Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades

I have a below-average academic record. What do I tell employers when they ask about my grades?

Answer:

This is usually only an issue for recent graduates. Chances are good that you won't be asked about your grade point average (GPA). Most employers just want to know if you graduated. So don't bring up your GPA; don't include it on your resume.

Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades

But be prepared in case you ARE asked about it during a job interview. Here's how:

First rule: don't lie about your grades.

Second rule: give a brief explanation (not an excuse), and then shift the focus to your strengths.

Sample answers:

1. "I wasn't focused on my classes during my first two years, and even though I improved later, those early grades pulled down my overall average. I feel that what I've learned since then has enabled me to become an ideal candidate for your position. For example..." [talk about a noteworthy accomplishment that's relevant to the job].

2. "I wish I could give you a good reason for my low academic scores from four years ago, because they don't reflect my current work ethic. I'm a different person now, and I'm sure my references will back that up. For example..." [talk about a noteworthy accomplishment that's relevant to the job].

3. "My overall grades suffered because I got bored with theory. I scored higher marks for the practical courses and hands-on lab work, which I feel is more relevant when it comes to doing the type of work required in this position. For example, I excelled in..." [talk about courses that are relevant to the position].

4. "I flunked some classes during my sophomore year because of some temporary personal circumstances. Those have long since been resolved and I'm eager to use my knowledge and skills with graphic design [name a strength that's related to the position] to help your company create the best marketing materials in the industry..." [name a goal the company is likely to have].

5. "I had some difficulties juggling my studies with..." [give the reason, such as: working a full-time job to pay my way through school, or to support my family; dealing with a personal or family illness; etc.]. "That's not an excuse. It actually helped me to learn the importance of time management and multitasking. These came in handy during my work at XYZ Company, where I ..." [talk about a relevant accomplishment].

In Summary

Only talk about bad grades if you are asked about them. Don't shift the blame, don't make excuses. Just briefly explain the situation that negatively affected your grades, and then focus on your skills and abilities as they relate to the position for which you're applying.

Be confident and enthusiastic. After all, if you made it to the interview, you are already ahead of most other applicants! The selection will be based on how well you sell yourself during the interview, not on how well you studied in school. Tell them how you can help their company, and they'll forget all about your grades!

Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades
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Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

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Resume Rescue - Start Your Resume With a Powerful Summary Statement That Will Get You Interviews!

The summary section is your opportunity to make bold claims about what you are capable of, and develop enough curiosity in your reader so they will continue perusing your employment history. Your resume has 10 seconds to capture their attention and make bold claims about what you can do, trumpet your greatest accomplishments, and display your core technical and functional skills.

Another good reason to include a summary is this: Some automated systems (job boards) only allow the hiring manager to see the top third of the first page of your resume for free. If he wants to see more, he's going to have to pay. You need to make it worth his while - in both time and money - to read more.

Also, if you omit the summary section, employers will assume that your most recent job showcases the best that you have to offer, and will most likely judge you on that position alone, rather than on your entire career.

Resume Rescue - Start Your Resume With a Powerful Summary Statement That Will Get You Interviews!

If you make generic statements or use too much detail, you'll lose the reader. Like this example:

More than 10 years' experience in various business applications in financial industry. Extensive experience in systems development. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to work in a team environment to meet deadlines. Performed responsibilities of a team leader, interfaced with management, business users, domestic as well as international, other development teams, outside third party vendors.

It's boring. It could have been written by almost anybody.

As a hiring manager, if I can't find something that makes a candidate stand out (in a good way) in 10 seconds, I move on to another of the 100+ resumes that are staring me in the face. With this one, I yawned and moved on.

Unfortunately, 99 percent of resumes have similar summary sections -- maybe dressed up with formatting and bullet points, but no better at conveying what's unique about that person.

The fix:

Your summary is correct when it couldn't possibly be about anyone else. Write it using unique specifics that describe only you and what you (and you alone) will bring to your next job.

A high-quality summary section says things like this:

PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE EDITOR - PRINT AND ONLINE.

Resourceful and reliable; efficient and effective.

Over 15 years' editorial experience, specializing in women's service and spirituality topics. A congenial team player who can bridge the gaps between edit, art, and sales while maintaining editorial integrity.

Broad knowledge of all phases of publication, from idea to execution.

This summary section was written by a client of mine who thought she had nothing to offer. (I've shortened it a bit; the actual summary went on to provide some details about the person's specific skills at various phases.) Before working with me, she viewed her career as a disjointed series of jobs that did not relate to each other. I think you will agree that this is an impressive career summary. It was also effective: With this summary leading her resume, she got your dream job - even after being unemployed for three years - within a month of starting her job search.

One-Minute Makeover: Begin your summary with a description of yourself as a professional or manager or executive, starting with two adjectives that highlight your best qualities or detail the number of years' experience that you have.

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Bottom Line: Present your best in a way that matches employers' needs, and your calendar will be bursting with interviews!

I invite you to find out if your resume has any other common resume blunders that could be stalling your job search by reading my FREE 12-page report, "Resume Killers and How to Avoid Them." Just go to [http://www.magneticresume.com]

Scott Shane Holt has seen it all while hiring over 100 people on Wall Street, in good times and bad, and as an executive coach helping managers and other professionals advance in their careers.

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Character Interviews - How to Make the People in Your Stories For Children Come to Life!

