When you get to the interview, be prepared to discuss your resume. In addition to explaining why you left previous companies and chit chat about the position, if you have any gaps in employment be prepared to explain them. Many people are scared that an interviewer is going to discover that they were without a job for a period of time. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but you do have to be able to tell the interviewer why in the best possible light.
You should always be honest when explaining any absence from working, but you do have license to spin what you did do in the best possible light. For instance, if you were laid of your job and had a hard time finding a replacement but spent a lot of time with your children you could say, I took an opportunity to spend a few months with my children in between jobs. If you took any courses or classes that adds value to your skills as an employee be sure to mention that as well. You may find it beneficial to add a brief explanation on the resume itself or in a cover letter. Most times it is hard to get to an interview if there is a lengthy and unexplained employment gap.
If you are unsure what possible questions could be generated from your resume, have another person look at it. It is best to be prepared for certain questions and scenarios that will likely come up in an interview. You do not want to be caught unaware or floundering for an answer. Give yourself time to figure out the best explanation for times of unemployment so an interviewer sees it as reasonable or even beneficial to them in the case of additional education and classes.
Each interview has at least one, a question that you really dont know the best way to answer. It is the one that you agonize over for days and keep going over it and over it in your head and you ask others how they would have answered. There is not way to avoid these types of questions but you can answer them with confidence to give yourself peace of mind until you get a call back.
Do not feel that you have to answer immediately after you have been asked a question. You are not on a game show where the fastest contestant to answer wins. Your interviewers will appreciate that you have taken time to formulate your answer. If you are concerned by a prolonged silence dont be, it is normal. If you have been asked a question that you do not know exactly what to say, ask for a moment to think of an appropriate answer. This is preferable to taking a long time to answer without explaining what you are doing.
If you really cant think of an answer off of the top of your head, ask if you can come back to the question in a moment keep trying to think of an answer. Dont think that if you get to the end of the interview and you havent answered the question that you are off of the hook. Even if your interviewer doesn't ask again, it has not gone unnoticed that you didnt respond to a question. The best case scenario is for you to bring the topic back to the question and answer it accordingly. Thank your interviewer for giving you the extra time to come up with the right answer.
If it is a lengthy question that is broken into parts, break it down into, dont try and answer it all at once you can always ask for parts of the question to be repeated.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy