Friday, June 2, 2017

How to Make It with Flying Colors on Job Interviews

There are many things in life that would make you feel jittery and fidgety, sweat bullets, and sit on the edge of your seat. Job interview might be one of those mind-blowing, nerve-racking experiences.  Like it or lump it, the day for the job interview comes on the appointed day, and your interviewer can be an ultracrepidarian or a heartless curveball who would put on the spot by shooting a fusillade of tough questions. However, it could be a golden opportunity for you to shine! Be prepared. Be confident. And Smile.

Here’s the list of  top 10 ways to nail the interview written by Vicky Oliver, the award-winning copywriter at brand-name, top-tier advertising agencies in NYC. Let’s take a look. (source: 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions)

1.   Breathe deeply, and try not to panic.
2.   Try to set up your meeting for one full week (i.e., 5 business days) from the time that you first receive the call to come in.
3.   Do your homework. Get on the Internet, and pull every article you can find about the company. Don’t just read the articles; study and dissect them. Start crafting a list of questions of your own about the company, based on the information that you unearth.
4.   Go wider and deeper. Look up the company’s website. Obtain past Annual Reports from the organization, and review them as if your life depended on it. Also, brush up on what the company’s competitors have been doing.
5.   Call any contacts that you have from the company, and start gently picking their brains about your upcoming interview.
6.   Review the questions you have collected (#5) and prepare your answers to them.
7.   Write down you goal. Phrase your goal in a way that is very specific to the company.
8.   Lock yourself in a quiet room in your house or apartment if you have to, and ask yourself the questions (collected and created by you) and state the answer aloud.
9.   Decide which outfit you will wear to the interview to avoid any tough decisions at the last minute.
10. Fifteen hours before your interview, force yourself to stop studying for it, and try to relax. Lay off the caffeine so that you can get a good night’s sleep.

Expressions
1.   Jittery/ fidgety: nervous/ restless/ uneasy or unable to relax

2.   to sweat bullets: be extremely anxious or nervous

3.   to sit on the edge of one’s seat: in suspense; waiting eagerly or anxiously for some resolution

4.   nerve-racking/wracking: causing stress or anxiety

5.   like it or lump it: like it or not/ one must accept a situation they do not like, because it cannot be changed

6.   ultracrepidarian: one who is presumptuous and offers advice or opinions beyond one's sphere of knowledge

7.   on the spot: force someone into a situation in which they must make a difficult decision or answer a difficult question.

8.   fusillade of ….: a series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at the same time or in quick succession

9.   to dissect…: analyze (something) in minute detail

10.  to unearth…: discover (something hidden, lost, or kept secret) by investigation or searching

11. to brush up on….: improve one's previously good knowledge of or skill at a particular thing.

12. to pick one’s brains: obtain information by questioning someone who is better informed about a subject than oneself

13. to lay off: to stop doing something,or using something

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