Tell me about yourself

by Sanjeev Sharma

Tell me about yourself is a question that most interviewees expect and it is the most difficult to answer as well. Though one could answer this open-ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports ones career objective. This means that you should not respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers are not interested. To start with there is no correct answer to this interview question. I would lean in the favour of a quick reference to some personal traits that give a quick view of who you are. From there one could move to a one sentence of any relevant education/qualification. There should also be a mention of employment history. Purpose of the Question: In one of my write-ups, Across the interview table, I did mention that there is a purpose to each and every question in the interview. One cannot ask anything and everything. Again, a set of interview questions varies from industry to industry and position to position. Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals. What type of answer is expected? Try to avoid this type of answer: I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just finished and now am looking for a new challenge. Say something like this: I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company. My initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded by two promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts. My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your clients. Preparing for the answer: Follow the following steps as outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewers attention:

Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are keys to the open position. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Do not assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

There you have it: a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports your agenda. When broken down into manageable pieces, the question "So, tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it! When asked by different people? HR managers or CEOs of the company or the Departmental Heads can ask the same question and your answer should vary. The expectation of each person is different. When asked by the HR Manager your response must be like this: "My career has been characterized by my ability to work well with diverse teams. I seek out opportunities to involve others in the decisionmaking process. This collaboration and communication is what has enabled me to achieve success in my department. People are the most valuable resource of any organization."

When asked by the CEO your response must be like this: "I have achieved success in my career because I have been focused on the bottom line. I have always sought out innovative solutions to challenging problems to maximize profitability. Regardless of the task or challenge, I always established benchmarks of performance and standards of excellence. I have never sought to maintain the "status quo." An organization that does not change and grow will die. I would enjoy working with you to help define new market opportunities in order to achieve the organization's goals." In each instance, we responded to the "needs of the individual." It is almost guaranteed that when you respond appropriately to the diverse needs of the different managers, you will become the standard by which all of the other candidates will be measured. Conclusion: The question is very tricky and being the first question of the interviewone need to be a bit more careful in answering the same. This question can make or break the interviewers interest in you. Have You Thought About Your Answers Lately?
by Koon Mei Ching

Sometimes I think the entire interview process is turned on its head. In a typical interview the recruiter commences with a slew of exploratory questions aimed at extracting key information that will help the candidate differentiate him or herself from the other 230 candidates being interviewed. Our ultimate objective as interviewers is to narrow the hundreds of homogenous Resumes into a crme pile of 20 quality individuals. Pure and simple. Contrary to popular belief, we are not out to get you. Rather, we are trying to assist you in highlighting your strengths and capabilities so that we can meet our quality quota and happily go home. Despite this obvious intention, I, as a recruiter, seem to spend excruciatingly tedious amounts of time probing the interviewee for information that, really, is aimed at helping them market themselves to me. It is at times like these that I exasperatingly ask myself: "How come I am doing all the work?" More often than not, it seems that the candidates are quite happy to marinate in their sauces and curtly answer questions in a very superficial manner. The key to creating the right impression lies in your ability to truly listen to the questions asked of you and respond with the kind of information sought by the interviewer. From my experience, most candidates seem to be having a terribly difficult time in understanding this very basic objective of the interview. The majority of candidates have shown a disappointingly slender grasp of the process of analysis - whether that be a true reflection of their ability. Before you fire your pre-programmed answers at the interviewer, make that extra effort to examine the true motivation behind the questions asked of you. Do I merely want to know about the list of extra-curricular activities you participated in or do I want to know about how these activities have added to your capability profile? When I ask you to talk about a topic like the environment, do I want to get the definition of the term or do I wish to gauge your ability to explore wider issues and think outside the box? When I ask you to tell me about your most significant achievement; take the time to delve into the motivation of your chosen project, the manner in which you applied yourself, the challenges you faced, how you managed the situation and why you feel its achievement deserves the merit you accorded to it. Avoid rattling on an exhaustive list of bullet points that serve only to cursorily answer me with face-value information, making me no wiser as to your accomplishment. Ultimately, if we have to prise the information from you with a crowbar, you're digging your own grave with a foot in it. The fact that you are not thinking about your responses presents us with a none-toocomplimentary view about your ability to perform and advance in our company. The interview is all about figuring out the kind of person you are, the capabilities you possess and the way your mind works. When you go into your next interview, remember these key points and respond in a manner that will define who you are and why we should be snapping you up like a hot cake. Yes and No answers will just not cut it anymore. If you want the job, impress the interviewer. No more,

and definitely no less. You have the power to convince us. Whether or not you make the cut is up to you Best Compilation List
by Koon Mei Ching

This article is probably what most of you out there are waiting for. So, wait no more! The "Interviewer's Top 10 Hits" Best Compilation record is out! Here, you'll find a list of the 10 most popular questions used by those faithful interviewers world wide. I do want to caution everyone though, that this is only to provide you with a overall guide to what they want to know, and it should not be treated as text book answers, because there are none. If everyone started answering the same questions with the same answers, there would be (a) very bored interviewers, and (b) absolutely no selection process. But let me not digress. And the Top 10 are... 1. Tell Me Something About Yourself Now, this is a golden classic used at the start of interviews to break the ice and to get you to give them a good initial run down of who you are and your "hidden" characteristics, demonstrated in the way you present this self-story. You should prepare a 2 to 3 minute presentation that briefly introduces your self (where you're from), your personal interests (hobbies, community involvement etc), your work history, and recent career experience. The most time should be spent on the accomplishments in the last two areas. Interviewers look out for three things:

1.
2. 3.

If you are able to give a brief, sequential summary of your life and career that relates to the job for which you're interviewing. Don't ramble on aimlessly on irrelevant nitty gritty details though. If you find yourself at the 5 minute mark talking about your high school days, you are WAY off the mark! Your conversational style, your confidence level, your ability to organize and present information. An idea of the person your are behind the suit.

2. Why Do You Want To Join This Company? OK, now they want to know your motivations for joining the company. And this is usually where they can read between the lines in your answer, so think carefully when answering. First, do your research on the company, its culture and market. Not enough job seekers do enough or ANY of this which is a real no-no! Make sure you understand who you are being interviewed by. Second, DON'T give answers such as "Oh, because its such a cool place to work!", "I like your salary and benefits package," or "My friends are already there and it makes it easier for us to hang out together." OK, so maybe I exaggerate a little bit, but you should get the picture. These answers seem "give-me" oriented and do not show the interviewer how your skills and experience deliver what the company needs. Third, DO demonstrate to them how you can contribute to the company's goals and how your skills and experience match their requirements. Use concrete examples as if you were already working there. For instance, when I interviewed with JobStreet.com for the role of Editor, I drew up a list of things that would add value to the job seeker. Similarly, if research shows that the company is trying to be market leader, tell them how your experience/skills will be able to let you contribute to adding market share for the company. 3. Why Are You Looking For A New Job? This may seem like a straightforward question to answer, but look again. It is very easy to slip up here if you are unprepared. Most people seek another job because they are unhappy/unsatisfied with their current employment. But relating ANYTHING in a negative light at an interview is bad

form. Most interviewers don't look so much for the reason you left, but they way you deliver your response. So, always be honest and positive. Even if you got fired from your last job, try to keep it brief yet honest. If you start ranting on about how your ex boss/company was a terrible employer, they may be thinking "Is he still dealing with bitter or sad feelings, or has he been able to focus his energy on the future and the next position? Does she place total blame on others for her situation or does she accept at least some responsibility for it?" Further, most terminations happen because of an ill-fit between company and employee, not so much performance. So, try to take this angle. If you left voluntarily, don't dwell on the negative reasons for leaving, and focus on how you can contribute better to your new company/role. Some examples of answers that would work are below. But again, don't just memorize these answers and throw them out again without being really honest. Interviews never work if you approach them like textbook exams. 1. 2. 3. I wanted to move my career in a new direction. (Make sure you mention what this new direction is.) My company was restructuring and I chose to seek better opportunities elsewhere. I want to keep developing new skills but was unable to pursue this in my previous company. I decided to make a change to allow this to happen.

