Learnist.org

Although it’s a strange concept cancelling an interview, it does happen and even though you may not need or want the job any more it is still important to come across well and because you want to remain professional and you never know when you could regret cancelling that interview and want to go back to the company in question.

Besides which usually there is no reason why you shouldn’t be courteous and pleasant about not going for an interview. It is certainly important not to burn your bridges as depending on your circumstances you never know when you may want to go back to that company.

The main ways of cancelling an interview are methods of communication as listed below:

Email

If your interview was generated from an email you sent to a company and then they emailed inviting you to an interview, then it seems logical to cancel your interview by email following the same format.

The best way to do this would be to reply to an existing email so that the recipient can see the previous conversation and see quickly how it follows on.

Reply or Reply to All stating the reasons why you do not want to attend the interview and thank them for giving you the opportunity and sorry that on this occasion it has not worked out, however you wish the company all the best for the future.

Phone Call

Not everyone would feel comfortable doing this but again you need to follow the method of communication which has been used and by picking up the phone and calling the company to say that you need to cancel the interview then you know that there is no miscommunication and that you have definitely told them and spoken to someone and they know that you will not be attending and the reason why. It will also to help the company in going forward and finding another candidate.

Message

If you have to leave a message and this is the only option you have then at least make communication but be aware that for whatever reasons they may not get you message so I would always back this up with another method.

Letter

You could write a letter to the company or person that has invited you for an interview stating the reasons that you are not going to be attending the interview and that you would like to cancel the interview. Follow the same as email method and ensure that you are polite and courteous and ensure that you thank them for giving you the opportunity etc.

You may have to cancel an interview because of a conflict for example with your current employment and something that you cannot get out of. You clearly in this situation want to reschedule so it is important that although you have a specific reason for cancelling that you are as vague as possible and state that you have a conflict at the same time and is there any way that you can reschedule for another time/day etc.

If you would rather go to another interview rather than this one then make sure you reschedule this interview anyway as you never know, you may not get the job that you want and then it would be impossible to go back to the company that you cancelled the interview for.

Be respectful of other people’s schedules and cancel the interview as soon as you know you are unable to make it. This is especially the case if you are looking to reschedule as they are more likely to believe you and that you are showing you have tried to give them plenty of notice.

Make sure that when you are genuinely cancelling an interview that you do not give a huge life story or tale. Employers are aware that you have a life outside of work but they do not even know you yet and do not want a long tale about why you are unable to attend. Try sticking to the point as honestly as you possibly can and if you have got a new job before attending this interview and you want to stay in your new job, tell them so it does not leave them wondering.

More and more interviewers are using presentations as part of their interview process – and it’s not just for those sales and retail roles!  It’s a great way for employers to suss out how much information you’ve taken on board about the role, your understanding and also how you conduct yourself in unfamiliar territory. It’s also a great opportunity to really sell yourself and make the right impression. Here are my top 5 tips on presentations:

1. Follow Instructions

When you’re asked to prepare an interview, the employer will provide you with an overview of what they want to hear from you – whether that be information they want you to present or questions about the role they want to know your answers to.

If they give you a brief – make sure this is the focus of your interview! If you present information that doesn’t match up with what they’ve asked for, you’re already setting yourself up for a failure. Provide a friend with the brief and present to them – get them to tick that you’ve answered everything that’s expected.

For example, for a recent interview I was invited to I was ask to prepare a presentation focusing on 3 main questions – What my first month in role would look like, what activity I would be doing to generate my target & who would be my competitors in role. You can clearly tell the employer is looking to make sure I have a good knowledge of the role, the industry and that I’m realistic about the workload I’ll need to be doing to achieve my targets.

On the back of this, it’s also really important to think about the timing of your presentation. If the employer has given you 10 minutes – make sure your presentation is 10 minutes!

2. Structure & Format

It may be useful to speak to the employer about the expected format if you’re unsure. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, never see asking for more information as a bad thing – it’s better to ask if you’re unsure and get it right, then guess and fail. Do they want a paper copy to read through or a PowerPoint presentation? One client interviewed recently for a Tutoring role and his presentation was to present a half hour lesson on his subject. Make sure you know what will be expected of you.

One tip I always tell clients is to think outside the box – get the company logo and attach that to your presentation slides, or have it as the background. Make sure your presentation isn’t word heavy and include pictures, diagrams and use the facilities on PowerPoint to try and make it as interactive as possible.

3. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation!

Possibly one of the things I can’t stress enough is BE PREPARED! If you leave it until the last minute to put something together, and don’t practice prior to the interview, it WILL be obvious to the employer.

Run through your presentation with friends, family, the dog or even to yourself in the mirror – film yourself and watch it back, look at your body language, facial expressions – all of these things will be scrutinised in the interview so make sure you’re aware of yourself.

Another good exercise is to think of any questions that might be generated by the employer on the back of your presentation – there are always follow up questions so try to think what might come out of the points you’ve raised. Be prepared to back up your ideas and statements!

4. Delivery

It’s common sense but worth pointing out that no one likes to listen to someone who talks monotone and sits perfectly still. As human beings, we’re interactive, we respond to things that interest and excite us – the same can be said for your presentation!

This is where your preparation will also come in – think about things like your pace – are you speaking too quickly, too slowly, too quietly? Are you running to time, or talking too much and going over?

Be visual, if you’re asked to stand up and present, move about the audience, make eye contact with everyone and don’t be afraid to make gestures, and be sure you have open body language (uncrossed arms, facing front, no hands in pockets!)

One of the things I’ve done frequently in interview presentations where I’ve been restricted on time, is to present information and pick out key points, making the point that I have lots more ideas I’d like to discuss and hope we get the opportunity to come back to at the end of the presentation. This has always worked nicely, as employers have picked up on this and focused their questioning around this.

5. Enthusiasm & Personality

Something I have spoken about many times in my articles on interview skills and something that ties in quite nicely with the delivery of your presentation is your enthusiasm and personality.

If you’re not enthusiastic about what you’re talking about, why would the interviewer be? This is an exciting opportunity for you to sell yourself and talk openly about the role and your skills/knowledge. It’s a chance for you to lead the interview, invite questions from the interviewer that you’re fully prepared for based on your interview and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise.

Do your research and be prepared to think outside the box a little – the employer may well have seen multiple candidates who’ve presented fairly similarly, think about what you can do to stand out from the crowd.

Presentations can be a daunting task but put a positive spin on it – It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to set yourself up for the remainder of the interview and a great chance to present YOU as well as the desired information.

If you have done the hard part of finding a job and being invited to an interview, the last thing you want to happen now is for it all to go wrong. This is the time to prepare carefully and be as ready for the interview as you can be.

Below are some tips for Graduates attending an interview.

#1 Dress professionally

This is very important. Even if the company is a bit more casual you must always turn up in professional dress and look the part. Employers expect people to be smart and it shows that you have made the effort and are interested in the position that they have open.

#2 Maintain eye contact

If you maintain eye contact then the interviewer is aware that you are concentrating and listening to what is being said. This is very important in an interview and shows your interest. If this is a job you really want then you need to act like you want it and listening and showing that you are listening through eye contact is the key.

#3 Do your research

Always do your research before going to any interview. No matter how good you feel you know something, it is always important to prepare well. Before going to any interview you should know everything you can about the company and the role walk into the interview feeling confident that you do know everything you can.

#4 Be interested

Make sure you are interested in the interview, the company and the person or people who is/are holding the interview. You can show your interest in a number of ways throughout the interview but if you are genuinely interested, as well as answering the questions you will be able to have a dialogue conversation which always feels better in an interview situation.

#5 Questions

Make sure before you go to your interview that you have prepared some questions to ask. This is essential in case you cannot think of any questions during your interview. By not asking questions at an interview you will appear disinterested and by asking poor questions you will seem like you have not been listening so scour the website through your research, look at the job role and have two or three questions in the back of your mind that you are prepared to ask.

#6 References

Have you got any written references that you could take along to your interview and leave with the interviewer at the end of the interview? Employers will always want to take up references anyway if they are to employ you, so have something that you can readily give to them from someone you have worked with before can but only quicken the decision process.

