Six Factors That Can Cost You the Interview/Job

Written by Bonnie Lowe


One ofrepparttar most common reasons employers cite for not hiring a qualified candidate is "unprofessional appearance." Here are six other factors that can help you remain inrepparttar 125370 unemployment line:

(1) Being unprepared forrepparttar 125371 interview. Prepare, plan, and practice! In today's tough job market, you MUST do everything you can to give yourself an edge... preparation isrepparttar 125372 key.

(2) Not being able to communicate clearly and effectively. This is important duringrepparttar 125373 interview and onrepparttar 125374 job. Being nervous can really mess up your communication skills, so being well prepared and practicing what you're going to say are always your best bet.

(3) Being aggressive, arrogant, or acting in a superior way. No one wants to hire or work with people who think they're better than everyone else. Be careful with your attitude, even if you think you're surrounded by incompetent fools. Being confident is good. Being an arrogant jerk is bad.

(4) Making excuses for failings. Your teacher never bought "The dog ate my homework!" and your boss isn't going to buy "The finance department gave merepparttar 125375 wrong figures!" Inrepparttar 125376 grown-up world, you have to take responsibility for what you are responsible for! You'll never earn respect by blaming others when things go wrong.

"Hey, You Can't Ask Me That!" (How to Respond to Inappropriate Job Interview Questions)

Written by Bonnie Lowe


I receivedrepparttar following questions from a visitor to my website recently: "How should I respond to inappropriate questions such as: (1) Do you have a stable home life? (2) Tell me about your personal situation. Are these inappropriate questions? It has been so long since I interviewed for a job, your suggestions aboutrepparttar 125369 most helpful responses would be appreciated!" Those are, indeed, inappropriate questions that should NOT be asked at an interview.

Various federal, state, and local laws regulaterepparttar 125370 questions a prospective employer can ask you. An employer's questions — onrepparttar 125371 job application, inrepparttar 125372 interview, or duringrepparttar 125373 testing process — must be related torepparttar 125374 job for which you are applying.

That does not mean, however, that you will never be asked inappropriate questions. Some companies have poor HR support, some interviewers are untrained and unaware of inappropriate or illegal questions, and some even ask them knowing they should not.

You won't have much chance of gettingrepparttar 125375 job if you respond to such questions by saying, "Hey, that's an inappropriate question. You can't ask me that!"

So you have a few options. First, you can answerrepparttar 125376 question. Even if it's inappropriate to ask, there's nothing that says you can't answer it. If you choose to do so, realize that you are giving information that is not job-related. You could harm your chances by givingrepparttar 125377 "wrong" answer.

Or you could respond with something like, "How would my answer to that question directly relate to my ability to perform in this position?" If you keep your tone non-confrontational, courteous and upbeat, they may realize they've goofed by asking such a question without getting upset at you for pointing out their mistake. Depending on how they respond, you may feel more comfortable answering.

The best strategy, I believe, is to figure out and address their TRUE CONCERN. When they ask something like, "Do you have a stable personal life?" they may be trying to protect themselves from a bad situation that they've had to deal with inrepparttar 125378 past (former employee whose personal problems interfered with his/her ability to dorepparttar 125379 job). So what they really want to know is, will YOU be a reliable employee who can be counted upon to show up and do your job effectively, regardless of any personal problems you may have.

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