Having trouble creating well-rounded characters in your stories for children? Then try this tip from writer Lisa Harkrader who learned it a few years ago in a workshop she took from writer Sandy Asher (thank goodness writers love to share). Lisa says if she had to pick one single thing that has improved her writing the most, this would be it - the character interview.

There's nothing mysterious about the character interview. It's simply a list of questions to ask your main character before you start writing. You ask a question, then your main character answers (Yes, you should start hearing voices when you do this, but if you're a writer you probably already hear them anyway, so relax).

Lisa says, "My characters tend to be long-winded and usually tell me a bunch of stuff I never dreamed of before I started interviewing them. I don't use all that information in the story, but it gives me a very good understanding of the character and the character's voice, so I know what that character sounds like when he or she speaks. It almost always gives me a better understanding of the plot, and sometimes leads me to better endings or a different shading of certain events. Occasionally, especially when I'm writing in first person, I lift sentences or paragraphs right from the interview. Another thing interviews help me with is deciding when to use first or third person. If a character's voice is strong and fresh enough to carry an entire story, I feel comfortable using first person. If a character is more of a do-er than a talker, third person works better."

Character Interviews - How to Make the People in Your Stories For Children Come to Life!

Lisa conducted character interviews when she was working on her latest middle grade novel, AIRBALL: MY LIFE IN BRIEFS, which was recently released (September 2005) from Roaring Brook Press. The interview questions Lisa uses have evolved over the years. This is the list she asks her characters now:

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

1. Describe yourself--what is your best quality? What is your worst?

2. Describe your family.

3. Who is your best friend? Why?

4. What did you ask for on your last birthday? What did you get?

5. What is the one thing you wish other people knew about you?

6. What is your biggest secret--the one thing you don't want ANYBODY to know?

7. What are you most afraid of?

8. What do you want more than anything?

Remember, you don't have to stick to these particular questions or use ONLY these questions. As you get used to conducting character interviews you'll probably develop your own questions that let you get to know and understand your characters, so they really come alive in your stories for children.

Character Interviews - How to Make the People in Your Stories For Children Come to Life!
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For more helpful tips for writers, visit http://www.workingwriterscoach.com and sign up for the mailing list. When you do, you'll receive a free ebook for writers, plus every weekday morning you'll get The Morning Nudge, a few words to motivate and inspire you to get a little writing done.

Visit the National Writing for Children Center at http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com and find out how you can learn to write for kids. Suzanne Lieurance is a fulltime freelance writer, children's author, and founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center.

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Good Job Application Cover Letter Will Secure Interviews

A job application cover letter is the single most important document in your job search package when you apply for a job. A well prepared letter can make a difference if you're going to get interviews or not. Therefore, it is important to learn how to write a professional letter.

Hundreds of candidates with good qualification and work experience will react to a job ad. The employer will usually do a quick scan on the application packages to pick the best candidates to interview. The hiring manager will never have time to go through the whole stack of resumes. Based on information from the cover letters, the employer will pick a few candidates that look professional and meet their requirements. The rest of the resumes will probably go into the dustbin.

You need to have an effective job application cover letter to get noticed. So, how to write a letter with great impact?

Good Job Application Cover Letter Will Secure Interviews

1) What to include

Since the employer will only have time to browse through your cover letter, the letter will have to be prominent to motivate the recruiting manager to find out more about you. Usually, you just need to highlight specific information from your resume such as your professional experience, skills, strengths, and the value you can offer to the future company.

2) Benchmarking the best

Since cover letter will determine if you will get interview or not, you should make use of all available resources online and offline to craft your job application cover letter. This includes the use of samples from the professional and valuable software tools.

Today, the job market is full of high caliber and experience people. To win in the job search competition, the only way is to rise above the battle and show the future employer that you're the right candidate. Make use of the letter samples that are proven to attract interviews. You do not need to reinvent the wheel.

3) Important things to keep in mind

When writing your letter, here are some things to remember.

Do research on the company, the job and the industry. This will help you in writing your letter and handling the interview. Send your application package to a real person. Proofread your letter to make sure it is free from spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Stay within one page with 2 to 4 paragraphs. Thank the hiring manager for reading your application letter and request for an interview.

To get interviews of your dream job, you must put in efforts in preparing your job application cover letter.

Good Job Application Cover Letter Will Secure Interviews
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(Copyright Steve Wong) - Please visit our site for more helpful tips on job cover letter.

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Job Interviews - How to Answer the "Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?" Question

It is common for hiring managers to ask why you want to leave your current job. How you answer that question can have a big impact on your chances of getting the new position. So don't blow it!When answering the "Why do you want to leave your current job?" question, my advice is to be honest (to a point), positive and upbeat.

There are many reasons to leave a job. Most people are looking for career advancement opportunities or new challenges. Sometimes companies get into financial difficulty and have to reduce their work force. Where I live, many people would leave their current job simply to have one with a shorter commute!

Those are pretty straightforward reasons that anyone would understand.

Job Interviews - How to Answer the "Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?" Question

Then there are people who want to leave because they do not like their job or their boss. But NEVER say anything negative about the company or people you are working for. If you do, the interviewer may think of you as a complainer who has a problem with authority or cannot get along with others.

So, even if the reason you want to leave is that you hate your job or do not get along with your boss, give a different reason for wanting to leave. You do not have to lie; just be discreetly selective with your answer.

