How to Deal With Difficult Interviewers

How to Deal With Difficult InterviewersHow to Deal With Difficult InterviewersSome articles featuring job interview tips focus on preparing for different types of difficult questions. This one is about handling different types of difficult interviewers.When applying for a job in the creative field, its always smart to take a targeted approach. Youre more likely to pique the interest of employers when you take the time to tailor your resume by spotlighting your skills and experience fruchtwein relevant to the specific position youre seeking.But your customization efforts shouldnt end there.Youll also benefit from adapting your approach during in-rolle job interviews. Not all hiring managers, philanthropisch resources professionals or prospective creative colleagues sitting in on interviews have the same style or level of interviewing expertise, yet many job candidates treat them the same way.Here are three distinct types of challenging job interviewers and tips for dealing with themT he Box CheckerBox Checkers are not particularly personable. They want answers to a defined set of interview questions and only those questions. They rarely ask follow-up queries. Box Checkers are extremely process-oriented and rarely stray from their script. He or she typically takes lots of notes, but makes little eye contact.Tip When you encounter a Box Checker, keep your answers clear and concise. Dont drift into tangents. Hit your primary speaking points easily digestible sound bites that highlight your top qualifications and then let the person move onto the next topic. Speak slowly so the Box Checker has enough time to take accurate notes about your responses. The ChatterboxIn sharp contrast to the Box Checker, the Chatterbox is all talk. Before getting around to posing any career-related questions, the Chatterbox might wax poetic about his or her commute to work or the new bagel shop down the street. In between questions about your creative skills and employment history, h e or she may tell you about tomorrows weather forecast or inquire about your favorite movie.Tip You have to go with the flow to some degree because being all business wont work in this situation. No matter the subject that arises, your goal is to gently steer the conversation back to what you can bring to the table as an employee. Its a balancing act. Establishing rapport and showcasing your soft skills is important, but remain mindful that youre not applying to be the Chatterboxs best bud. You want to be thought of as the most qualified job candidate, not just a great conversationalist. Bottom line Be friendly but highly focused.The Poorly Prepared InterviewerAs perplexing as it sounds, the Poorly Prepared Interviewer might not even remember reading your resume. Why? Perhaps the hiring manager hasnt been able to adequately oversee the hiring process because its the busiest time of year and he or she is short-staffed. Maybe he or she is just incredibly disorganized. Or, perhaps the human resources department reviewed applications and took the lead in selecting the first round of interviewees. Regardless of the reason, this ill-prepared interviewer seems to know little about you.Tip When youre excited about a career opportunity and youve diligently prepared for an interview, it can be upsetting when the person on the other side of the table has not. Dont take offense or let frustration show. Instead, stay upbeat and strive to cover lots of ground. Make sure each answer packs an information-laden punch. Weave in lots of details about your most pertinent skills and successes. Because you never know when youll encounter a Poorly Prepared Interviewer, bring extra copies of your resume along with your portfolio to every interview.Selling yourself in a job interview requires great finesse in the best of circumstances. But you have to be even more nuanced and tactical when conversing with a difficult or less-than-adept interviewer. Being able to quickly get a read on an interviewer and then altering your approach accordingly can give you a leg up on the competition.SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG

Survey This city just passed New York as the most stressful in the world

Survey This city just passed New York as the most stressful in the worldSurvey This city just passed New York as the most stressful in the worldNew Yorkers are pretty obsessed with how difficult it is to hack it here. Theres like 80 movies that fetishize the hustle bustle, from Midnight Cowboy, to Mean Streets, to Maid In Manhattan (I think, Ive never actually seen that one). If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, the concrete jungle, etc.Have we been so busy counting our street rats and train delays, we let another metropolis usurp New York in the stress hierarchy?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreExactly, which city never sleeps the most?According to a new report from our pals over at OnePoll conducted on behalf of Canada Dry Ginger Ale, ran an den speck Angeles actually might trump The Big Apple, in the stress department. Only 6% of L.A residents reported never get ting stressed.A survey of 3,000 residents from Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami, found that 76% of LA residents reported feeling stressed, just ahead of New Yorks 72% on a typical day.The average Los Angeles resident can only go 10 days before they need a break from the grind,compared to the average New Yorker, which said they can go a whole 17 days. Chicagoans can make it up to 19 and a half days before throwing in the towel.Percentage of people at least somewhat stressed every day in citiesL.A. 76%NYC 72%Chicago 65%Miami 64%Dallas 48%SF 44%Deep dish pressuresThe Onepoll report even broke down the stressors by particular sections of each city. Residents of Chicago, for instance, voted the Loop as the most consistent source for quality headaches by an impressive 34%. The Magnificent Mile came in at a close second with more than a quarter of respondents voting it in, and the Red Line was voted as Chicagos most stressful train line.Top 5 most stressful places in ChicagoThe Loop 34%Magnificent Mile 26%Navy Pier 25%Water Tower Place 24%Museum universittsgelnde 24%L.A. residents cited Hollywood and Highland Center as the least relaxing places to be on any given day, as they each earned 35% of the respondents votes. Universal Studios trailed behind as the most stressful section of L.A. to be in with 31%. Of all the highways decorating Los Angeles, the 105 was deemed the worst road by a fairly significant margin.Top 5 most stressful places in LAHollywood/Highland Center 35%Universal Studios 31%TCL Chinese Theater 28%Any casting agency 27%Rodeo Drive 27%As an NYC resident, the polls picks for most stressful areas of the city all check out as expected. Number one was Times Square at 39%. Turns out people dont really like getting harassed by a life-sized version of an Elmo.Top 5 most stressful places in New York CityTimes Square 39%Grand Central Station 37%New York Passport Agency 30%Union Square 29%Penn Station 28%You might also enjoyNew neuroscie nce reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

