Kamis, 02 Desember 2010

Competency-Based Interviews: 5 Steps to Success!

Competency-based interviews are intended to get the best from you, the candidate, whilst also fulfilling the needs of the organization to get the very best person for the job. There are some easy steps to make the most of yourself and have a much better chance of success.
Prepare well, but keep it sensible
As long as you know the job you are going for, ask for details of what you will be measured against. Ask for a set of competencies. Ask for a job description. This sets you up to succeed, not just because you are better informed, but also because you have asked - which will impress the decision-makers, before you even get there! 
  1. Get Creative Here is the time to use your own experiences to create 'stories' which you can use in the actual interview. These 'stories' are real scenarios that you have been a part of, which over a period of days and weeks beforehand, you write up. Maybe you will have 20+ initial ideas.
  2. Leverage! Take the very best scenarios and write them out, bullet points first. Then flesh them out, whilst referring carefully to the competencies you've been given. It is amazing how you can 'tune-in' your scenario to include many, if not all of the competencies. And if you can't fit them all in, there will be a use for them - later!
  3. Practice By reading through your scenarios (and by now you should not have more than six or seven) you will familiarise yourself with the contents, so well, that they will become second nature - even in the scary experience of an interview.
  4. In the Interview There are some tactics in here too!
    • Using your scenarios make just three key points about what you've been asked. Make them relevant and the right 'weight'. Not too long or too short.
    • After that, leave space for them to ask more - that's what they are listening for.
    • Say 'I' a lot - they want to know what your personal involvement and experience was, not 'the team' or 'they'.
    • Have fun - whilst not contrived, smile and make some simple jokes, if you feel comfortable with that - they want to employ happy as well as capable people.
    • Can't answer? That's fine. Make sure that you reflect on your shortcomings by saying things like, 'It's one of the first things I want to develop in my next job - if you did your stuff on your scenarios and your competencies well enough, you will have covered 90% of the bases well and you'll be forgiven for not being 'perfect'. If you are really stumped - say so!
    • Ask questions - relevant, about their culture, focus on developing you, opportunities - the positive 'peopley' things (remember it's your chance to see if you want to work with them!).
    • Also ask about current issues they may be facing - you did do your homework on them, didn't you?
    > employee

  5. Strong Ending!Keep the whole thing light, even as you leave at the end. Have a conversation in general terms - about anything! Do make sure that you ask them some things that are about them - they will love it if you ask them some open (what, how, when, where, who) general questions about your new job! About something nice in the building or their clothes - take as it comes and do what feels comfortable!
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Your Interview Environment: More Than Just the Interview