Sample answers:

"I've worked with ABC Company for five years, and during that time I've achieved all of the goals I set for myself. I enjoy my job, but my advancement opportunities there are limited. I'm looking for new challenges with a larger organization, like yours. With my experience in (whatever), I'm sure I could contribute to your company's mission (be as specific as possible here) and continued success."

OR...

"To be honest, I don't want to leave. I've enjoyed my work at XYZ Company and have had great success there. But the company is going through a tough time and is downsizing its staff, so it's time for me to move on. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I've admired your company for years and am excited to have this opportunity to interview with you. I feel my experience at XYZ Company will enable me to help you with...(whatever)."

OR...

"I like my current job, but I'm interested in changing career paths. I'd like to broaden my horizons and find new ways to contribute to an organization's goals. This position with your company would allow me to do that by...(whatever)."

Try to include specific information relevant to the company you're interviewing with. For example, if you know the company participates in community environmental events, mention that ("I'm also eager to work for a company that helps the environment.").

KEY: The more you use specific information that shows you are knowledgeable about the job and the company for which you're applying, the sweeter your answer will sound to the interviewer!

Read "The Job Interview Success System" (mentioned below) for more great job interview tips.

Job Interviews - How to Answer the "Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?" Question
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Bonnie Lowe has been helping job seekers get hired for many years, and is author of the book, The Job Interview Success System.

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Job Interviews: How to Answer "Who is Your Hero?"

A fairly common job interview question is, "Who is your hero, and why?"

The intent of this question is to find out more about you -- your character, personality, and values. If you anticipate this question and prepare your answer in a way that shows the traits you most admire in others -- and more importantly, that you have in common with them -- you'll turn this question into another great opportunity to blast your competition out of the water!

But there's a right way, AND a wrong way to answer this question.

Job Interviews: How to Answer "Who is Your Hero?"

Here's the best way to develop your answer.

First, decide which personal traits would be best to highlight for the position. For example, if you're applying for a job as a firefighter or police officer, you'd want to highlight traits such as courage and integrity.

Here are some other traits that employers are looking for: leadership, honesty, creativity, dedication, generosity.

Next, craft your answer to include the traits you want to highlight.

Be careful about naming a celebrity, sports star or politician! Why? Because interviewers are people, and people have attitudes and biases that you'll be unaware of.

Suppose you named Lance Armstrong as your hero because of his total commitment to success and amazing ability to overcome challenges and obstacles. Most people would have no problem with that. But what if the person interviewing you is a woman who thinks Lance is a total jerk for putting his career ahead of his family and leaving his wife for a rock star? It might not be fair, but this interviewer may think you are a jerk for admiring Lance! Do you think she's going to hire a jerk?

People have opinions about people they think they know. You won't know what those opinions are. So the safest bet is to name a hero they can't possibly know or object to.

Sample Answer:

"My hero is my father. He taught me to always do the right thing; to value others and help them whenever I can; to plan ahead, work hard and do my best in any situation; to be a lifelong learner; to smile and keep a sense of humor even when things get tough; and to love, support and protect my family."

Remember, all interview questions can provide an opportunity to highlight not only your qualifications, but also your character and values. Plan ahead, give great answers, and win your dream job!

Job Interviews: How to Answer "Who is Your Hero?"
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Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

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Behavioral and Situational Job Interviews

A behavioral interview is a style of interviewing wherein the job applicant is asked to give examples of situations he has personally been involved in where he demonstrated a particular trait or skill that the interviewer is interested in. A situational interview is a style wherein theoretical or hypothetical situations are given by the interviewer to assess the applicant's behavior in such a situation. The main difference between behavioral and situational interview is that behavioral interviews focus on past experiences and behavior of the applicant, while situational interviews concentrate on how the applicant will react when confronted with a given situation. These two styles of interviewing are often used in conjunction with each other.

These styles of interviewing job applicants are tailored to specific competencies required for specific job positions, thus specific situations must also be given as examples by the applicant. Vagueness must be avoided. The examples may be ordinary events in his life and not necessarily from previous work experience. These styles can be used to interview both experienced applicants and recent graduates.

For either style, the interviewer needs to identify the required competencies for the job he wants to fill. He must then examine actual situations related to the job where these competencies (or lack thereof) played a critical part in its success (or failure). A set of questions can be developed and framed in such a way that canned responses may be avoided. A rating scale is also prepared after the job is analyzed and the competencies are identified.

Behavioral and Situational Job Interviews

For the interviewee, behavioral and situational interviews require him to be well-prepared with specific examples of situations drawn from his past experiences that demonstrate his various competencies. He can examine and make a list of his assets and desirable qualities. He can also look at the job description for the position he will be interviewed for and try to come up with a list of competencies that may be needed for the job. For both of these lists, he can think of situations wherein he had an active role. He should think of problems he encountered in those situations and the steps he took to resolve those problems. He should practice telling his "stories", which should be concise and to the point. The story should come out naturally and the applicant should be prepared for the interviewer to interrupt him at certain intervals to ask probing questions. Some common competencies interviewers look for in job applicants are skills in decision making, problem solving, communicating, negotiating, leading, working with a team and planning. He may also be asked questions related to working under pressure and, especially if he is applying for a sales position, persuasiveness.

For any kind of interview, the applicant should do some research on the company he is applying to. The company website may have information that may be useful to know. If possible, the applicant should also get some information on who will be interviewing him. Most importantly, it is wise for the applicant to prepare for the different styles of interviews aside from behavioral and situational interview.