This Is Why You Missed Out On That Great Job

This Is Why You Missed Out On That Great JobThis Is Why You Missed Out On That Great JobThank you again for giving us the opportunity to consider you for a position with our organization. However, we regret to inform you that we will not be moving forward with your candidacy for this role. We wish you all the best in your job search.Thats an email no one likes receiving, especially after going through a dog-and-pony show of the phone interview, in-person interview, and even a 2nd in-person interview. When the opportunity feels like a perfect fit, it can be emotionally draining to find out they went with an internal candidate, they put the position on hold, theres no longer a budget for it, or to hear basically no real reason at all.If you never find out the actual reason why you werent selected, its easy to turn inward, filling in the blanks with something negative about yourself. You dont have the degree or certification, there was that gap in your employment timeline from a few yea rs back, or some other reason. However, imperfect candidates get hired every single day of the week, so dont hang your hat on something about your own history that youre worried about. The reality is, the reasons they didnt hire you likely have nothing to do with you specifically or personally.The Timing Just Didnt WorkA question I frequently hear from candidates has to do with whether its better to apply when you first see a job posted, or shortly before the role closes if you know when that is. Youre only going to know that if the closing date is posted. Otherwise, theres simply no solid way youre going to be privy to the internal workings of the organization, nor to the thought process of the hiring decision maker.Ive had candidates find out that by the time they applied, the company was already in the final stages with 2 other candidates. That has nothing to do specifically with my candidate whose qualifications were great. It simply has to do with where they were in the proce ss with other people.The Company Shifted Its PrioritiesSometimes, we decided to go in a different direction, has to do with the company or department as a whole, not necessarily, we decided to go in a different direction without you.That happens. So heres what you do be gracious in thanking the company, and make sure to stay in touch with the relevant people. Connect with them (notice how Im saying them there is always more than 1 relevant person for you to connect with in an organization) on LinkedIn, or follow them on LinkedIn. If youre still on the job hund in 60 days, circle back to them. You may just be the reminder they needed, and they may be ready to resume the discussion about how your qualifications can help them at this time.Someone Else Was More QualifiedI get it you were a perfect fit and you could have done that job 10 years ago with your eyes closed. That may be true. But perhaps someone else came in just a shade better than you just a shade. Does this mean you wer e terrible? Absolutely not.More importantly, does it mean that the rejection email is the period at the end of the sentence? Also, absolutely not. Todays, no, could really just mean, not yet, or not this role.One thing Ive talked about in other posts is to elevate your mind from job search to company search. A rejection regarding a job opportunity should not be the end. View the organization itself as an opportunity. If you like them, keep a sharp eye out for similar roles, and dont feel bad about applying for multiple roles within the same organization. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. Keep on the radar of the companies you like, and keep in contact with the connections youve made, rather than always trying to ferret out some brand new opportunity at a different organization.Heres whats important even though being rejected is always disappointing, change your attitude about it, and dont take the rejection personally. Take a deep breath in and keep moving forward.If you want to see what winning candidates do to land interview after interview and ultimately get hired in the roles they actually want, we lay it out for you step-by-step in 5 Secret Job Search Hacks For The Age 50+ Job-Hunter.This is where we demonstrate how mature, experienced candidates beat the overqualification and age discrimination hurdles. You can rack up one success after the next and move forward in your job search consistently until you land the role you need. Register today.