1. Five interview questions difficult to answer are: Question asked to project my greatest weaknesses, Question posed to know where do I see myself after a few years from now, Question posed to gaze my functional flexibility, Question asked to know my ethical priorities, Questions asked to understand my knowledge of the potential employer.
2. Planning on potential uses of a telephonic interview: Since, there is no face to face interaction, there might be less chances of impressing the interviewer with certain etiquettes that I feel are my USP, hence, I would work more towards enhancing the projection of my skills even while not facing the interviewer directly. I would also be assured of not getting tensed and worried about facing someone for an interview.
3. I might want to start off with a blog which belongs to my domain area and which would be constructive enough in nature to be a hit among the visitors. I shall want to check if something undesirable comes up when a potential employer searches for my background on the net and try to fix it.
4. Bad-mouthing your last boss, lying about your skills/experience/knowledge, talking about salary requirements too soon, forgetting to bring a copy of your résumé and/or portfolio and Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair are the 5 mistakes commonly made during an interview according to the article which I consider to be the worst of all the listed mistakes. As they emphasize the callous and rude nature of the interviewee.
5. It teaches me on how to elaborate and what to emphasize on when the interviewer needs me to sell myself to his company as the most desirable product.
6. The article speaks about the significance of going well prepared to an interview while thinking about the probable questions that might be posed and the best suited answers to such questions. It also signifies the relevance of keeping cool during the interview and not getting easily disturbed with the interviewer’s bad comments which are usually planned to assess the interviewee’s psychological stability.
7. The video reflects the new found technology of video conferencing is serving as a great tool for conducting interviews in different locations while not incurring any travelling or boarding expenses. Especially it teaches the etiquettes to be adopted by the interviewee during an interview conducted through Skype.
8. The two things that the article had taught me are that meals can be sometimes a part of the interview especially in cases when the potential employer wishes to closely observe your social behavior and etiquettes. I have also learnt that when the host makes any mistake during the meals, they should not be pointed out. It is very essential to understand the importance of not screaming out loud to call the waiter to inform that I am done with my meals, rather, the fork and the knife should be certainly placed to let the waiter know in a subtle way about the completion of the meals.
9. The two interviews teach me the ins and outs of business dining. To be specific, the way to sit on the chair, to identify our drinks, to make the correct use of napkins, to wait for the host to get started, the right approach of ending the dinner etc are taught in great detail. Basically the interviewers wish to explore our social behavior through such meals.
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otd5OfQRIi8 - Interview Tips - Dress for Interview Success. This video has taught me the details of dressing while attending an interview. The details included the colors to be opted, the dress styles to be chosen and the accessories to be used before going to an interview to leave a decent impression on the interviewer.
11. Always a confident and competent posture shall be maintained throughout the interview while mindfully watching as to what is being spoken about by me. Being alert, assertive, confident, dependable, responsible and energetic and keeping a watch on the sound of our voice is also of great significance during an interview.
12. The matter that I found interesting in the section detailing the pre-employment checks is the extent to which the potential employers seek the detailed information about the potential employees. For instance, checks like substance test etc which evaluates the drug addiction among the candidates. Nevertheless, considering the global work conditions, such checks become mandatory in nature.
13. Competitor’s websites, Blogs and Social networks seem to be the most latent sources of finding more about a potential employer and a potential employment opportunity. Subsequent to the widely accepted usage of internet and social platforms, the three sources mentioned above are the most widely prevalent and easily accessible in the present scenario.
14. Poor personal appearance, lack of enthusiasm and failure to participate in extracurricular activities are the three things that I need to improve in my skill sets.
15. A thank you message shall be briefed in 3 paragraphs and shall be sent as an indicator of good etiquette as well as an advocate of self-promotion. It should acknowledge the good behavior adopted by the employer towards the interviewee. It should also project the writer’s flexibility and suitable competence in case the job is offered to him.
16. The most important part for me was to know about the usually posed interview questions which are asked with an intention to assess the psychological stability of the interview. The reading, in this regard gave an extreme detailed insight into the need and procedure of maintaining the cool and poised attitude that is usually desirable to the employers.
1. Thill, J. V. & Bovee, L. C. (2011). Excellence in Business Communication. (9th Eds.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
2. Guffey, M. E. & Loewy, D. (2010). Essentials of Business Communication. (8th Eds.). Mason: Cengage Learning.