Most job seekers think the interview begins the moment they stand up to greet the person interviewing them. This is false. An interview is a two-way street, so your interview should begin the moment you walk through the company’s door. In your haste to make a good impression, don’t forget to keep your eyes open and your senses tuned to what’s taking place around you.
Most job seekers think the interview begins the moment they stand up to greet the person interviewing them. This is false. An interview is a two-way street, so your interview should begin the moment you walk through the company’s door. In your haste to make a good impression, don’t forget to keep your eyes open and your senses tuned to what’s taking place around you.
Is there a receptionist? How is the phone answered? Do any employees wander out to ask the receptionist a question? Are they terse or chatty? Do they scuttle away quickly when your interviewer appears? And do you find yourself smiling at what’s going on around you, or becoming even more nervous than you were when you came in the door?
On your way to the interviewer’s office, odds are you’ll be walking through some part of the company. Notice what’s going on around you. Are people jovially discussing different projects? Or intently bent over their computers, silently at work? Do you hear laughter? How are the employees moving from one place to another? What is their interaction like?
Depending on your awareness level, you may or may not pick these cues up cognitively, but you are registering them nonetheless. So the main question here is: while you’ve been waiting, and as you walk through the company to the interviewer’s office, how do you feel? And is that feeling agreeable to you? For instance, silence or conversational buzz is neither good nor bad. What’s important is how you feel about it and whether you can work in that environment.
What if your interviewer forgot he had an appointment with you? Does he apologize and reschedule? Stop what he’s doing and conduct the interview anyway? If you have meetings with multiple people, does someone bring you to the next office?
One person I know was conducting her own job search. Having passed the screening interview, she was to meet with all four of the company’s principles in the same afternoon. The first one was out of town. The second one was rude and insulting. The third one made her wait. She actually stayed to interview with the fourth one! The time to leave was somewhere during – or certainly after – the second interview. Why they brought her back for these interviews is another subject entirely.
In a more functional environment, she would have been written in on each principal’s calendar and anticipated. The secretary/receptionist would have offered her something to drink. She would have been led to each person’s office, instead of having been pointed toward the office of the next principal.
Factors other than the people who work there are important too. What’s the light source? Is it artificial or are there windows? Will you have an office or a cubicle? What floor will you be on? If you don’t have visual access to the outside, will that affect your emotional level and thus your work?
When you walk into a company you form an impression almost instantly, in the same way you do when you enter a strange room or party, or meet a new person. That impression comes from the energy level you are picking up subconsciously. It sends a signal to your gut – thus your “gut instinct” about what’s going on, even though you might not be able to pinpoint any specifics.
Although it’s wise to pay attention to the details, if your concentration during the interview was focused on what you learned during the conversation, it doesn’t matter. Because while you were paying attention to the larger cues, your gut instinct picked up the smaller ones – and it’s often the small ones that are telling. Whatever that gut instinct is telling you – trust it – especially if you’re getting a bad vibe. It can be the difference between happiness and misery a few months down the line.

An Unbiased Third Party Review Of NuCerity International Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-opportunities-articles/an-unbiased-third-party-review-of-nucerity-international-and-the-nucerity-opportunity-3768530.html#ixzz16v1PyySI Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

If you're reading this NuCerity review, you're probably searching for information on the company and thinking about becoming a distributor. Before you join, I want to encourage you to go over this whole review so you can be in a position to make an educated decision about the company and opportunity. In this simple NuCerity review, I'll cover information on the company, the product, the compensation plan and whether or not NuCerity is a credible and viable opportunity.
> vacancy
Who Is NuCerity?

First of all, let's go into the actual company. NuCerity is a new company that markets a skin care product through a network marketing business model. The company is based in Houston, Texas and has a vision for giving the average person an opportunity to leave a legacy for their future generations. The company was founded by Lonnie McKinney, David Dillingham and Richard Jaenicke, all of which have decades of business experience. NuCerity also has a very experienced Medical Advisory Board. Upon taking a close look at NuCerity's corporate team, it seems that they are equipped to take the company into the future.
> employee  
What Does NuCerity Market?

NuCerity markets a product called Skincerity Nightly Breathable Masque, which is a revolutionary product designed to make your skin feel smoother and look younger. It uses a patented Breathable Barrier technology that seals in your skin's natural moisture. The product also infuses antioxidants into your skin to rejuvenate your skin. What's interesting is that it also helps shed dull skin cells, clinically proven and dermatologist recommended. While NuCerity looks to have a very good product in Skincerity, I advise that you do your own due diligence on it so you feel confident and great promoting it to people you know.

The NuCerity Compensation Plan

When it comes to the compensation plan, NuCerity provides 10 ways to get paid and operates on a binary model. While there are several ways you can get paid, they can all be pretty much divided into two categories: Upfront Bonuses and Residual Income (Binary Commissions). There are also some very attractive Lifestyle Incentives available for top producers based on performance. It's also evident that the company is focused on providing training tools to the field as they have a weekly webinar and conference call system in place for people to leverage to build their teams. Overall, the compensation plan is quite fair and, for the right person, NuCerity can be a fun and lucrative business venture.
> job vacancy indonesia   
Is NuCerity A Credible Opportunity?

In closing, NuCerity is a very credible company with a viable business opportunity. It's a company that markets a good product and has good people at the helm. However, having all that in place isn't enough to succeed. While it's clear that having a credible company is critical to your business, at the end of the day, your success will rely on your ability to sponsor new people into your business, market products and get customers and build a productive team. One of the key components to accomplishing those things is the ability to market and generate leads. My recommendation is that you use a proven Attraction Marketing system that allows you to brand yourself, generate leads, make money even when people don't join your business and sponsor people on the back-end. If you can incorporate online attraction marketing and branding with a solid offline system, there's no telling how successful you can be.

