourself well is to leave behind an impression of your personality. Nothing does as much as the clothes you wear, the perfume you wear and the colors you wear. With conservative colors and clothes you are in the safe zone with most people whereas a daring fashionable look could just disqualify you for too much attitude of the wrong kind. Some of the things that are to be avoided are too much jewellery, bright colored clothes, nail polish, bad nails, skirts that are too short and clothes that are too tight, accessories that are too colorful or floral, inappropriate shoes, bare legs, collarless shirts etc. They just go to prove that you do not really care about the job and all you are worried is about your attitude, which may not be a great advertisement for someone who is looking for a congenial colleague.
Now what is it that you must wear? Colors that score in conservatism are the traditional blue and gray. Blacks and browns are fine as well but score lower than blue and gray. Whatever the job is remember organizations do want disciplined, professional, responsible people in their jobs and it is best that you reflect that in your attire and attitude. Sober colored collared shirts, tie and jacket (if dress code is casual you could ignore the tie).
If you are still unsure, it does make sense to call and ask beforehand what the dress code is and then dress appropriately. Good luck and make a good impression!
