Ch.4

Chapter 4 begins by giving 3 examples of interviews. These interviews depend on what you are looking for and who you are talking to.

1.) Interviews for fun and practice: talking about interests 

2.) Interviews for information: when talking with employees who do the job you are exploring

3.) Interviews for a job: talking to employers 

All 3 of these interviews are also known to be just conversations! The 3rd one is an intimidating conversation, but it's not so bad once you are well prepared for it. Bolles provides 16 tips about the 3rd type of conversation. I will talk about a handful of them that I think are interesting.

For example, there is no such thing as "employers." I thought to myself yeah right. They have that power to hire me. If they're not employers, then what are they? He then explains why they aren't. They are individuals with different personalities and you cannot predict if they would hire you or not. Person to person, your personalities might mix well or they might not. You just don't know. It is also a good idea to do some research about them before you go in for the interview. They are curious to know what you think of the company and this will always be very important (it could cost you the job). When an employer says "Tell me about yourself," they want to see how you respond to an unstructured question. Never should you respond with, "What do you want to know about me?" This is never an attractive response. What they are actually asking how the skills or knowledge you have that might fill the requirement for that job. When it comes to speaking with the employer, half of the time you should talk, and the other half the employer talks, keeping the conversation a solid 50-50. Factors like appearance, hygiene, and habits of biting nails or twisting your hair can really affect the employers opinion of you. Even if you have those bad habits only when your nervous, try to control them when speaking with the employer the first time! I know I have a terrible habit of biting my lips and avoiding eye contact as I speak. In addition, eye contact, body language, and manners really can make you or break you during an interview, as well as a firm handshake. That can make all the difference! Not to mention it is also frowned upon if you bad mouth your previous employers.

Before you leave the interview, a few questions you will want to ask them is, "Can you offer me this job?" "When can I expect to hear from you?" "May I contact you after that date, if you haven't gotten back to me by that time?" You must always send a thank-you note after the interview. This can make you stand out compared to others applying for the same position.