Tuesday, September 17, 2019

How to prepare for an interview

Proper preparation for an interview can increase the chances of finding a job. Consider a few points that it is desirable to pay attention to on the eve of a meeting with the employer.
one
Gather the maximum information about the company

It is very important to understand where you are going for an interview: what the company is doing, how much it is known in the market, what its reputation is. This information is easy to find on the Internet: study the company's website, reviews about it, look at corporate pages on social networks.

The more information you collect, the more confident you will be at the meeting. “What do you know about our company” is one of the favorite questions of the HR manager. Show that you have prepared, found information, and immediately earn points.

2.Find out who the meeting will be with

At the stage of telephone communication (or electronic correspondence), ask who will hold the meeting with you - positions and surnames. Look at the information about these people in social networks - you can learn more about the interlocutors. You may be able to find information about their hobbies, preferences, interesting details of the biography that will help to locate them during the conversation.
It is no secret that leaders - former military personnel respect those who served. If you have a common hobby, for example, football, drawing, and during the interview you will have the opportunity to mention a hobby, you will have a chance to defuse the situation and the interlocutor will be remembered.

3.Prepare a self-presentation and answers to possible questions

This is a very important stage in preparing for an interview. Do not neglect them.
At the meeting you will be asked to tell about yourself. A confusing story - even if the nervous tension is to blame - will spoil the impression of you. Rehearse a small presentation at home (you can take a summary as a basis): the most important thing about experience and education, key skills, achievements. The optimal presentation time is no more than 5 minutes.

You can also prepare answers to the most popular questions of recruiters:
Why do you want to work with us?
What did you do at your previous job, what results did you achieve, why did you decide to leave?
What are your advantages and disadvantages?
What is important for you in your work and what is unacceptable?
Who do you see yourself in 5 years?

4.Prepare your questions for the employer

Leaders acknowledge that candidates are not remembered for answers, but for precise, important questions. This is what can set you apart from other candidates. Questions may relate to professional duties, corporate culture. For example, it is useful to discuss the possible results that you will expect from the trial period, six months later, a year, the possibilities of professional and career growth in the company, and so on. Or the structure of the company and your place in it.
Also relevant are questions about the work schedule, social package, design - if the recruiter has not covered them before.

5.See the address and directions to the meeting place in advance

Nothing spoils the impression of a candidate like being late for an interview. Carefully read the driving directions and calculate the time. Consider traffic jams, bad weather, blocked roads and other circumstances. It is better to come to a meeting in advance than to rush, be afraid to be late (eventually do it) and start to get nervous, fuss. Unnecessary excitement before an important interview you do not need.
Save the recruiter's number in your phone so you can call him if you get lost or still linger.

We wish you interesting and productive interviews!

How to get an interview in English

1. Prepare a story about yourself
Look on the Internet for the wording that your position and specialty in education is called in English; pay attention to those phrases that are in the text of the vacancy itself - it’s nice to use them to show that you correspond to the position. Formulate your core competencies, strengths and weaknesses, find their names and synonyms in English. Also formulate clear for HR resume, if you do not know how to do it, use https://medicalfieldjobs.com/resume-examples.

2. Learn more about the company - in English
To feel more relaxed in a free conversation, read the English-language sources about the company, its business, products, mission and values. Google reviews of employees. Prepare your company questions in English.

Speak and learn unfamiliar terms and words that will be often found in the research process so that they come to mind during the conversation. To do this, you can use the good old cardboard cards, or you can use mobile applications: for example, Awords, which helps to replenish vocabulary and learn words, or Quizlet (learning a language using cards).

3. Practice spoken English before the interview
Many of those who studied English at school or even after, know the language well enough, but fall into a stupor when you need to speak it. If this is your case, then the time remaining before the interview should be devoted to “pulling up” the language:

Immerse yourself in the language environment to the maximum. Watch movies and TV shows in English, read books and articles, turn on the English interface on your phone and computer.

Subscribe to English content in the channels that you usually consume: YouTube videos, Telegram channels, language e-mails.

Take the teacher on Skype for at least those few lessons that you will have time to conduct before the interview. This will allow you to "liberate yourself" without wasting time on the road. Plus individual lessons - you can agree that you are solving a specific problem, prepare for an interview for a particular position, and the teacher will help to hone the knowledge necessary for this.
4. Correction for the interlocutor
If the interview is conducted by Russian employees, it makes life easier, but if you are talking with foreign managers, you need to make an “adjustment” for the mentality and how they will perceive your English.


“Turn off” modesty. Russian experts are not used to boasting about their achievements, therefore they look faded against the background of Western colleagues, for whom self-presentation is a skill honed from school. Do not be afraid to use perfect adjectives and epithets in your speech - hardworking (hardworking), well-organized (well organized), talented (talented), success-oriented (success-oriented) and so on.