Behavioral and Situational Job Interviews
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Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Interviews

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How to Get Radio Interviews - Get Booked on Radio Shows to Promote Yourself and Your Products Free

How to get radio interviews is a common public relations question, especially for authors, experts, and marketers. You can get booked for free radio publicity interviews as an interview guest to promote your product or book on radio show interviews, if you follow these steps:

1. Identify radio shows that book guest experts like you for interviews:

The fastest way to do this is to search on Google using search terms like "radio talk show"+ "your topic". (NOTE: You want to search on "talk radio" rather than just "radio" to find shows that book guest experts for promotional interviews instead of only playing music!)

How to Get Radio Interviews - Get Booked on Radio Shows to Promote Yourself and Your Products Free

2. Find contact info for the radio show's producers or bookers:

Big, nationally-syndicated talk radio shows have a staff of producers. The best producers to reach are those that find and schedule expert guests and authors for on the air interviews. These producers are called "bookers". For smaller or local radio shows or Internet radio podcasts, the booker, the producers, and the host may all be the same person.

3. Create and send a targeted pitch:

You need to e-mail, fax, FedEx, Tweet or call the producers to offer your expertise and information. Remember that they are not interested in you, your book, or your products. Their goal is to find interesting new information that educates and/or entertains their audience. Your job is to craft a pitch that gets their attention. To get radio interviews, your radio interview pitch should offer helpful details of your expertise that fit into their current radio show programming needs.

(Tip: Offer real information, not just a product pitch. A radio interview, podcast appearance, or TV segment is a big opportunity for you to establish yourself as an expert, not just to get a free commercial.)

While the strategies above are proven methods for getting interviewed on radio and being booked to appear on TV, they are the same steps that thousands of other publicity-seeking experts are following right now, too.

How to Get Radio Interviews - Get Booked on Radio Shows to Promote Yourself and Your Products Free
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Scott Fox runs RadioGuestList.com, a free radio interview and TV public relations booking service that can help you skip many of the steps above.

Signing up for the free RadioGuestList.com service will bring you daily "Guest Request" emails from radio show hosts, TV bookers, or podcast producers looking for expert guests and authors to interview on the air. To get radio interviews you can reply by email to those that are seeking guest experts or authors like you to interview for their shows.

Visit RadioGuestList.com now to sign up for this free service. You'll start getting free radio and TV "Guest Requests" by e-mail tomorrow.

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Job Interviews: Answering "What's Your Greatest Weakness?"

Many interview guides advise candidates to answer the common "What's your greatest weakness?" question with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a perfectionist."

That would be a mistake.

Why? Because interviewers have heard these canned answers over and over again.

Job Interviews: Answering "What's Your Greatest Weakness?"

If you use one of them, it will likely backfire on you. Because the hiring manager will think:

So state a true weakness! No one is perfect, so don't try to convince anyone (especially yourself) that you don't have any weaknesses.

However, I cannot overemphasize the importance of not listing a key element of the position as a weakness! If you do that, you might as well send yourself the rejection letter.

Pick a neutral weakness about something that's not critical to the job. Mention that. Then emphasize what you've done to overcome the weakness.

This shows that you are honest, that you recognize areas in which you need to grow, and that you are actively seeking ways to improve yourself.

Sample Answers:

"I honestly can't think of any weakness that would prevent me from doing an outstanding job for you in THIS position. But in the past, I've had some trouble delegating duties to others. I felt I could do things better and faster myself. This sometimes backfired because I'd end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I've taken courses in time management and effective delegation, and I've managed to overcome this weakness." [NOTE: You would not want to use this example for a supervisory position]

"I honestly can't think of any weakness that would prevent me from doing an outstanding job for you in THIS position. But I'm very weak in math and have to rely on a calculator even for basic computations. I always have one with me just in case a calculation is needed." [NOTE: You would not want to use this example for an accounting position or one that requires math skills!]

This question really isn't so tricky, once you know what to expect and how to respond.

Job Interviews: Answering "What's Your Greatest Weakness?"
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Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

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Competency Interview - How to Succeed at Competency Based Interviews

With competency interviews becoming increasingly common among interviewers across the world, it's a good idea to be prepared for when you have yours.

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In this article, you'll find out:
What competency interviews are What interviewers look for How you can prepare Where to go for typical competency questions

After this, you'll quickly start to feel more confident, be able to deliver a great competency interview performance and land the job!

Competency Interview - How to Succeed at Competency Based Interviews

Competency Interviews - What Are They?

Competency interviews are designed to find out how well you performed in given situations in the past. Research shows that how you did perform in the past is a more accurate predictor of how you will perform in the future compared to asking you how you would perform.

Here's an example:
Rather than asking: "How would you cope if you were given too much work to do" , interviewers might ask you: "Tell me about the last time you had too much work to do in a day". You see your interviewers want to know what you did in that scenario, why you did it and what the result was.

Before the interview, the recruiters study the job description and pick out the key skills, attributes etc.. that they think a successful candidate needs. They simply draft interview questions designed to find out if you are have these skills and attributes. The evidence is in what you did in the past.

Here's what we mean: Suppose the job calls for a person who can deal with difficult customers, in a complaints department, let's say. The interviewers will devise questions designed to find out how well you dealt with difficult customers before. The sort of things they will want to know are how you felt, what decisions/actions you took and the outcome of those actions. Some might even want to know what you would change about what you did.

