What is the significance of having strong and positive energy during an interview?

A low energy state will doom an interview.

So will anxiety.

A low energy state can be caused by lack of sleep, and lack of food.

Try to get a good night’s sleep before your interview.

Make sure you’ve eaten enough, or have a protein bar handy on you.

If you have a natural tendency towards anxiety, take steps to reduce your anxiety.

You don’t want a last minute hiccup - such as spilling coffee on your clothes/resume, or a traffic hold-up, turn you into a bag of nerves.

Prepare for as many situations as you can think of, in advance - such as having extra copies of your resume, an additional set of clothes, and estimate the time it will take you to reach the venue of the interview accurately, so you are on time. Aim to get to the vicinity early.  You can sit in your car, or in a nearby coffee shop, and then walk over when it's time.

Another thing few people think of doing, which can be of help, is mock interviews with a friend, or trusted advisor.

I have had personal experience with mock interviews, and find them highly beneficial.

Calmness and confidence come through preparation and practice.

If you are not fully-prepared, take a few deep breaths before you enter the building where the interview is to take place, and tell yourself, “I can do this”.

Some more tips, tricks, and insights from all my different interview experiences:

Minoo Jha

 · 4y

I just got my first job interview. How do I not mess it up?

Hi, You asked, I just got my first job interview. How do I not mess it up? Here are some suggestions: * Speak to the person who scheduled the interview and ask her/him how you should dress * Do mock interviews with a friend, or a person you trust. The more ambitious the job, the more you should do this. * Take multiple copies of your resume * Get there early so you can find the right building and lobby, and be on time * Stick to the time limit * Put out your hand to and introduce yourself to each interviewer * Be ready with questions for your interviewers * Practice in front of the mirror * Create a memorable leave-behind * Send a thank you email to each of your interviewers after the interview, using content from the interviews Wondering about what kind of questions you may be asked. Here’s a list of possible questions which you might be asked: * What questions do you have for us? * Why are you looking to join our company? * Walk me through your education and internships * What 2 or 3 things would be most important to you in a job? * What are your salary expectations? * Where do you see yourself in 5 years? * What part of the job description excites you? * What part of the job description scares you?

Minoo Jha

 · 4y

What are the top 5 questions that a job interviewer can ask?

Hi, You asked, What are the top 5 questions that a job interviewer can ask? It would be 5 of these 10. All give the interviewer vital information about the candidate which would be useful to know before the hiring decision is made. I advise people I informally coach to be fully prepared for them before they go to any interview: Questions: * What questions do you have for us? * Why are you looking to leave your current role? * Describe the last significant conflict you had at work and how you handled it * Walk me through your resume and explain how you got to where you are today * What 2 or 3 things would be most important to you in a job? * How did you do in your most recent performance appraisal? * What are your salary expectations? * Where do you see yourself in 5 years? * How would you last boss and coworkers describe you? * What if any part of the job description intimidates you? Here are your options to prepare appropriately for these questions, and for your interview in general: * Read the book What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles, and prepare for and handle your future interviews based on Richard’s advice. * Do mock interviews with a friend, or a person you trust. The more ambitious your job seeking, the more I recommend you do this. Choose someone who is able to ask a wide variety of interview questions and give you feedback. * Listen to episode 37 of the careerpivotpodcast, which has some great advice about how to answer tricky interview questions. * Fine-tune your approach to questions before every new interview you go to. Think of how you can stand out in an interviewer’s mind from all the other candidates. * A resource like InterviewSuccessFormulas may be able to help you. * A career coach may be good for tough markets or unusual circumstances. Marc Miller of careerpivot is one to consider. * Finally, think of the interview process as an adventure, and don’t give up hope, even if it seems like you are getting nowhere. Channel the right examples of persistence and never say never.

Minoo Jha

 · 2y

What are the best/innovative ways to introduce yourself to anybody?