4. What Kind Of Position Are You Looking For? Avoid vague answers such as "I want an exciting job" or "I want to grow my skills in this area." It shows lack of focus and motivation for your career objective. Instead, focus on your desired position and how your skills and experience can help you be an asset within that position. For example, "I have a strong ability to communicate and market a product as proven in my 2 years experience as marketing officer at University/company A. I believe that I understand the consumer industry and can add value to your company's marketing efforts." 5. What Do You Consider Your Strengths and Weaknesses? This is a time to be honest, but don't go to extremes either way. You don't want to start telling them that you are really terrible at organizing and can never be on time. Neither do you make yourself out to be the next best thing since sliced bread. Instead, be clear and concise about qualities that demonstrate you take responsibility for your work ethic, actions, and experiences learned (or failures) on the job, problem-solving ability, and values. 6. What Do You Know About Our Company? This is where your research has come in handy. It is a way to demonstrate that you are serious about joining the company and was motivated enough to learn about it before the interview. Don't respond by repeating each and every fact you learnt about the company, because it can seem arrogant and memorized. Do mention its major product, markets and latest development. Keep things positive. Also try to show your eagerness to learn more about the company by asking some questions to the interviewer him/herself. 7. What Do You Consider Your Greatest Achievements? Try to mention about 2-3 achievements. This is a way for interviewers to gauge how you managed people/projects/yourself in a successful manner - which can translate into how you may be able to succeed in the company if they hire you. Try to choose a set of achievements that allow you to display a variety of strengths. Ie. A successful event that you set up showing your organizational skills, successfully resolving a situation at work which demonstrates your problem solving skills and delivering an important report under difficult circumstances which shows your ability to handle pressure. 8. Where Do You See Yourself One / Five Years From Now? Respond to reflect your confidence and drive to reach a level of work that will be rewarded for your success. State realistic expectations and propose a real plan of where you intend to go within the company. Never sound overly confident, fearful or confused. 9. What Type Of Job Assignments Did You Perform In Your Last Job? Be honest and to the point answering this, even if the assignments performed don't exactly match those required in the new position. However, also take the opportunity to mention any projects

your volunteered for, special projects you took on outside your work scope or elected positions held in committees in other past jobs/university. The key point here is to try to tell them about experience gained in areas that might be relevant to your new position. 10. When You Start A New Job, How Do You Establish Good Relationships With Your New Colleagues and Supervisors? It is important here to be enthusiastic and positive. Tell them how you worked well with your past colleagues or peers in projects etc. Networking skills is important so show how you used yours in your past to good stead. So that wraps out the countdown! The bottomline is, be prepared, do your research, and understand the job you are being interviewed for and how your skills / personality / experience match the job's requirements. Close the interview with any last questions, pass on your namecard if you have one, thank them for their time and give a firm handshake before smiling and saying good bye. The first interview is just a lead into the second interview or offer to a job. Not everyone is suited for the job or the company. So don't be discouraged if you were not offered a position right away. Keep your chin up and your cool, and don't give up on yourself! Besides, things could be a lot worse at interviews and you could be asked a question like the one used by Goldman Sachs in the USA, "There are eight balls, one of which is slightly heavier than the others. You have a two-armed scale, which you are allowed to use only twice. Which ball is heavier?" Now where is my physics textbook again...