Take your time. In an effort to demonstrate good command of English, Russians often begin to chatter and “swallow” words. It’s better to speak more slowly, but more understandably: no one expects an ideal pronunciation from you, foreign managers are accustomed to accents and rough phrases, it is much more important that your thoughts can be understood in principle.

Speak short sentences and using familiar vocabulary. Do not complicate the story - the more additional designs you use, the higher the chance to make a mistake that will make you embarrass, shut up, and stray from the conversation.

And finally, try not to worry too much. Of course, if the interview is conducted in English, then it is important for further work, but any adequate employer knows that the language can be tightened, and what really can set you apart from other candidates is professionalism and personal qualities.

What to learn at the interview, except for the schedule and salary

7 things to find out before deciding on a job

1. Processing. Do they happen, how often, and if so, how are they compensated. In accordance with Art. 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, overtime is understood as the work performed by the employee on the initiative of the employer outside the established duration of daily work (shift), and when summing up work time, over the normal number of working hours for the accounting period.
In most cases, the consent of the employee is required, and the processing must either be paid for, or extra rest time is provided for it. In practice, the second method of compensation is more common.
Force majeure can happen in any organization when it is necessary to delay, but if force majeure is permanent, it’s worth considering: either you are doing something wrong (for example, you do not have sufficient qualifications for this work), or the department is poorly organized business processes. I have repeatedly met executives who came to work about ten minutes before the end of the working day and “started a fire”. Or, as soon as the employee was going home, they were interested in some project (of course, eight hours of the working day was not enough for this).

2. Decision making and type of leader. Do you know the situation when you turn to your head or the head of another unit, and in response to silence? Especially if the issue is unpleasant or requiring an operational solution.

It happens that a leader is a leader on a piece of paper (only on a work book), in fact, decisions are made for him by a higher authority, and he is only a translator of the opinions and decisions of others. Even worse, when after the implementation of the decision is made it turns out that everything needs to be redone exactly the opposite, because the manager does not know how to clearly state his thoughts or the company has adopted situational management - where the wind blows, we go there.

You can get information about the management style of a particular leader from various sources: for example, I found information on otzovik sites and forums. If you have friends in this company or you get a job there on the recommendation, you can ask them to describe the person. The closer you are with the recommender, the better. Unfamiliar people, as a rule, are afraid to give negative characteristics, so they will do in general terms.

If you found a vacancy through a recruitment agency, his employee can also give a true recommendation, since his earnings depend on the closing of the vacancy, and if he makes a mistake with the candidate, he will have to search for a replacement for free.
You can ask the head of the interview how the company makes decisions about who else besides him is involved in the process and how much time it usually takes. Observation will also not be superfluous: pay attention to how the potential immediate leader behaves - as a charismatic leader or as a mumble.

3. Meetings. Meetings can be infinitely long or absent. Both options are extreme. Tales at the meeting are good to a limited extent to defuse the situation, but if the chatter becomes a regular pastime, you can judge the low culture of time management and low workload. The absence of meetings, in turn, hints that many issues are either not being resolved, or are being resolved on the sidelines.
4. Corporate holidays. The most heartbreaking stories are connected with this point. It would be okay to talk only about motivational talks about loyalty, but no - deprivation of bonuses, lower salaries, the threat of dismissal, and even locking yourself in your office so that you don’t run away a few hours before the event - which just doesn't happen!
If you are not a fan of vibrant corporate life, check for possible sanctions at the interview. And at the same time - how often the holidays are held and where, whether it will be necessary to pay for participation in them (and it happens!).
5. Training. Employers like to spend training at the expense of the company at the weekend. A couple of times a year I think this is acceptable, but if more often, then it is worth considering. In Art. 203 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation it is established that the time of apprenticeship (training) during the week should not exceed the norm of working time established for workers of the corresponding age, profession, specialty when performing the corresponding work. That is, if an employee is trained on the job, then the total duration of both training and work should not exceed the established norm.

6. Workplace. It makes sense to find out where your workplace will be located and whether it will be at all. Ideally, ask him to show you. Sometimes recruiters conduct interviews in cool head offices, and the candidate does not think that the workplace itself will be located in the basement of a neighboring factory, without windows and an air conditioning system.
More and more often, employers are resorting to practice when the employee is not assigned a workplace. You can borrow any free, which is sometimes not enough.
You need to make sure that the necessary equipment (for example, a computer, phone, etc.) will also be - the principle of minimizing costs often leads to the fact that employees have to bring their personal laptop to the office. The presence of windows, air conditioning, the density of the cabinet, and other aspects are equally important.

7. Substitution of colleagues. Each of us goes on vacation, is sick or goes on business trips. I advise you to find out who will carry out your work in your absence. There are basically three scenarios: no one (that is, before the vacation and after it will have to plow with redoubled enthusiasm), the colleague will be replaced in whole or in part. Depending on the answer, it will be clear what to prepare for. If colleagues will replace, then you, therefore, will have to replace them. In this case, specify how it will be paid. Most often, the employer talks about offsetting. In fact, this is a violation of the law.

