Interviewing for a job today is different in many ways from what it was just a few years ago. Here’s how:
The process is longer. Today’s job seeker must typically endure three or more interviews before receiving an offer.
More people are involved. Job interviews today are more likely to be conducted by a panel of people (two or more) rather than by just one individual.
The focus is on the person. Today’s job interviews focus more on personal motivations and qualities rather than on experience and job skills. Be prepare to answer tough, open ended questions.
The interview can be an endurance test. A new trend in job interviews is to test the candidate’s mettle. Can he handle stress? Can she endure criticism?
There are more jobs at more levels. The “company man” mentality is no longer the presiding mentality in the workplace. Turnover is common, even at the senior levels. A worker no longer assumes that his boss will be his boss until one of them retires.
Therefore, a wider selection of positions is available for a wider selection of candidates.
TIPS: You’ve Got to Do Your Homework! As a consequence of the information explotion, potential employers expect job applicants to be more sawy, knowledgeable, and aware of industry trends than in the past years.
There is more competition. Because of high turnover, more applications are applying for positions, yet the positions are less stable and often include a broader range of responsibilities than did positions in the past.
Preparation is key Companies expect today’s applicants to be ready for the interview—ready for the tough questions and ready to ask a few tough questions of their own. Sitting passively in an interview does not make for success. There is a lot of work to be done, and when an interview is on the horizon, you have two choices:
You can agonized and get stressed.
Or, you can organize and get prepared.
TIPS: Start Early. Don’t wait until you land an interview to begin preparing for it. Instead, start your interview preparations as soon as you begin your job search. Give yourself the time you need to do a thorough job.
