Jobs Articles

Interview Honesty
I know many Job Candidates who are enough skillful to the extent of job interview questionnaire. But I found many of them remain unsuccessful regardless how professional they are or how loyal they are.
You are hundred percent honest, No doubt about it. But how honest should you be when you are being interviewed for a job? Off course hundred percent but don’t mystify honesty with showing all your cards without utilizing the power of presentation. Nor does honesty mean volunteering your dark secrets – professed or otherwise - from the moment you walk through the door.
For far too many candidates, honesty is one extreme or the other. Either the candidate throws everything out there too early and unnecessarily or hides it because he’s defensive about whatever it is he doesn’t want to be honest about. Either way, it only causes trouble. Finding your ideal job does not mean giving all your control to the interviewing company.
Is there anything in your employment history that’s caused you problems in the past? Don’t come out with it. You’ll get no credit or gratitude for that. In fact, the only thing you’ll get in return is…..dropped from consideration. Instead, examine the conditions under which those problems took place and ask questions to make sure those conditions aren’t present in the job for which you’re interviewing. If they are, gracefully decline to continue the process.
Being terminated, returning to the corporate world after self employment, and being unemployed for several months are just three instances that put candidates unnecessarily on the defensive. Flip it. Find the positive. What did you learn from being fired? What are your positive characteristics aside from what happened to cause the termination? And by the way, are you absolutely sure the termination was your fault? If it wasn’t, don’t say that outright! The phrasing of your presentation can convey the same meaning.
Why walk into an interview crossing your fingers that they don’t find something out? How relaxed can you possibly be under those circumstances? And if they hire you and then discover the truth, you’re tainted, and everything else you do or say from that point on is suspect.
There’s one hard and fast rule that overrides any instance where you haven’t had to – or felt a reason to – provide what could be considered extraneous information. When you are asked a direct question, one usually designed to clarify, answer it directly, honestly and with a smile. Don’t lose your composure or get defensive. Handle it gracefully. Most situations aren’t the big deal so many candidates perceive them to be.
Keep the power within yourself. To find your perfect job, you need to know what you’re looking for. Your questions are designed to elicit that information, while your answers are designed to sell yourself, even as you’re processing what you’re learning. Remember, you have the power to make a choice too.