Triple Hatter After reading Richard Nelson Bolles’ What Color is Your Parachute?, I found myself doing some soul searching. I thought about my past, my present and my future - all the colors and threads which were the patchwork of my life. And then I wrote a one page “dare to share” piece about myself, I titled Triple Hatter. I created it as something I would leave behind at an interview. I would hand it over to the interviewer at the end of the interview and say “This will tell you things about me that may not have been caught or covered in the interview”. If I was interviewed by 3 people in turn, I would hand out a copy to each of the interviewers as they left the room. I am sharing Triple Hatter with you. I hope it will motivate you to read What Color is Your Parachute? (when you get a chance) but more importantly, to learn to accept who you are in your entirety (past, present and future)... ... and then to “dare to share” everything you are with the world. Read Triple Hatter. Then go write your own Triple Hatter. And start sharing it with the world…. Triple Hatter One Gal. 3 Hats. I am a Commissions Analyst who writes advertising copy and a blog. I am a Copywriter who does Commissions Administrations and Implementations. I am a Commissions Admin who does Xactly Implementations You could call me a Triple Hatter. One Gal. 3 Hats. Solution Partners Inc, Los Gatos This is where I picked up my Implementations Hat. I said goodbye to fear and a regular paycheck when I signed up to be a contract Business Architect with Solution Partners and do Xactly Incent Implementations for different companies. 2 years and 4 projects later (including two 3-month stints at Salesforce Inc) – I am still entranced with the nuts and bolts of the Xactly Incent Commissions Machine. And now I can’t wait to see what it’s like to work both sides of the equation – the administration side and the implementation side. Which company will provide me with the opportunity to put both these skills to work? It’s exciting to speculate and wonder. Extreme Networks, Santa Clara This is where the Commissions Admin Experience I had gained at Palm was put to the test. And my ideas about my skills and traits. Excel whiz. Good at picking up new software. Accurate. Deadline Oriented. Dependable. I was there 5 years and had a fantastic relationship with my boss. Need I say more? Palm Inc This is where I got my training wheels as a Commissions Admin. No sooner did my boss sign me on to assist with commissions, when she went out on Maternity Leave. And never returned. So I was Palm’s one-woman commissions team from that point on. Of course, this meant I needed to take off my training wheels ASAP. Staying up nights with multiple Excel books, I did. It paid off. Minoo Jha Life Strategies My writing hat. It’s my oldest hat. Writing comes naturally. As flying to a bird. For a while, it looked like I had a broken wing. But when in December of 2010, I started blogging, I knew I was back in the groove. I write the Minoo Jha Life Strategies blog. Posting regularly to it, inviting guest posts and promoting it via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Triple Hatter. That’s me.

Minoo Jha

 · 4y

What can we learn from being rejected?

Hi, You asked, What is the best thing that has come out of rejection? The following wonderful things come out of rejection: * Immunity from rejection * Resilience * Reflection * Understanding * New ideas and approaches Example from my first career: When I was in advertising, frequently the first few ideas I submitted to the account executives were rejected. This enabled me to become immunized to rejection over time, and to build resilience. Also, after a rejection, I was forced to reflect on why my ideas were not accepted, and to come up with new and different ideas that would meet the need. This helped me develop as a copywriter. Example from my efforts to get a job after moving to America: Having been a hot shot copywriter and a successful business owner, I then emigrated to America. Of course, I was full of myself, because of all my achievements in India. This came through when I was interviewing for Admin Assistant jobs. I thought I would be a slam dunk for any Admin Assistant job in America. But I kept getting rejected. So I had to pause and reflect on what I might be doing wrong. And I figured it out. It was my boastful and arrogant behavior. It was a turn-off for interviewers. This made me realize I had to switch gears, and approach my interviews with more humility. As soon as I did that - success! I started getting offers. So remember, rejection is a valuable learning experience. It teaches us where we are going wrong. And in romance, it teaches us that who we are going after is wrong! Rejection is the equivalent of the Red Pill.

Minoo Jha

 · 10mo

In an interview, how would you identify a difficult person and what would be your approach towards him/her?

An interview is like a blind date (thank you Richard Nelson Bolles for that). Both sides are nervous and trying to size up each other. To identify someone as difficult, you have to have a yardstick for difficult. Is talking too much difficult? Is showing off difficult? Is asking for a crazy amount of money, or a heft sign on bonus difficult? If the person is “difficult” based on your yardsticks, you will, just as in a blind date, be polite when the interviewee leaves and then send the Dear John (rejection) letter after.

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

You are late for your job interview: What excuse do you give?

Hi, You asked, What are some believable excuses for being late to an interview? Inventing excuses is a slippery slope to losing the trust of people. I recommend your watch this Gary Vaynerchuk video on YouTube. His advice may sound harsh to those who think excuses are harmless. They are not. The habit of making excuses will keep you from success. Maximize your chances of success by eliminating excuses from your life.

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

What are some smart answers given to an interviewer?

Hi, You asked, What are some smart answers given to an interviewer? I worked as an admin assistant to a guy who would suddenly lose his temper and start screaming. He warned me of this at the interview itself. He told me he had a temper - would I be able to handle it without crying? I later found out from one of the other admins, that he didn’t feel he needed a dedicated admin. He did most of his travel and calls himself, asking the other admins to help him occasionally. But because of his temper outbursts, they told him to get his own admin. Would I be able to handle his outbursts? I had a clever answer. I said, “I will grant you the occasional outburst. But you have to grant me my tears. If I am feeling vulnerable on a particular day, I might cry. If I am feeling strong, I will be able to brush it off and carry on.” He liked this answer. In fact, I think I was hired over the other candidates because of this answer. I never knew how bad his temper was until I experienced it. You can read about that in my answer to the Quora question, “What’s the biggest culture shock you have ever faced?”