The Surest Tip For Your Next Interview

When Bola received an email inviting her for an interview at XYZ limited. She was overjoyed, although she has been called beforehand by the HR of the organisation to ask if Bola will be free for the interview the following week to enable her send an invite. Nonetheless Bola was still very much excited as she has been out of job for so long and needed a miracle to happen to enable her cater for herself, her aged parents and siblings. 

She prepared herself for the interview, reading all she could about XYZ limited and its activities. She prepared so hard that she staged a mini interview at home with her younger sister as the interviewer. She got so familiar with the normal interview question of “Can you introduce yourself” “Your strengths and weakness” and many more.  

Two days before the interview, she had ironed her clothes and has set aside one of her best flat shoes silently praying that the job be hers.

It wasn’t only Bola who was invited for the interview, Tunde and John were also invited. They all applied for the position of a Digital strategist.

The interview was scheduled for 8am that day at Victoria island, Lagos and Bola had set off from home at exactly 6am to enable her beat the traffic and arrive the venue on time. John did same but Tunde set off from his house on the mainland at 7am.

Tunde had been so familiar with interviews that he assumed that XYZ limited would also delayed its own interview. So he wasn’t much in a hurry of course.

By 8am, Bola and John were already seated comfortably at the reception area of XYZ limited, waiting to be summoned to the board room for the interview section.

The interview commenced at a little past 8am with Bola and as Bola was about to step into the board room where the interviewers were seated, she started to shake uncontrollably. The face of the middle aged woman ( one of the interviewers) seated at the middle of these two men (other interviewers) scared her and she went blank.

All that she prepared for totally left her and she started sweating profusely. She stuttered throughout the interview and was a little happy to be freed from the questioning. She left, looking dejected. She has just lost another chance of getting a good job!

John on the other hand, went in so confident of himself. He should by the way, because he has on the field for three years and know so much about the job role. He answered all he could confidently. But guess what? John was sent a message informing him that he was not successful for the next stage of the interview. But what could have happened? Why would someone with adequate knowledge of the job role be rejected?

Tunde came in looking so stressed and sweating profusely. He rushed in to the board room as the interviewers were about to exit the room. One of the interviewers was pissed and politely excused himself due to the terrible odour from Tunde.

At the end of the day, these three young people were not successful at the interview but here is what YOU can do to be better during your interview:

1.  Make sure you research about the organisation. Google is your friend. You can search for the name of the company on Nairaland or ask on new popular career handle on twitter: @Greatblogging (Instagram @great_blogging). Its audiences are so knowledgeable and may help you with the information you need on the organisation and possible questions you may be asked. Several people have testified on how the handle has helped them get a job with interview tips from them.

2.   Don’t speak for too long. Be brief and concise.

3.  Be confident. Take a deep breath and relax. Do not allow the faces of your interviewers scare you. Remember that if you were not that good, you will not be invited for the interview. 

4.  Answer intelligently (This is why you must prepare ahead by familiarising yourself with possible questions that you may be asked). Please read more on the job position you were invited for.

5.  It is okay not to have an answer to a question. Admit it and politely ask for the answer. (That doesn't mean that you shouldn't have answers to most of the questions.)

6. Speak of your accomplishments. Do not hide it. Tell them how much you have achieved on your previous job and speak also of your academic accomplishments if there are any. (Be polite about it, avoid pride please). Do not lie if you do not have much to say about this please.

7. Prepare yourself for questions you will ask your interviewers when asked of any. One or two questions are enough please. Remember that they are not the interviewee here.

8.   Be polite! Be polite! Be polite.

9. Smile and drop the frowny face at home please.

10.  Dress smartly and use a perfume. (Avoid the strong ones please)

11.  Please iron your clothes and dress your best (No skimpy clothes or showcase of cleavages or flesh. No sagging. No open toe heels). Avoid heavy make-up and don’t go there looking like Ms. Jackson.

12.  Avoid too many gestures.

13.  Do not argue with your interviewers.

14.  Avoid forming accents. Speak well and be you please.

15.  Bring your CV along with you. (Even if they do not ask of it, regardless, it is never a waste of print outs)

Wish you the best of luck in your next interview.

Any more questions please? Drop in the comment section.

The Resignation Palava Part 1

Luck smiled again on Temiloluwa after several applications to various companies in search for a new job but she was stuck on what to do. Although she wasn’t unemployed, yet Temiloluwa desired to change her job in pursuit of her passion in Advertising away from customer service.

She had been on the customer service unit of a telecommunication company for two years and has convinced herself that to be a communications expert she needed to be grounded in all aspects of communications which also included PR and Advert.

She therefore started making plans towards securing a place in a PR and Advert company.  She took professional courses in Advert and PR while also applying for jobs on the field.

She was lucky thrice during the course of her work to be offered a position in three reputable companies of which she rejected all. Why was this?

First she was stuck on her present job as her emotions override her choice of self love. She was so loyal to the company that she didn’t know how to announce that she was leaving. She thus continued working with her present company and rejected the job offer.

When the second job offer came, a colleague of hers resigned.  Being a supposedly loyal employee, she had to reject the offer so the company do not feel the gap of having to replace two colleagues in same department at once. By the way, they were just two in the department.

She waited and carried on with her work effectively and yet again luck smiled for the third time. She was stuck on how to resign properly as the new job requested that she resumed immediately.

So she was stuck on how to resign formally from her present place of work as it requested that she gave three weeks’ notice or forfeit a month’s salary.

She had only a week to make the decision.

She met with her present HR who stated that she must stay for a month before leaving for proper handover.  “How could I stay for a month when this new requires that I resume immediately? This is a job that has more security and offers thrice my present salary.” She thought.

This scenario happens to more job seekers as often times some HR managers do not keep to the resignation clause they put in an employment letter.

They are usually so quick to put in the 3 weeks or a month period of notice for resignation but how many consider giving their prospective new employees the same period of time to allow them formally resign from their place of work?

HR managers should respect this clause and give ample time for their prospective employees to resign before closing the job opportunity on them.

In addition, employers /HR managers should prepare adequately in case an employee decides to leave the company abruptly. I could remember a case of an HR officer who gave a leaving employee a four page non- disclosure contract to sign after she submitted her resignation letter.  Then I asked, what happened to signing the contract after she accepted your offer of employment? Why does it have to come when she was taking a leave? 

Why stuck an employee with so much work and processes because he/she tendered a resignation letter? These and many abnormalities we must resolve to make the transition process easy for employees.

Any addition to this? Or have you noticed other issues that need to be resolved? Kindly comment below.

Thank you.  

(Are you a job seeker, follow @greatblogging on twitter and facebook; @great_blogging on Instagram for more career tips and job vacancies)

Best of luck!