What Do Interviewers Want In Competency Interview Answers?

On the whole, interviewers look for positive indicators that you are competent at the things they consider important in the job. But they also look for negative factors which will reduce the effectiveness of your answer. Negative indicators include not asking for help when appropriate, seeing changes or challenges as obstacles and reacting to things personally.

To fully understand how you behaved before, interviewers often want answers to the following 4 key components, often called STAR.

Situation or Task
Did the candidate explain the task or situation that they were involved in?

Action
Did they explain what they did, exactly, in relation to the task or situation?

Result
Did they explain the results of their actions?

If your answers don't give enough information, some interviewers will follow up with additional questions, like:
What was your particular role in this? What obstacles did you overcome? Why exactly did you take that action? What made you reach that decision? How did you feel about that? Who came up with that idea? What precisely was the outcome/result? What feedback did you get? How would you behave differently if it happened again?
Competency Interviews - How To Prepare

To help you get ready for competency based interviews, here are 5 things you should do:
Review the job ad Note down the knowledge, skills and attributes the employer is looking for. Are they looking for a good communicator, someone with initiative, or someone with excellent customer service skills and so on Come up with at least 1 example of where you've demonstrated each of the things you noted down in step 2 Write about the example/s in step 3. For every one, describe the circumstances, how you were feeling, what action your took, why you took it and the results Read your notes back to yourself or someone else. Think of extra questions your interviewers might ask about each example. Very often your interviewers want to know more than you expect!

Competency Interview - How to Succeed at Competency Based Interviews

Here are some example competency interview questions.

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Back to Basics - 3 Steps to Success in Conducting Interviews and Interrogations

Make no mistake about it, investigative interviewing and criminal interrogation are complex, psychologically demanding tasks. Understanding human nature and the dynamics of communication along with knowing the rules of persuasion and influence, listening to verbal behavior, observing non-verbal signals and paralinguistic cues as well as documenting any physiological changes, grooming gestures, emblems, and micro-expressions of emotion you observe during the interview can be overwhelming. Understandably, it is easy to miss much of what is going on during the interview or interrogation, let alone knowing what the subject said.

But as with almost any task regardless of how complex, there are basic aspects which will be responsible for the majority of your success. Quite simply this is the "80/20 rule" which states that approximately 80% of your success will come from about 20% of your activities. Within the area of investigative interviews and criminal interrogations we can break that down into three main ingredients, if you will, which if present within your interviews and interrogations will greatly enhance your ability of a successful outcome by obtaining as much truthful information the subjects has within his or her memory.

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1) Do your background: One of the fundamentals of effective interviewing is knowing the facts of your case and the strength of any available evidence. Have you ever been asked at the last minute to fill in on an interview or interrogation for a detective who may have been tied up on another task, and you get the "5-second briefing" before walking into the interview room? How effective can you be in that situation? The reality is, not very. You will just be the scribe and learn as you go along during the interview process. As investigators, we can be much more effective individually and as a team when we plan and prepare for the interview or interrogation well in advance of walking into the room by conducting a thorough case review and developing an interrogative strategy.

Back to Basics - 3 Steps to Success in Conducting Interviews and Interrogations

Planning and preparation while developing background information also includes knowing as much as possible about the individual you will be talking with. What is this individuals background? Prior arrests? Married? Children? Pets, Hobbies? Social circles? Religious beliefs? Gang affiliations? and on, and on. The more you know about the individual, the better your chances are of developing rapport and gaining the individuals trust and cooperation.

2) Ask open questions: By open questions I am referring to questions such as, "tell me everything that happened yesterday from the time you woke up until you ended your day", or "describe in detail everything that happened regarding the assault", or "tell me about your relationship with Mr. Johnson." Questions like these are open-ended, allowing for the individual to provide a free narrative response without any influence from the interviewer. Part of the importance of this type of question is that we obtain information rather than give information away, and there is limited contamination from the question itself. Asking a question such as "were you at Bob's Burger Barn yesterday at 2:00?" instantly tells the subject important facts about your investigation such as 'time' and 'location'. Now the individual can easily construct an alibi covering where he was yesterday at 2:00, if he hasn't planned it out already, and sometimes it may be unverifiable making it difficult to dispute it. However, if the individual responds to an open question such as "tell me everything that happened yesterday from the time you woke up until you ended your day" and they interject the time of the crime on their own, that may be significant. Why did they choose to put that specific time in their statement? After obtaining the initial response from an open question, whether in a written statement or an oral interview, you then review and ask clarifying questions to expand upon what they stated, again, using an open-question style such as "tell me more about...", or "you stated you arrived at the party at 7:30, describe in detail everything that happened upon your arrival." Continue to ask clarifying, memory-probing questions to develop the information that the individual provided.

3) Listen to what they say: This by far is one of the most important aspects of conducting effective investigative interviews or criminal interrogations. It seems rather obvious, but in practice, many investigators do not really listen to what the individual said. Often times the investigator is working down a list of questions and while the individual is responding to one question, they are already thinking about the next question they plan on asking. Also, sometimes the investigator is so caught up in looking at the non-verbal behavior, eye movements, hand and foot movements, 'lint-picking' or other grooming gestures and trying to assess what that all means, but the verbal cues are being missed.