Interview 101 - How do you beat the competition?

by Koon Mei Ching

I have been receiving a deluge of queries about interviews and how to get it right the past few months. I thought a logical way to attack the growing pile of question marks, was to shed some light on that game we play the Interview. It should arm you with the right tactics and tools to make it happen for you! So, without further ado, let the games begin! You Have 10 Brown Eggs, But Which Makes the Best Ommelette? The interview is basically a tool used by employers/HR managers to select the right candidate for the right position. Now, it seems pretty simple, but the mechanics behind the process lends more than the eye can see. Most employers will start the recruitment process by using objective minimum requirements - i.e. skill, education, experience, expected salary etc. - to shortlist the candidates down to a manageable number out of the confusion of applications. So how do they pick from say, 10 equal candidates who match up to the minimum requirements mentioned above? Even if you hit a match of 5 out of 5 for job requirements, someone else may get the job instead of you. And so your intrigue rises. This is where the interview steps in to siphon out those more suitable based on "touchy feely" emotional aspects of the candidate. Let's Get Touchy Feely, Shall We? The emotional aspects being selected in the interview are generally as follows: initial impression, management potential, motivation/enthusiasm, personal chemistry, and competence. Initial Impression: Making the right first impression on your interviewer is vital to setting the scene for the rest of the interview. Humans naturally make a judgement about another by the way they look, act, speak etc. So the first few minutes in the interview are crucial to get across your nonverbal factors such as: vocal quality, body posture, eye contact, and facial expressions. Project self-confidence, professionalism, and eager interest in the company through your actions and demeanor, and you will make an effective initial impression. Management Potential: Employers hire people with potential to advance in the company as they usually prefer to grow their own

management team. They look for people who have the capacity to take on more responsibilities, lead their team members and manage projects. Typically, this evaluation is based on a gut feel and the onus falls on you to point out relevant experiences that indicate your potential to adapt to a changing environment and growing roles. Motivation/Enthusiasm: This translates into the positive drive to accomplish a task/goal. Employers want to hire people who are genuinely excited about working for them and developing their product. They are trained to spot phony enthusiasm a mile away, so don't go trying to fake it, I beg of you. Research the company and its product before you apply to make sure that you have an honest enthusiasm for what you will be doing with the company if they hire you, and project this during your interview. Personal Chemistry: Know how you feel when you "click" or don't "click" with someone you meet? The same theory applies during an interview. It sounds logical that employers prefer to hire people they like over those they don't feel comfortable with. This is personal chemistry. The reason for this is simplysimple. It is easier to work with and accomplish tasks effectively in a team with people you genuinely like. Whilst this hypothesis seems a little "vague", it is human behaviour and that, my friends, is the world we work in. Do note though, that it is difficult to "make" personal chemistry happen. Eye of newt and a bag of bat wings are useless, I am afraid. But if you step out of the interview feeling like you connected with the interviewer, your chances definitely shine brighter. Competence: This element is colored a slight shade of gray. While it should be measurable, it is more subjective than objective. This has to do with characteristics like adaptability to change, lateral thinking and people management skills. Employers want people who can contribute in a variety of ways, not only directly to the task they are working on. It could mean brainstorming on innovative ideas, helping to manage a team for a project or dealing with problems on your feet. If you can highlight competencies gained through your own past experiences in your interview, you can add one more point to your interview score! In ending, understand that fulfilling the minimum requirements stated in the job advertisement is not the "end all be all" that determines if you get the job. The "hidden" emotional factors that are determined in the interview play a very strong role in deciding who wins the prize at the end of the day. So even if you don't have strong qualifications, you may still be able to leverage the interview to your advantage by laying up your "emotional" strengths. You're in the last quarter and the game depends on your next shot. You've got the talent. You've got the skills. Now go out there and score that killer interview!

What The Interviewer Is Looking For

by Ngeow Yeok Meng

In most interviews, knowing what the interviewer is looking for means you have won half of the battle. The other half of the battle: be prepared to show your knowledge about the organisation, ask tactful questions about the job, and give a good impression that you can do better than others, if you are offered the job. The interviewer has two methods of judging your suitability for the job. First, by questioning you and evaluating the things about you and your experience, based on what you tell him. Second, by observing person-to-person how you handle the interview. If you have obviously planned your interview well, for example by showing that you are knowledgeable about the organisation, the interviewer will assume that you are also capable of planning and making a good job of your tasks. The converse is also true a bad performance at interview could mean an unsatisfactory performance at the job. If you have the experience and ability to do the job, make sure that you do not let your interview performance let you down. Since in most cases, the interviewer has no prior knowledge of the candidates except their letter of application, the first impression you give is extremely important. If you are of average intelligence or have few qualifications, do not despair. The most important factor is your actual achievements and the positive way in which you put these over to the interviewer. Here are five areas that help the interviewer select the right person for the right job: intelligence,