Fired? The Interview Solution

So you were fired? Now what? How will you explain it when you interview?
There are many questions that plague job seekers. “What salary are you looking for?” is a big one. “Why should we hire you?” is another. And “Why did you leave your last job?” can leave you spluttering if you were fired and don’t know how to answer. And most people don’t! After they’ve stumbled through a few answers—trying in vain to phrase it in an acceptable way—and are not invited back for a second interview, their fears are confirmed. No one will hire them because they’ve been fired.
Except that’s not what’s really happening. The problem is not that they were fired, but how they answered the question.
We don’t stay at a job our entire lives like most of our grandparents did. Not only is it common to change jobs, some believe it's the best way to leverage salary and career. While most of the changes may be of your own volition, odds are a few will involve being fired or laid-off. Companies are bought out, merge, and consolidate, which means inevitably there’s a duplication of staff. It can be as simple as the new president wanting to bring in his own team. He probably didn’t even look at your capabilities, He just decided you were …outta there.
These departures aren’t as difficult to explain. You can say:
  • “Our company was bought and the entire department was eliminated.” (It’s not me; a bunch of us were asked to leave.) Safety in numbers.
  • “The new president wanted to bring in his own guy. I lasted about a week.” (It’s not me; the president didn’t even take the time to find out if I was good at what I do.) A prospective company can’t possibly hold something against you that’s so… impersonal.
  • “The company was losing money and downsized.” (It’s not me; if the company had been profitable, I’d still be there!)
The common thread is, “It’s not me.” Therefore, I am not flawed, unwanted, performing poorly, or any other reason you can think up or worry about. But these types of partings, while they seem impersonal, can still have a detrimental effect. We’ll get to that in a minute.
The instances that cause real damage feel very personal, even when they aren’t. You are the only one who was dismissed, and what’s more, you know they’ll replace you. You’re caught off guard, angry, and frightened, too. In an instant, you’re on the defensive, which is usually where people remain. And that’s exactly what causes the problem.
Firing isn’t always about the individual, even though that’s who’s impacted the most. Sometimes it’s about the boss—especially bosses with issues. It might be about poor performance, but that’s not always negative. It could be the result of having different philosophies. For instance, the company may value those who work weekends, nights and holidays. You prefer to balance your life.
Once you’re fired, you can’t change the circumstances. But you can control how you view them. While departmental or companywide layoffs are easier to explain, they can also cause damage. You wonder, “If I’d been really good, wouldn’t they have found another spot for me?” In addition, you’re in an insecure place that sometimes is difficult to adjust to.
Take time to clear some tears or anger. If you’re tempted to recoil, rehash, threaten revenge or otherwise communicate with your previous employer, don’t. Remember one word: reference! Don’t burn your bridges. Leave the company gracefully.
Most importantly, detach yourself from the event and honestly examine what happened. That’s the only way you’re going to get any insight and begin adjusting your thoughts and perspective. There are hundreds of reasons for dismissal, so no pat answer will suffice. The unequivocal rule is to tell the truth. If they discover you lied, you’ll be wondering for a long time how you’ll pay your bills. So when you’re asked why you left – tell them you were fired. Forthright brevity is best. It’s all in how you phrase it. The trick is a shift in perspective, which is easier when you’ve purged the defensiveness and shame.
Don’t give a long, rambling story or blame the company, your boss, or anyone else. Were you –even partially- at fault? Take responsibility. Did you learn from the experience? Say so. Are you completely at sea as to what happened? That’s okay. Not every job is right for everyone. There are philosophical differences, chemistry problems, tough spots, and bosses who are difficult and self-absorbed.
Regardless of the reason, it wasn’t your perfect job or you weren’t quite what they needed. The great thing is that it was recognized (in whatever form) and everyone is moving on. The goal is to be real about what works for you and why the firing took place.
The first step, as trite as it sounds, is to look at it as a blessing. It may take some time to see, but no matter how bad it looks or feels, something good will come of it. Maybe it will be a better job, a chance to grow, or the realization that you hated your career – who knows?
But if you’re too busy being angry and defensive, not only will you miss the chance to capitalize on the positive outcome, but you’ll also keep experiencing negative consequences. When you're in a victimized frame of mind, you'll miss recognizing an opportunity and continue to perpetuate your unemployment.
Let’s examine two answers to the question: “Why did you leave your last job?”
HOLDING-ON HENRIETTA: I don’t know. I was doing my job. Everyone liked me. They always came to me for advice instead of our boss. When the other manager left, they promoted the assistant. She’s maybe about 28. I guess they thought she’d be good just because she’d been there a long time, but she really was a shrew. I think she hated me. She was always talking down to me. One time she took credit for one of my projects. She’s the one that should have left! I’m glad to be out of there.
OBJECTIVE OLIVIA: I was fired, actually. The assistant manager was promoted to manager because she had seniority and she was very good at her job. Unfortunately, she was young and perhaps she thought respect was automatically accorded instead of earned, because when everyone else began coming to me instead of her, it didn’t seem to sit well with her. Despite that I excelled in my responsibilities and met my goals, she let me go. I’m sorry to have had to leave the company. I learned a lot there.