The importance of this cannot be understated because much of the recent research on deception has indicated that verbal cues are more diagnostic of deception than non-verbal cues. Researchers have recommended that police focus on what people say rather than what they do during interviews since it has been shown that truthful accounts differ from fabricated accounts in various ways which can be identified by really listening to their account. Also, by understanding principles of investigative statement analysis and by really listening to the words the individual uses, you will be able to discern subtle differences in the content of their language and word choices leading to a better assessment of their veracity. Sometimes what appears to be a denial may not be, but it can be easily missed if you do not pay attention to the individuals language.

In summary, there are certainly no short-cuts to conducting effective interviews or interrogations, and it is my opinion that the more training you have and the more experience you gather from the application of the techniques and information, the more effective you can be. I strongly suggest attending all the training classes and seminars you can to enhance your interview and interrogation skills. However, by applying the basic principles above such as obtaining as much background information on the case and the individual as possible, and developing rapport and trust with them, and ask open-ended questions geared towards information gathering, and really listen to their responses, you will be 80% there.

Back to Basics - 3 Steps to Success in Conducting Interviews and Interrogations

Wesley Clark is the owner of LIES Linguistic Interrogation Expert Services, as well as the administrator of the Interview and Interrogation Group, and a 23 year veteran of law enforcement.
http://www.truthsleuth.com
http://www.lies.igroops.com

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175 Power Verbs and Phrases for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

While you're revamping your resume or cover letter or constructing your proof-by-example stories for interviews, you'll find you need to watch your word choice. Why? Communication is powerful if the words we use to communicate are powerful. That's not all it takes, but the right words make for a good beginning.
So as you craft achievement statements or write paragraphs that sell your skills or draft interview responses to knock the employers' socks off, consider these suggestions:
Use verbs in active tense, not passive tense. Use verbs that convey power and action. Use verbs that claim the highest level of skill or achievement you can legitimately claim. Use verbs to accurately describe what you have done on the job. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly, but when you use them, use them well. Use nouns that are as specific and as descriptive as possible. Use numbers whenever possible. Use the most impressive (and still honest) form of the number you use. Never lie! It IS NOT worth it. It WILL catch up with you. Proofread all your verbs and nouns for agreement, tense and appropriateness. Here, then, are 175 powerful verbs and phrases to make use of in resumes, cover letters and interviews:
abated abolished accelerated accomplished achieved actively participated administered advanced advised aggressively analyzed applied assumed a key role authored automated built hired closed coached co-developed codirected co-founded cold called collected co-managed communicated completed computerized conceptualized conducted consolidated contained contracted contributed controlled convinced coordinated cost effectively created critiqued cut dealt effectively decreased defined delivered designed developed developed and applied directed doubled earned eliminated emphasized enforced established evaluated exceeded executed exercised expanded expedited facilitated filled focused formulated fostered founded gained generated ground-breaking headed up helped identified implemented improved increased initiated innovated instituted instructed integrated interviewed introduced investigated lectured led leveraged maintained managed marketed motivated negotiated orchestrated organized outmaneuvered overcame oversaw penetrated performed permitted persuaded planned played a key role positioned prepared presented prevented produced profitably project managed promoted proposed prospected protected provided published quadrupled ranked received recommended recruited reduced removed renegotiated replaced researched resolved restored restructured reversed satisfied saved scheduled scoped out selected self-financed set up sold solved staffed started stopped streamlined substituted supervised taught tightened took the lead in trained trimmed tripled troubleshooted turned around upgraded yielded While you certainly can use the list anytime you're looking to say something in a more powerful way, you can also use it to help jog your memory about accomplishments on present and past jobs that you might otherwise overlook. Also, consider using the list to help you refine your resumes and cover letters to be more powerful in their presentation and communication.

Interviews

175 Power Verbs and Phrases for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

175 Power Verbs and Phrases for Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live.  Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women.  For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com.

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Best Cover Letters For Getting Job Interviews

There's no doubt about it. People who write the best cover letters get the best job interviews. Research shows that the most effective, cover letters have a number of common characteristics. They follow a 3-part format that consistently garners positive results and earns the job applicants who wrote them highly sought after job interviews.

Even if you're not a great writer, you can write great cover letters by following the format listed below. Use this format to write the best cover letters for getting job interviews. If you write your cover letter and still aren't comfortable with the result, have no fear. The link at the end of the article offers cover letter writing services and software that may assist you.

Interviews

But first things first...

Best Cover Letters For Getting Job Interviews

1. Grab Attention in Your First Paragraph is the first tip to writing best cover letters for getting job interviews.

Hiring managers review hundreds of cover letters and resumes for every job they fill. To get attention, your cover letter must stand out. Here are examples of effective and interesting first paragraphs. Choose the one that works best for your situation and modify it to suit your needs.

State how your skills and experience match the job description and would be a benefit to the organization.

Example: After graduating from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Computer Graphic Technology, I spent the summer interning in New York City at Sunrise Communications. During that time, I brainstormed ideas and story concepts with Sunrise's Creative Team. I drew detailed storyboards that formed the basis for local and international TV advertisements. At Sunrise, I learned to share ideas, accept criticism and problem-solve in a high-pressured environment. Example: In response to this opportunity, I would like to call attention to my experience in producing and directing numerous PR events throughout Orange County as well as my large network of both celebrity and national media contacts. Example: Since graduating from Simmons College Prince Program of Retail Management, I've been involved in all aspects of retail, from front-of-the-store management and training to inventory planning, buying, and merchandising. I have worked in both specialty and mass markets and have broad-based experience dealing with customers, fellow employees, management, and vendors. I thrive in a fast-paced environment and feel energized by the thought of helping manage the L.L. Bean Women's Department.
If you've talked with the hiring manager, use the first paragraph to remind her of the conversation.

