The Only Way to Improve Your Interviewing Skills is by Role Playing

There are many reasons why role playing may not be something you can accomplish:

• You don’t know anyone who can role play with you
• You are currently employed and don’t want people to know you are in a search
• You find it too embarrassing to get comfortable with the process
• You don’t want to be judged by someone who is not a hiring authority

If any of these describe your situation, you have another option in order to enjoy the benefits of role playing. You can write down sample interview questions which I have included later in this presentation. Begin to record yourself as you ask the questions and provide your answers.
When you listen to yourself, you can pick out your strengths and weaknesses as you critique the recording. Listen to the recording as if you are a hiring authority and rate yourself on a scale of 1 - 10. Continue this process until you are scoring a 9 or 10 in most areas.
Once you become comfortable recording your interview, you then need to role play with family, friends, neighbors, individuals in Job Clubs or anyone else who is willing to role play with you. It’s important to realize that if you are NOT comfortable role playing, you are probably NOT comfortable with interviewing. You can delay the live role playing with another person, but you really can’t avoid it.
The most qualified person does not necessarily get hired, it’s the person who interviews the best. When you think of how difficult it is to schedule interviews, you want to be at your best during the interview process.
Hiring authorities react to your ability to:

• Make a great first impression
• Answer questions effectively
• Show your personality
• Overcome objections
• Stand out from other job seekers
• Ask the best questions
• Have the interviewer "envision" you in the position
• Show your confidence level and interest in the position
• Close strong
• Set up the follow-up process

The more you record your interviews and role play with others, the better you will interview which will result in job offers.

Remember to register for the upcoming Free Job Seeker Training Webinars:

January 10th @ 10:00 AM EST (9:00 AM CST) - Exactly WHAT should you research about a company?

• Learn the best way to conduct research
• How to identify the company culture
• Know how to research salaries and benefits
• Who can assist you the most with your research

January 20th @ 2:00 EST (1:00 CST) - The Who, What, When, Where and Why of informational Interviews

• Learn how informational interviews advance your job search
• Understand the benefits of an informational interview
• Learn how this type of interview can lead to a job offer

*Log into the Career Portal at www.thrpartnerscareercenter.com and click on the WEBINAR Tab. Then click on the calendar for the dates listed above and register by clicking the webinar registration links.

To Your Successful Career Search,
THR Partners