#7 CV

Make sure your CV is top notch. Get someone to look over it for you and ensure that not only is it grammatically right and the spellings are right but by getting someone else to read your CV allows them to be objective and to think of things that you have not included or things that could be written differently.

#8 Presentations

Usually for any graduate schemes you could be asked to do a presentation of some kind so it is important to get talking to yourself in front of the mirror to practice your skills and perfect them so that when you get asked to do a presentation you are not daunted by it.

#9 Portfolio

Depending on what you have studied at university will depend on what work you have done that you could show a potential new employer. If you have some work that you think would be of interest to an employer then it is advisable to take it with you to an interview to demonstrate what you can do. This is only going to work if it will be of interest to a company.

#10 Practice

Finally the best thing for any interview is to practice. Do a role play scenario with one of your friends or family and make sure you practice acting questions and being able to answer them. The more practice that you get the better as it will make you feel more confident when you get the interview of your dreams.

Job interviews are stressful and daunting for most of us. Some questions can make the interviews even worse.

We have put together a list of “if” questions for you to be prepared.

Try your best to answer these questions and remember them during your the interview.

What if…

•     If you couldn’t have this job, what job would you want to have?
•     If you could do any job in the world what would it be?
•     If Mars was a colonised planet, what job would you want to have there?
•     If you had to work as a sport mascot, who would you want to be?
•     If you were in a sitcom that took place in the ‘80s or ‘90s, which one would it be?
•     If you could, would you ban conference calls or check-in meetings?
•     If you could time travel to any period past or future, to what time would you go?
•     If you could go anywhere on business travel, where would you go?
•     If you could successfully drill to the core of the Earth, would you?
•     If gravity disappeared, what is the first thing you’d do?
•     If this job could have a “creative” job title, what would you want it to be?
•     If you had one superpower, what would it be, and why?
•     If there were no attire police, what would you wear to work?
•     If you noticed that a co-worker made a mistake, how would you address it?
•     If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
•     If someone on your team was slacking, what would you do?
•     If your supervisor asked you to do something that you disagreed with, but that was not immoral or illegal, what would you do?
•     If you were given an assignment outside your comfort zone, skill-wise, would you attempt it anyway or seek to pass it off to a colleague?
•     If you retired tomorrow and wanted to start a wildly different second career, what would you do?
•     If money were no object and you could go back to school to learn for fun, what would you study?
•     If you were stranded on a desert island with unlimited food and water, what three additional things would you want to have with you and why?
•     If you won the lottery today and had the time and resources to devote your life to one worthy cause, hobby or passion, what would it be?

It’s very important to be able to answer common behavioural interview questions on your big day. Many recruiters, today, are asking those questions in order to find out more about the candidate.

Check out following behavioural questions to be prepared for your interview. Try to find best answers to feel less nervous during your interview.

Top 45 Common Behavioural Interview Questions

1. What steps do you take to analyse a problem before making a decision? Why?

2. Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a colleague’s working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives.

3. Tell me about a situation in which you had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you handle it?

4. When have you had to deal with an annoyed customer? What did you do? What was the end result?

5. Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was the outcome? What would you have had done differently?

6. Tell me about a time when you had to analyse information and make a recommendation. What kind of thought process did you go through? Was the recommendation accepted? If not, why?

7. Give an example of a time you went well out of your way to ensure a customer received the best possible service. What was their reaction?

8. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

9. Have you ever had to sell an idea to your co-workers? How did you do it?

10. What obstacles or difficulties have you ever faced in communicating your ideas to a manager?

11. Tell me about a problem that you’ve solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or satisfied with it?

12. When have you brought an innovative idea into your team? How was it received?

13. Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision. What obstacles did you face?

14. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it?

15. What is one the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make at work? How did you arrive at your decision? What was the result?

16. Give me an example of a decision you made at work that you later regretted. What happened?

17. Give me an example of an important career goal which you set yourself and tell me how you reached it. What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome the obstacles?

18. Tell me about a professional goal that you set that you did not reach. How did it make you feel?

19. How have you gone about setting short-term goals and long-term goals for yourself or your team? What steps did you take along the way to keep yourself accountable?

20. Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What was the outcome?

21. Describe a situation in which you recognised a potential problem as an opportunity. What did you do? What was the result? What, if anything, do you wish you had done differently?

22. Tell me about a project you initiated. What did you do? Why? What was the outcome? Were you happy with the result?

23. Tell me about a time when your initiative caused a change to occur.

24. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?

25. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn’t like you. How did you handle it?

26. Describe a recent unpopular decision you made. How was it received? How did you handle it?

27. What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful professional relationships? Give me examples of how you have made these work for you.

28. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation?

29. Tell me about a team project when you had to take charge of the project? What did you do? What was the result?

30. Describe a leadership role of yours outside of work. Why did you commit your time to it? How did you feel about it?

31. What is the toughest group that you have ever had to lead? What were the obstacles? How did you handle the situation?

32. What has been your greatest leadership achievement in a professional environment? Talk through the steps you took to reach it.

33. What have been the greatest obstacles you have faced in building/growing a team?

34. Describe a time when you have not only been responsible for leading a team of people but for also doing the same job as your team members? How did you juggle/balance your time?

35. Describe a situation that required you to do a number of things at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?

36. How do you prioritise projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.

37. Tell me about a project that you planned. How did your organise and schedule the tasks? Tell me about your action plan.

38. When has a project or event you organised not gone according to plan? What happened? Why? How did you feel?

39. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?

40. Tell me about a time when you worked with a colleague who was not doing their share of the work. How did you handle it?

41. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result?

42. Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result?

43. What was the biggest mistake you have made when delegating work as part of a team project?

44. Tell me about a time when you had to settle a dispute between team members. How did you go about identifying the issues? What was the result?

45. What have you found to be the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team? How did you handle this?

Securing an interview was hard enough but then preparing for the interview is harder for most of us.

There are always difficult questions to answer during your interview but the list below have been recognised as the hardest interview questions to answer.

Check out our top 30 hardest interview questions and let us know if any of them are not really hard or add your question to the list.

Related: Top 30 Questions to Ask During an Interview

30 Hardest Interview Questions

•     What has been your greatest achievement?
•     Describe yourself in three words?
•     If you were a fruit or vegetable what would you be and why?
•     What do you think of your previous boss?
•     What are your weaknesses?
•     What do you think the chief executive thinks of the company?
•     What are your strengths?
•     Describe a situation where you have had others follow your lead?
•     Why should we choose you for this role?
•     Why did you apply for this job?
•     How will you contribute to the team?
•     Describe a time when you have failed?
•     Describe a situation where you have gone above and beyond?
•     Describe a project you have handled?
•     If you were a flavour of ice cream, what would you be and why?
•     What attracted you to this company?
•     How would your friends describe you?
•     Name a time where you have worked under pressure?
•     What attributes do you have that will support you in this role?
•     Are you a competitive person?
•     What are you hoping to get out of life?
•     Tell me about yourself
•     What did you like least about your last job?
•     What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?
•     Why do you want this job?
•     What salary are you seeking?
•     How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
•     Who was your favourite manager and why?
•     Tell me about your proudest achievement.
•     List five words that describe your character.

Most people get nervous when thinking about interviews.  The best way to overcome your nerves is to be as prepared as possible for the big day.

We have prepared a list of the 100 most common interview questions for you to consider.  If you can respond professionally and swiftly to these top 100 interview questions then you can bat away those fears and attend your interview in confidence.