Rabu, 01 Desember 2010

Job Interview Tips for Pharmaceutical Sales Positions

Job interviews for pharmaceutical sales are unlike other types of job interviews. These interviews are used to assess whether a candidate is suitable in the sales environment in addition to reviewing background histories and skills. Interviewers would often ask tricky questions that test the personalities of candidates in order to determine sales potential. 
If during a pharmaceutical sales job interview and the reviewer asks you a question on whether you prefer to work alone or with others in groups, you have to be careful here. If you say a solo environment is definitely better, they may not see you as a team player. If you say that you prefer working in groups, they might think that you would not be effective in sales since most of the time, pharmaceutical reps are out in the field on their own. 
Therefore, the safest route to take here is to say that you like both environments and can be effective in both. When you are alone, you can be effective as an independent worker. Then when you are working with others in group projects or at meetings, you can also work effectively in teams.
You must convey the impression during a job interview that your skills enable you to excel in both scenarios. Don’t get fooled by the interviewer’s trick question. Here’s an effective response:
“I like both. I realize that most of the time, reps work alone and I certainly can be effective in this mode. Working with others at times will be a nice change and I can also be quite effective in teams as well. It’s a good working mix in my mind.”
Asking you about your strengths during an interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself. Asking you about weaknesses is another matter and is another example of a tricky question. You must be careful here not to expose any specific weak skills that may hurt you during an interview. Whenever I encountered questions about my weaknesses during my interviews, I countered with something like this:
“In all honesty, the only weakness I think I have is perhaps a lack of industry specific experience since pharmaceutical sales will be new for me. However, I am strong on my communications and sales related skills. I am also a fast learner so I am certain that industry specific training that your company could provide will help me make up for this lack of industry experience. I’m sure that I would be able to get up to speed pretty quickly and start growing those sales for your company.”