qualification, adjustment, impact on others, motivation and achievements. Intelligence means your cognitive powers to take in and interpret information. You should be quick in understanding all questions posed by the interviewer, and providing simple and concise answers to them. Nevertheless, a person who is too intelligent, by giving complicated answers to simple questions, may give an impression that he is a thinker not a doer. Qualifications is necessary for certain professional jobs. So make sure you possess the formal qualifications required or the experience needed when applying for that particular position. It is important to show your knowledge and interest of the relevant professional institution in your field of work, as this will also reflect your enthusiasm towards the profession. Adjustment means adaptation to life in general and work in particular. The interviewer would like to know whether you have a good capacity to withstand stress, whether you are always in control even in the most unfavourable situations, whether you are emotionally stable, and whether you can do things on your own initiative. Most important of all, your friendly or hostile relationship with the people around you. Impact on others means anything from the use of simple language, the way you speak, the way you dress, to your physical appearance throughout the interview. If you can talk from your own personal experience using real life situations, make sense of things happen around you, think in terms of things and not people, you are more likely to give an impression of a mature person and a problem-solver much in demand by any employer. Motivation and achievement are two important indicators of your general attitudes toward work and career. Assessment will be based on the following:

Can you motivate yourself and work on your own initiative? Do you set yourself goals and achievements? Can you get things done even when faced with difficulties? Are you a dreamer or an action-driven person? Have you long term career objectives? Have you reached the level one would expect for your age or qualifications? Which kind of work or activity has given you the most satisfaction? Are you a person who can deliver on time and meet deadlines? Do you present your boss with problems or solutions? Do you have initiative to finish work? Do you pay attention to detail? Do you perform well when the going get tough? Are you good at problem solving?

The interviewer will not ask the above questions directly as the answers should come from what you have accomplished, not what you plan to do in future. The interviewer will skillfully find out the answers by asking what you have been involved in, your interests, your strengths, your weaknesses, the challenges in your pursuit of knowledge or previous work, your perception of yourself, your dreams and objectives in life. If you are honest with yourself in the interview, you can avoid being worried about inconsistency in your answers. Never mind if the first impression you give is imperfect to the interviewer. The worst thing that could happen is when you lie about yourself, and have the interviewer sense it before the end of the interview session. Tell Me About Yourself This is one of the most popular questions asked, and your response will probably set the tone for the rest of the interview. It is the most challenging question for many people, as they wonder what the interviewer really wants to know and what information they should include. How would you respond? One thing is for sure: the interviewer does not want to know about your family details or personal background. What he is interested in are your achievements and the milestones in your career. As you cannot afford to get your answer wrong, here is how you should start preparing yourself for this question.

Focus List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills, etc). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave? Scripting Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking about past experiences and proven success: "I have been in the customer service industry for the past five years. My most recent experience has been handling incoming calls in the high tech industry. One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. In my last job, I formed some significant customer relationships resulting in a 30 percent increase in sales in a matter of months." Next, mention your strengths and abilities: "My real strength is my attention to detail. I pride myself on my reputation for following through and meeting deadlines. When I commit to doing something, I make sure it gets done, and on time." Conclude with a statement about your current situation: "What I am looking for now is a company that values customer relations, where I can join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention and sales." Practise Practise with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasise in your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn't memorise it -- you don't want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural and conversational. Even if you are not asked this question in the interview, this preparation will help you focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you can use the information here to assist you in answering other questions. The more you can talk about your product -- you -- the better chance you will have at selling it. Attending A Job Interview
by Ngeow Yeok Meng

