"The
first 60 to 80 seconds are the most important part of an interview d Morsier, a director of the Graduate School in Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh said
This occurs during the small talk before the hard questions begin. If you
can relate some unique experience that will make the interviewer remember
you, you may clinch a job, "he said
But it must be done without appearing to be contrived. I remember a girl
who mentioned that she did macrame. So did the interviewers wife
Some of the questions seem harmless enough. Actually, they are tricks
designed to bring out your weaknesses and strengths
"Tell me about your life" is almost always asked. It is a trap for ramblers
The interviewer wants to see how quickly you organize your thoughts and how i
well you communicate. Someone who rambles a lot is on shaky ground
Your answer also provides a glimpse of your character and interest. Morsier i
recalled an episode about a lawyer being interviewed for trial work with a
large firm. "She talked about a sking medal she had won. It showed she liked i
the position
people off guard: What is ye
it's a most difficult question. One should always fry to present a weakness in
weakness?
a positive light. You might say: " One of my problems is that Im a perfection
It interferes with my personal life because i'm always taking work home
Pethaps the most dangerous booby trap is the inquiry: What do you think of i
your former boss or company?
Never bad-mouth anyone" advises Mosier. If you were fired, try to owe it
to personality conflicts rather than to some other people. But always stress that
he conflicts didn't prevent you from doing your job well
Be more careful about the presentation of your former boss. It might be
noted that "he helped me learn specific skills" or
e was
under a lot of
pressure".You might add, "But I wou Ld have handled it diferently and shown
more compas
ssion to the employee
