You know how speed dating works. Well, now there's "speed interviewing."
In as few as five minutes, you're asked a gauntlet of questions like, "What's your biggest strength and weakness?" "Describe your last boss." or "How would he describe you?" Hopefully, you're prepared with fast answers because when the bell rings, your time's up. You shake hands and it's off to the next interview.
Speed interviews are becoming popular at job fairs and networking events, in offices and warehouses across the country. Employers say these snapshots reveal potential strengths and weakness in a candidate. Things like the ability to think fast on your feet, speak clearly, and address tough questions with confidence—much needed traits in today's hyper competitive job market. Those who survive these machine gun Q&A sessions typically get a full-length interview.
The key in speed interviewing is preparation and more preparation. That means rehearsing the answer to every possible question in advance—much like politicians do before a debate—with endless mock interviews. An awkward pause or rambling answer, and it's "stick a fork in you, you're done."
Remember, the first 30 seconds of an interview are sink or swim. It doesn't hurt to have a firm handshake, sincere eye contact, and to dress professionally. In five minutes, you need to answer that all-important question all employers want to know: "Why should I hire you?'
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Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.
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