We have, in our very first career panel discussion, two of the very best help us understand the interviewing process. Interviewing is an art and we are getting information from Picasso and Van Gogh, but with both ears! We recently quizzed Judi Perkins and Carole Martin on how to ace the next interview.

Judi Perkins can help you find your perfect job! She worked as one of the leading professionals in the recruiting industry. Prior to starting VisionQuest, she worked in recruiting for 20 years. During that time Judi researched, learned and developed repeat clients in 3 different industries, started and managed a healthcare department at 3 different firms, owned and operated her own recruiting firm, and successfully assisted candidates and companies in contingency, temporary and now retained search.

Unlike most people who literally find themselves involved in a recruiting career by accident, she intentionally pursued it. Her roommate was a recruiter for Management Recruiters International in Plano, Texas, and peppered her for at least six months with reasons why she should investigate recruiting as a career.Working both sides of the equation is what makes her so adept at what she does today - which is simply guiding people through the job finding process and educating them on the psychology involved which helps them through the process enormously and successfully.

Her website is Find The Perfect Job.  

Carole Martin is a professional interviewer and coach. In addition to having her own business, she has been an interview expert and a contributing writer at Monster.com for the eight years. Carole's particular area of expertise is behavioral interviewing techniques and she has authored four books on the subject. Her background includes over 15 years Human Resources Management experience in technical and non-technical industries, and a Master's degree in Career Management.

She teaches and coaches interviewing skills at two universities, UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and John F.Kennedy University. She has also coached the MBA students at Washington University in St. Louis and works for UCLA. Her site is named aptly as the Interview Coach.

1.How has interviewing changed over the last 2 or 3 years? Judi: There's been an increasing trend toward round table interviews. With the ability to source candidates from the internet, companies have more choice than ever before. Consequently it makes more sense to them to have their interviewers operate concurrently rather than consecutively, because it makes better usage of their time. Additionally, it puts added stress on the candidate and for that reason, makes interview preparation even more necessary than it used to be, if that's possible. Unfortunately, the majority of job seekers don't do much interview prep to begin with, so if they're faced with a round table interview, they might not only bomb, but bomb big. Carole: The most significant change is more telephone screenings - to cut time and expenses. Telephone interviews, typically conducted by a human resources staff member or a hired recruiter, are used as screening tools to save time and money. By asking key questions, the interviewer determines whether or not it?s worthwhile to pursue you further as a candidate. The screenings may consist of a few quick questions or as much as a one-hour grilling.

Some general questions you might expect in a telephone screening are:

1. Why are you leaving your current job?
2. What kind of salary/job are you looking for?
3. Tell me three adjectives that describe you.
4. Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem using creativity.
5. Do you have any questions for me?

If there is some particular skill that qualifies you for a job, for example technical skills or languages, there may be some qualifying questions about the tools of the trade.
Getting through this screening is critical for advancing to the next step: the face-to-face interview. This puts added pressure on you to present yourself in a positive, focused manner. If you attempt to wing this call, you may reach a dead end in the process. By organizing and preparing you will feel less stressed when these calls do come.

2.What is your best way to prepare for interviews?

Judi: I've written entire articles on this one! You need to know your background inside and out. You need to know what you've accomplished in each position, and how it benefited your employer. You need to have questions about the position, and have researched the company so you can speak intelligently about what they do, why you're there, and how you can benefit them.

You need to have examined what you liked and didn't like about your previous jobs, including your previous supervisors, their management style, the philosophy of each company as it relates to both internal and external factors, the relationship with your peers, the company environment, all of that. Only then will you know what you want and need in your next job. Too many people leap before they look. When no thought is given to what you want in your next job, how can you possibly ask the appropriate questions in an interview to find out what?s going to be required of you, if you can fulfill that, and to ascertain if they meet what you're looking for in order to be happy going to work each day?

Ultimately, the interview is a sales process. You're the product and the company is the buyer. You need to know what you're looking for and what you have to offer so that you can sell yourself as the best solution and ascertain if that's where you want to be. You have to do that simultaneously. Process what you learned after the interview and then make your decision as to whether you want to continue the process.

Based on 25 years as both a contingency and retained recruiter, and now as a consultant, I can say that almost every job seeker, regardless of income and career level, are not nearly as adept at doing this as they'd like to think they are or as they need to be. That's why people make the same mistakes and end up with jobs they don't like and spotty resumes. A job interview isn't just looking at the company website, asking questions about their company goals, and doing your best to answer their questions hoping that they'll like you.

Carole: Prepare during the days before the interview
 

• Job Posting What they are looking for. Compare against your qualifications What you have to offer.

• Research the company; the industry, the competition.

• Prepare your 60 second personal statement Tell me about yourself

• Write at least five success stories to answer behavioral interview questions.

(Tell me about a time when, or Can you give me an example of a time.)
 

• Have answers to the 10 most common interview questions

• Tell me about yourself.

• Why did you leave/are you leaving your last position?

• What are your goals?

• What are your strengths/weaknesses?

• What do you know about our company?industry?

• Why do you want to work for this company?industry?

• What has been your most significant achievement?

• How would your last boss/colleagues describe you?

• Why should we hire you?

• What is your salary expectation?

• Have 5-10  questions to ask the interviewer about the job; the company; the industry.

• Research salary data  - Know your worth.

• Know your salary needs, based on your living expenses -  your bottom line.

• Get permission from your references to use their names.

  Stay tuned for part 2....

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