Brian Tracy reveals the secrets of acing a job interview.
 

Vocabulary

 

ace (3)	coming up	over the years
critical	less likely	background
shrink	more likely	come out (2)
prepare	and so on	as much as possible
future	possibility	opportunity
sort (2)	candidate	the more you ask
flat (2)	impressive	no matter what
detail	indication	it’s unbelievable
courtesy	incredible	write it by hand
be sure	hallmark	take the time

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

25 Million Underemployed

Over the years, I have done a lot of work in what I call “creative job search”. In America alone today, there are 25 million people who are unemployed or underemployed.

And getting a good job for you, for your career is really essential. And the critical thing to getting the job is the interview.

So how can you ace the interview?

Well I can spend hours telling you, but let me give a few key ideas.
 

One, Your Perfect Job

First of all, write down a list of what would be your perfect job.

If someone could give you any job in the world, what would your perfect job be?

See the greater clarity you have, before you interview, the more likely it is that you will find the right job for you.
 

Two, Research the Company

Next when you have an interview coming up, research the background of the company on the internet: go to Google, go to Wikipedia.

But get every single detail. Print it out. Write it down. Take notes. Understand the history of the company, and the background of the company.

Look at the products and services of the company, and look at their competitors. Is the market growing or is it flat? Are some companies doing better, or not?

When you go in there, you should be very knowledgeable about the company and the industry where you’re interviewing.
 

Three, Prepare Questions

Next learn as much as you can about the person that you’re talking to, and prepare a series of questions to ask.

The key in the interview is for you to interview, not the other person. When you go in, ask a lot of questions about the business, where it’s going, how it is today, where the possibilities and opportunities are for the future, key skills they want and need, the sort of things they want from an ideal candidate, and so on.

The more questions you ask, the more impressive you will be at the interview.
 

Four, The Big Secret

And here’s the final key . . . and it’s so simple, it’s unbelievable!

Immediately after the interview, no matter what happens, go home and write a thank you letter.

Just go home and say,

“Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me today.

I very much enjoyed meeting you, and I really hope that something good comes out of our talk together, and I wish you a wonderful day.”
 

Hand Written

Write it by hand — NOT an email!

Get a card from Hallmark if you like, write it by hand, address it by hand, put a stamp on it and mail it off.

Here’s an incredible discovery. I read this 25 years ago and I read it last week.
 

The First Person

It’s that many people interview for the job and do you know what the company does?

They hire the first person to send a thank you letter.

Because they know that writing a thank you letter is an indication of character, it’s an indication of courtesy, it’s an indication of attitude.

So be sure, at the end of the interview, which you have now aced because you did your research, write a thank you letter, and wait for the phone to ring.

 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

Human Resources (HR). There is a problem of unemployment in the United States. True or false?

Operations.
What is the crux or clincher in getting a job?

Administration. Should you apply for any job in the newspaper or online ads? Is it important to apply for a job you want or are interested in? If yes, why?

Finance and Accounting. What is the second key step that job seekers should or must do? What are some examples of things you should know about the company you are applying to?

Information Technology (IT). You must only let the interviewer ask all the questions, and respond to them. Is this right or wrong? If the applicant asks a lot of questions . . . . . . . . . . .

Project Management. Sales. If the interviewer says they are not hiring at the moment, do you just forget about everything? Or you should send an e-mail thank you note. Is this correct or incorrect ?

Procurement, Supply Chain. What do companies often do? Why do they hire that person?
 
 
 
Customer Service, Technical Support. Have you ever had a job interview?

Marketing and Advertising. If yes, how did you feel? Were you nervous, relaxed and confident, both or in the middle?

Quality Assurance, Quality Control. What is the normal procedure of a job interview?

Legal Department. In your country, are job interviews very crucial in getting a job, or does it depend?

Research and Development. Have you interviewed or do you interview candidates?

Product or Service Development. Will job seeking, interviewing, selecting and hiring change in the future?