Related: Top 22 “What If” Interview Questions for Your Job Interview

The Top 100 Job Interview Questions

1. Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
2. Tell me about yourself.
3. Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn’t want me to know.
4. How would you describe your work style?
5. How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
6. Why should we hire you?
7. What attracted you to this company?
8. Who has impacted you most in your career and how?
9. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last year?
10. Are you willing to relocate?
11. If you could get rid of any one of the US states, which one would you get rid of and why?
12. What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
13. What do you look for in terms of culture — structured or entrepreneurial?
14. If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well done, what would you do?
15. How many times do a clock’s hands overlap in a day?
16. How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
17. Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job.
18. What do you do in your spare time?
19. What is your personal mission statement?
20. What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?
21. Who was your favourite manager and why?
22. There’s no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
23. How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
24. What do you know about our company?
25. If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
26. What are you looking for in terms of career development?
27. What’s the most difficult decision you’ve made in the last two years and how did you come to that decision?
28. Give examples of ideas you’ve had or implemented.
29. What kind of car do you drive?
30. When were you most satisfied in your job?
31. Sell me this pencil.
32. What is your greatest fear?
33. What is your favourite memory from childhood?
34. What would be your ideal working environment?
35. Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball?
36. If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
37. Tell me about your proudest achievement.
38. If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
39. What are the qualities of a good leader? A bad leader?
40. With your eyes closed, tell me step-by-step how to tie my shoes.
41. What’s the most important thing you learned in school?
42. Can you describe a time when your work was criticised?
43. Was there a person in your career who really made a difference?
44. What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
45. Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
46. What are your lifelong dreams?
47. Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
48. How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you?
49. What’s the last book you read?
50. What do you ultimately want to become?
51. Do you have any questions for me?
52. What is your biggest regret and why?
53. What were the responsibilities of your last position?
54. How would you weigh a plane without scales?
55. What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
56. What’s your ideal company?
57. If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
58. What would you do if you won the lottery?
59. Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
60. What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
61. If I were to ask your last supervisor to provide you additional training or exposure, what would she suggest?
62. What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
63. What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organised?
64. What was the most difficult period in your life, and how did you deal with it?
65. Who are your heroes?
66. If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
67. What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome?
68. What are your salary expectations?
69. Tell me 10 ways to use a pencil other than writing.
70. What do you like to do for fun?
71. What salary are you seeking?
72. Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
73. How do you think I rate as an interviewer?
74. How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
75. What magazines do you subscribe to?
76. What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
77. What are three positive character traits you don’t have?
78. What are your strengths?
79. What do you like to do?
80. What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
81. Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
82. Why did you choose your major?
83. Why are you leaving your present job?
84. What did you like least about your last job?
85. What are you most proud of?
86. What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
87. What are your weaknesses?
88. If I were to give you this salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next year, what would it say?
89. What will you miss about your present/last job?
90. Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
91. What do you think of your previous boss?
92. If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
93. What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
94. What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?
95. What do you know about this industry?
96. If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
97. Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?
98. What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
99. Why do you want this job?
100. List five words that describe your character.

Not all interview questions follow the traditional format with standard interview questions. Interviewers may rely on out of the blue questions to decide between candidates and unfortunately you can’t really prepare for those weird questions as you didn’t even know they existed.

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has put together some very weird questions that you might be a little bit shocked about when you receive them during your interview.

You should still stay calm when you have been asked one of following strange questions that you weren’t prepared for.

30 Weirdest Interview Questions

1. Are you a Coronation Street or EastEnders fan?
2. Who would you invite to a dinner party?
3. Which three celebrities would you like to join for a night out?
4. How do you feel about blood sports?
5. What dinosaur would you like to be?
6. Please do an improvisation of a film (with potential co-worker)
7. Do you prefer to be right, or be liked?
8. Please bring a toy with you and explain how this reflects you as a person or a part of your personality
9. Do you like to sing in the bath?
10. Would you rather know a lot about a little or a little about a lot?
11. Tell me 20 unique selling points about this BIC pen
12. What would you do if the sun died out?
13. Do you wear jeans outside of work?
14. If a Hippo falls into a hole how would you get it out?
15. Who is your favourite Doctor Who?
16. Is a Jaffa cake a cake or biscuit?
17. What would you do if you caught a member of staff kissing the boss?
18. Who would win in a fight, superman or batman?
19. Would you drive through an amber traffic light?
20. Which video game character would I like to be and why?
21. Was the book Frankenstein really about state control?
22. Would you post about work on Facebook?
23. Build a tower of paper cups in 1 minute that would not fall down when you put water in the top cup
24. Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk
25. What do you think of garden gnomes?
26. How would you cure world hunger?
27. Does life fascinate you?
28. What did you eat today?
29. How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?
30. What is 37 times 37

photo by: fritenks