A candidate is successful in job interview if he can convince the interviewer that he is more capable of doing the job than any other candidates. Unless a candidate has established personal networks with the company, a job is usually offered based on the assessment of the candidate's performance during the interview. This assessment places great pressure, both mentally and emotionally, on the candidate who needs the job desperately. What then, are the criteria for selection in this process? Successful candidates often manage to select key items from their own experience which show that they can do the job, and will do it better than any of the other candidates. They are the ones who project themselves into the job by asking the right questions, knowing the problems faced in that position, and even offering the solutions to such problems. Successful interviewers, on the other hand, conduct an interview to find the right applicant to fill a particular job vacancy. They are not trying to trick or trap the candidates, nor are they going to penalise or find fault with the candidates. In fact, they are most relieved if the candidate can convince them that he or she is the right person for the job. Whether you are leaving your present job, or fresh from campus or school, you should always be prepared for the interview by anticipating questions that will be asked in the interview. Challenging questions, apart from personal details and qualifications, asked by an interviewer to facilitate the process of selection are:

What are your career objectives? What courses did you take up and why? What do you do particularly well at school? Where does your main experience lie? What are your main responsibilities in your present job? How much time do you spend on each aspect of your job? Which aspect of the job do you like most? What are the main problem areas of your job?

Do you have a solution for that problem? Why do you want to leave your present employer? What is expected in your first year if you are offered this job? What do you want to be doing in five years' time? How will you benefit from this job? Are there any people you find difficulty working with? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Why should the company hire you?

The above questions are not standard or model questions but preparing for them will build up your confidence before and while attending a job interview. Avoid using "trial and error" in job interviews, by making mistakes in front of your prospect employer. Tactful answers to the above questions will impress the interviewer and most importantly of all, you will stand out among other candidates to get the job offer and also his confidence in doing the job. Women Three-piece business suits, blouse and skirt or slacks, and cardigan twin-sets. Sleeveless shirts should be rejected. Short-sleeved blouses are okay when they are tailor-cut or have features such as a sports collar or double breast design to create a business-like look. Skirts can either be long provided it does not create a Cinderella or barn-dance look or short where it falls no shorter than two inches from the knee. Nothing too revealing, please! Panty-hose or stockings. A must for professional grooming, but nothing with overly fussy patterns. Bring an extra pair, just in case the ones you are wearing run. Shoes. Closed shoes or pumps with at least 1-inch heels suggest a more professional look. Dark colors are best. Hair. Hair longer than shoulder length should be worn up or pulled back. Don't let it fall in front of your face and don't keep trying to fix it during the interview. Avoid large hair ornaments and trendy hairstyles. Make-up. Be subtle; natural is the key word. Light shades of lip coloring and nail polish are recommended." Jewellery. Be conservative. Studs of gold, silver or pearls are best. Do away with gaudy fashion jewellery, and those that clank and make noise when one moves. Accessories. Folders and bags should blend well with the total professional look. Women should match their purse with their shoe colour. Developing an enthusiasm for the interview When you go for an interview, the first thing you should have is the right mental attitude or approach. Banish the negative or self-defeating thoughts from your mind, and replace them with more positive and productive ones. Here are four positive attitudes that you can bring with you to the interview:

Be confident. Just to get here to this stage of the interview means that you have already beaten some of the competition. So, build on this confidence. Be optimistic. Why are you called to an interview? Because you have already been screened and this is a sign that the interviewer sees your potential and would rather prefer to employ you for the job than to reject you. Be positive. Every job interview is a new beginning for you. If you have suffered frustrations in the past, as a result of an unsuccessful previous job interview or job search, forget about them! Focus on what is ahead: you are making an effort to advance your career and each interview brings you one step closer to a new job. Be enthusiastic. Treat each interview as an interesting opportunity to learn something about the company, other people, and even yourself. Look at it as a chance to have a pleasant conversation with a fellow human being. But be forewarned. This is a serious meeting of minds.

Do not forget what you are there for, so maintain a balanced perspective throughout and be focused.