Example: Thank you for calling me about the Character Animator position posted on Pixar's website. I enjoyed talking with you and learning more about this position.

If appropriate, don't be afraid to name drop.

Example: Henry Smith, who supervised my work as a summer intern with your firm, recommended that I apply for the position of Associate Attorney.

Mention something you know about the organization.

Example: I read the June 10th issue of The Kentucky Sun with great interest. The article, "How One Restaurant Makes a Difference" applauded Pannucci's contribution to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. I believe my experience as a pastry chef as well as my work on the Eastside Food Pantry's Board of Directors makes me a perfect candidate for the position of Pannucci Head Pastry Chef. Example: Cuddledown's branded voice is recognizable and respected; its high-quality products are well positioned in the market. I would welcome the chance to develop and execute marketing strategies to increase sales and distribution of the company's products.

Get their attention by asking a question.

Example: Are you looking for a self-motivated individual who has organized large-scale events and significantly improved customer retention?
2. Keep Their Attention in the Middle is the second tip to write best cover letters for getting job interviews.

As you write, keep the company's point of view in mind. Try to anticipate what the hiring manager is looking for and include that information. If you have an employment gap or some other item on your resume that you think the hiring manager will question, succinctly and without apology, answer the issue in the middle section of your cover letter.

In the middle section of your cover letter, tell how your education and experience match the job description. Use specific examples to show how your skills meet the job requirements. .

Example: To manage this department, I would call on my experience at Jordan Marsh as the Liz Claiborne Department Manager. There, I merchandised product and motivated my sales team to generate the highest company-wide sales volume for dress collections. I am a natural sales person and definitely "have a knack" for merchandising and visual presentation. Example: Throughout my years as a caseworker, I have helped many clients identify and apply for jobs that match their skill sets. I believe my dedication to the people I serve and my ability to identify and match their strengths to the job market makes me the perfect candidate for Employment Specialist position at Crossroads Community Services.

If appropriate, mention specific goals you have accomplished.

Example: While at Nordstrom's, I motivated my team to exceed department sales goals of .2 million annually. The team generated the highest company-wide sales volume for the dress collection. Example: While providing administrative support to the Director of Marketing and Sales, I reduced company travel expenditures by ,000 in my first three months by renegotiating contracts with the department's suppliers.
3. End your Cover Letter with an Action Follow Up and a Respectful Close is the third tip for writing best cover letters for getting job interviews.

Your closing paragraph or sentence should encourage action.

·Example: As requested, I have enclosed my resume for your review. I look forward to discussing my qualifications and learning more about the position. Please contact me at 555.555.5555 or by email at dede@afewgoodwords.com with any additional questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

End your letter with a respectful and professional close. "Sincerely yours" or "Respectfully yours" works well.

That's it. Use this 3-part format to write best cover letters for getting job interviews. If you do, you'll end up with a cover letter that will stand up to the competition and get you the job interviews you deserve.

Best of luck in your job search.

Best Cover Letters For Getting Job Interviews

Want to learn more about writing amazing cover letters that will get you the job interviews you crave? Check out http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-write-the-best-cover-letter for more articles and resources.

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Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from you, the candidate, whilst also fulfilling the needs of the organisation 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.

Remember that competencies are there to help you and they provide a guide-map for your competency based interview success!

Interviews

Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

(c) 2008 Martin Haworth is the author of Super Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly development program for managers of EVERY skill level. You can get a sample lesson for free at http://www.SuperSuccessfulManager.com

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8 Tips on How to Excel In Job Interviews

You have done the hard work of completing the application form or CV and you find out that you have the interview for a job you are keen to land. Often when it comes to the interview stage people perform well below their best. Yes nerves are a factor and everyone has them.

So how can you excel in interviews? Here are my 8 top tips.

Interviews

1. Be prepared. So often candidates turn up for interviews ill prepared. They have not found out about the company, its issues and challenges and plans for the future. Take the time to do this and you will be off to a flying start

8 Tips on How to Excel In Job Interviews

2. Think about possible questions that might be asked. Strange as it may seem, by spending a couple of hours jotting down possible questions and answers you can probably be prepared for about 50% of the questions that are asked. You might not get the exact question but most likely will get a variation on the theme

3. Listen effectively. If you are going to give a good answer you need to listen to the question being asked. Doing so will enable you to give a powerful and structured answer to the question

4. Be succinct. When you are answering questions, what you are aiming to do is give the interviewer confidence that you know what you are talking about- not to give a verbal thesis. For example, imagine the interviewer asks you what are the greatest challenges in managing a team? You could talk for ever. Instead try delegating effectively, keeping people motivated and balancing time spent managing and doing. If the interviewer wants more they will ask

5. Be honest. A typical question is what are your weaknesses? Don't under any circumstances say you don't have any. At the same time don't shoot yourself in the foot. Try something like I see weaknesses as opportunities for development. Some of the areas I am working on right now are....

