Archive for February 2018

Utilize your reasons for leaving If you’re unhappy in your current position, and interviewing for new opportunities, use the reasons why you’re looking to create better interviewee questions. If you’re unhappy with management, ask “what management tactics do the leaders here practice?” If you didn’t see opportunity for advancement, ask “what’s the career path someone in my role would typically take?” Make sure you’re not using your questions as a venting session, but don’t miss the opportunity to find out more about your potential work environment. By asking better questions, you’ll seem more informed about the industry, but you’ll also be able to determine if you’ll face the same challenges in your new position that you’re managing in your current role.

Don’t proactively point out flaws. You should always have answers ready for gaps in experience or skills that may appear on your resume. If you’ve planned ahead for these questions, you may be tempted to preemptively explain shortcomings to ease the interviewer’s mind. However, you should avoid bringing up any areas of weakness unless you’re specifically asked about them. Maybe a specific skill isn’t critical for the department, or the hiring manager doesn’t question why you would only spend a year at your first job. By bringing up potential red flags, you risk making minor issues seem bigger than they actually are, and you could be making an interviewer more worried about the gaps instead of putting them behind you.

Use your hobbies to talk about skills. You’re probably prepared for most of the standard interview questions about your professional life, but you should also prepare your answers about hobbies and your personal life to highlight other skills you can bring to the position. If you trained for a 5k or half-marathon, you can use that to show dedication and perseverance. If you lead a book club or charity initiative, that shows both planning and leadership skills. While you should mention industry organizations or activities you participate in, don’t focus only on work-specific hobbies. This can make you seem less well rounded. Most importantly, don’t talk about a hobby you’re not active in to try and appear more interesting or adventurous. You don’t want to be caught off guard by any follow-up questions.