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Interview Body Language

The following article summarizes the top 10 ways to ensure that you show good interview body language. Make sure that all the preparation you do for a job interview isn’t in vain. Your body language is key to job interview success. > Vacancy
The top 10 ways to improve your interview body language are as follows:
1) Eye Contact
There’s nothing more off-putting to an interviewer than the interviewee being unable to make regular, good, strong eye contact. The interviewer may think that, because you’re unable to do this, you either have something to hide, or you may not have the conviction of your beliefs. If you have difficulty concentrating when looking straight into someone’s eyes, then try looking between their eyes. They won’t be able to tell you aren’t looking straight into their eyes, but you’ll find it easier to maintain focus. Try it with a friend first to see what I mean.
2) Smile
You need to practice a strong, sincere smile. A good smile has the power to say, “I’m a happy, confident person and I’d love to work here.” Try practicing smiling in a mirror. Practice a smile that puts people at ease. It’s just as much your responsibility as theirs to ensure a relaxed atmosphere during the interview. If you’re embarrassed about your smile, see what a dentist can do about it. It might not cost too much to fix your teeth – and it will get you a lot of money if you get the job!
3) Open Body Language
Again, try practicing with a friend first. Make sure your legs are slightly apart if you’re a gent. Place your hands apart, on your thighs is good. Open body language is even more important when the interviewer is talking. It demonstrates that you are receptive to the question and actively listening. Remember when you practice your body language with a friend to take note of what to do with each part of your body. Unless you do that – and remember – you’re leaving it to chance that your body language will come across well at your job interview.
4) Don’t slouch
It’s easy to appear as if you slouch too much. This is especially prevalent if you’re asked to sit in a large, soft seat. Try not to appear too relaxed. Not sitting all the way back in the seat is a good idea. If you sit forward, it makes you look more attentive and more interested. Some people slouch because they’re not very interested. Other people slouch because they have bad body language. Either way, an interviewer isn’t going to be too impressed. Try practicing in a mirror at home. > employee
5) Don’t be too erect
If you’re too erect then you won’t appear relaxed. If an experienced interviewer is interviewing you, they might put this down to stage fright. They might judge you on what you’re saying rather than how uptight you appear. However, if your interviewer isn’t too experienced, they might not feel relaxed either because of your posture. They could leave the interview with a feeling that you weren’t as good as the other person simply because you were too erect. Try to relax… but not too much!
 
job vacancy indonesia   

7 Ways to Shine at Your Next Job Interview

Job interview time!
You’ve managed to secure a job interview for a position that fits you PERFECTLY. Now comes the moment of truth: Are you REALLY ready for the interview?
If you’ve rehearsed what you’re going to say and know the perfect answer to every potential question, you’re half way there. There’s just one important thing you’ve forgotten:  > Vacancy
Yourself.
How do you sell yourself and show your potential employer how valuable you can be to their company? You want to make them hire you today and not even think about other applicants.
You know you’re the right person for the job, so how do you make them see that?
Here are seven simple steps you can take to really make yourself shine during the interview process. 
1. Find out everything you can about the company you’d be working for. Who are its customers? What is its mission statement? How does the job you’d be performing relate to the company’s goals? Finding out this type of information gives you great insights about the kinds of questions to ask your interviewer, and shows them that you’ve done your research and already have some background related to the company’s business and objectives.
2. Read over the job description carefully. Analyze your own strengths and see how you can tie them directly to the job description. If you have previous experience, make note of those times where you helped achieve a specific result. Employers give more serious consideration to applicants who have a background and a track record in their industry than those who do not.
3. Make a great first impression. Arrive 15 minutes prior to the interview, dress appropriately, greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and maintain eye contact throughout the interview. Be enthusiastic, personable and outgoing. Show a sincere interest in the people you meet and the work you’d be doing.
4. Show that you can solve problems and work well under pressure, since nearly every job will require both skills. If you can identify a particular problem in your industry or that you may face when doing this job, give the interviewer some ideas of how you would solve it. Be calm, relaxed and confident. Some nervousness is expected, but your overall mannerisms (such as fidgeting, nail-biting, slumping in your chair) will be an instant giveaway on how well you really work under stress. Likewise, if you project confidence and security in how you carry yourself, the interviewer will definitely notice.
5. Ask questions. You should always have questions ready, but if your mind goes blank when asked if you have any questions, consider asking how long the position has open. What’s the company’s track record and turnover rate? Are they performing well and keeping employees on board? Remember, you’re not just selling yourself on how you’d be a great fit for this company, but finding out how this company could also be a great fit for you. > employee
6. Deflect inappropriate questions. If an interviewer asks a question that makes you feel uncomfortable, smile politely and ask, "Why would you like to know?" He or she is prohibited from asking you personal questions, including references to your race, gender, sexual preference, marital status and child care situations. Your interview should be focused on how well you can perform the job, not your home and family life.