6. Remember it is a two way process. Candidates often forget that the interview is as much about them finding out if this is a company and people they could work with as it is the interviewer finding out if you could do the job and fit in

7. Have 2 or 3 good questions to ask them. Good interviewers will always give candidates the chance to ask questions. Poorly prepared candidates will ask about pay, holidays, benefits. Candidates who excel will ask about what it is like to work there, how the company will contribute to their development, future plans for the business and individuals over the next few years

8. Ask for feedback. Whether you get the job or not ask for feedback on what they liked about you and what was missing. Good employers will take the time to give feedback

At the end of the day, what makes you stand out are the small but important things. So pay attention to them and go forth and excel in your next interview.

8 Tips on How to Excel In Job Interviews

Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach and Management Trainer at Goals and Achievements http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

He specialises in helping accountants and professionals to make the transition from technical expert to manager and leader

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The Importance Of Interviews

Imagine you have just received an invitation to a job interview. How do you normally feel? Elated, Inspired and raring to go? Or are you terrified, resigned to your fate and overcome with a sense of impending doom? How important do you view Interviews?

Interviews are a fact of modern life and interview skills will be used by us many times throughout our lives. Most jobs are filled as a result of these one-to-one or one-to-a panel meetings between the employer and the best candidates, but interview skills are needed in a variety of situation. Turning natural worries and fears into determination and dynamism is the key to success. Whether you are applying for a job, a promotion, a training programme, or even a bank loan, we all need to know about the processes involved in the interview and how to impress other people at first meeting. With part time and temporary work increasing, we will all be attending interviews more frequently in the future.

Interviews

The skills involved in creating a favourable impression are the same skills that make us confident at meeting people in any situation, whether at work or socially. If you know how to generate a favourable impression, have an impact on others and present yourself as an interesting and valuable person, and you will be a winner more widely than just at a job interview. Your social presence will also be enhanced in a variety of situations.

The Importance Of Interviews

Whether you are applying for a job or a course, appearing before just one or a panel, you will need to know how to present yourself confidently and enthusiastically. But it is important not to portray that you are cocky in any ways. Interviews are often seen as the major hurdle between us and the job we want. But an interview, whether for a job vacancy or anything else, is a marvellous opportunity. This is because you are in control of most of the impressions that the interviewer will form of you.

In an interview, we cannot be made to say anything you do not agree on. You must admit that this is a comforting thought. Although it may be difficult to believe, the interview will mostly go the way that you want it to. Of course, you will not be in control of the selection of the interview panel or the other candidates, but there are many things you can do to improve your chances of appearing as the best person for the job.

Many people think that it is a pure fluke whether they are successful in interviews or not. To them, the outcome seems to depend on whether the face fits, being in the right place at the right time or some other unidentifiable cause. But the outcome of the interview process is not determined by chance. We can exercise considerable control and influence over the way the interview is conducted and, more important, over the outcome.

The Importance Of Interviews

Corporate Success Coach Sean Chua specializes in providing and sharing consultative advice and tips for employees on how to succeed in the corporate world. To get more tips and strategies on how to survive and emerge a winner in the quest of the corporate game, please visit http://www.GetStartedWithSuccess.com

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Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades

I have a below-average academic record. What do I tell employers when they ask about my grades?

Answer:

Interviews

This is usually only an issue for recent graduates. Chances are good that you won't be asked about your grade point average (GPA). Most employers just want to know if you graduated. So don't bring up your GPA; don't include it on your resume.

Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades

But be prepared in case you ARE asked about it during a job interview. Here's how:

First rule: don't lie about your grades.

Second rule: give a brief explanation (not an excuse), and then shift the focus to your strengths.

Sample answers:

1. "I wasn't focused on my classes during my first two years, and even though I improved later, those early grades pulled down my overall average. I feel that what I've learned since then has enabled me to become an ideal candidate for your position. For example..." [talk about a noteworthy accomplishment that's relevant to the job].

2. "I wish I could give you a good reason for my low academic scores from four years ago, because they don't reflect my current work ethic. I'm a different person now, and I'm sure my references will back that up. For example..." [talk about a noteworthy accomplishment that's relevant to the job].

3. "My overall grades suffered because I got bored with theory. I scored higher marks for the practical courses and hands-on lab work, which I feel is more relevant when it comes to doing the type of work required in this position. For example, I excelled in..." [talk about courses that are relevant to the position].

4. "I flunked some classes during my sophomore year because of some temporary personal circumstances. Those have long since been resolved and I'm eager to use my knowledge and skills with graphic design [name a strength that's related to the position] to help your company create the best marketing materials in the industry..." [name a goal the company is likely to have].

5. "I had some difficulties juggling my studies with..." [give the reason, such as: working a full-time job to pay my way through school, or to support my family; dealing with a personal or family illness; etc.]. "That's not an excuse. It actually helped me to learn the importance of time management and multitasking. These came in handy during my work at XYZ Company, where I ..." [talk about a relevant accomplishment].

In Summary

Only talk about bad grades if you are asked about them. Don't shift the blame, don't make excuses. Just briefly explain the situation that negatively affected your grades, and then focus on your skills and abilities as they relate to the position for which you're applying.

Be confident and enthusiastic. After all, if you made it to the interview, you are already ahead of most other applicants! The selection will be based on how well you sell yourself during the interview, not on how well you studied in school. Tell them how you can help their company, and they'll forget all about your grades!

Job Interviews - How to Explain Bad Grades

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

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