According to Art. 151 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, when combining an employee, an additional payment must be made, the amount of which is established by agreement of the parties, taking into account the content and (or) the amount of additional work. The employee has the right to abandon the additional load and perform only his work (Article 60.2 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation).

The more you learn at a meeting, the less frustration you get on your first business day. When asking questions, do not be afraid to dislike the person you are talking to: it’s better they will refuse you right away than you will learn about the “skeletons in the closet” during the trial period.

What to say at the interview or how to understand HR

We analyze new words and expressions used by HR

In addition to pleasing hearing expressions of the Russian language at the interview, you can hear borrowed words. So that you are not confused and understand what you are being asked about, we have prepared a short list of words that HR can pronounce. Study and get ready for a 100% job interview.

About work

Outstaffing - an employer company leases personnel to another organization: registration in one company, and work in another or others (cleaners, security guards, etc.).

Bonus - additional encouragement, reward, bonus for a good job.

Brainhack is a way to change thinking, develop brain activity (how to become happy, how to become more attentive, improve memory, etc.).

Downshifting - the philosophy of "life for yourself." Downshifters refuse a career and status in favor of their favorite hobby, family: leaving the position of manager to manager, moving from a metropolis to the islands, etc.

Deadline - the deadline for completing a task, plan.

Draft - draft, working draft.

Dress code - a style of clothing that must be followed in the office, at negotiations, events.

Salary plug - the range of salaries for the job, has upper and lower boundaries. The tool is used when the employer is ready to consider candidates of different qualifications. Initially, you should focus on the lower border of the “plug”.

Salary gross - salary before tax (excluding personal income tax).

Salary net - salary "on hand", after taxes.

Infographics - visual presentation of information: graphs, charts, pictures.

Coworking - equipped workplace that can be rented. In one room people of different specialties, fields and companies work. Coworking centers are popular among freelancers, designers, and programmers. You can exchange experiences, find new customers.

Community - a group (community) of people with common interests. Communicate on the Internet (community of programmers, etc.).

Copy-paste - copying and “appropriation” of text from sources on the Internet. Simply put - plagiarism.

Copyright - processing a large amount of information found on the Internet, and creating on its basis a unique text (without losing the original meaning).

Couch - coach or consultant, including career.

Mind mapping - note-taking in the form of communication maps.

Merchandiser - merchandiser, specialist in the calculation of goods.

Message - message, message, appeal. Often emailed.

Brainstorming is a discussion of a problem in which participants throw as many ideas as possible, even the most fantastic. Of all the ideas, one is generated or the most workable one is chosen.

Networking - search for business contacts and useful contacts on the Internet (often on social networks). Medium and long-term networking goals - solving important tasks with the help of friends (finding new customers, employees, etc.).

Posting - posting short messages on forums, blogs, social networks.

Sharing - giving other people access to folders, files, documents.

Spoiler - premature disclosure of important information, plot. Destruction of intrigue. For example, laying out photos before they are processed by the photographer, revealing the scenario of a corporate event.

Feedback - feedback, response, exchange of views.

Freelancer is a freelance employee. He works without registration in the state (possibly under a civil law contract), searches for and fulfills the orders of one or more customers (photographer, editor, copywriter, designer, etc.).

Hunting - luring specialists from other companies.

Hackathon - a forum of IT-specialists, a marathon of programmers. The goal is a joint search for a solution to a problem.

Shortlist - a list of suitable job seekers. It is used to select the final candidate for the position. HRs form a short list based on the results of meetings and testing of all applicants.

Eychar - HR manager, HR specialist of a recruiting agency or company.

Ageism is age discrimination.
CV - a brief description of professional skills and life. This is often called a resume.

IT - information technology (work with computers, software, information - search, collection, processing, storage, protection).

SEO - website optimization. The goal is to increase positions in search engines (Yandex, Google, etc.) and increase traffic.

CEO - the highest administrative position in the company (director, president, leader).

CTO - technical director (less often - chief engineer, head of technical department).

CIO - Director of Information Technology (IT Director).

CFO - CFO.

GR - manager for interaction with government agencies.

IR - interaction with investors, shareholders.
About business

Outlet - a store where collections of clothes of famous brands are sold at a discount.

Outsourcing (outsourcing) - a company transfers some functions and business processes to a third-party organization (website development, advertising and marketing, accounting, call centers, etc.).

Briefing - a short briefing on work issues and tasks.

Roadmap - a plan to achieve a goal or accomplish tasks, a scenario for a project.

Call center - office for receiving and processing telephone calls of customers and partners. In a simple way - reference.

Life hack - a trick (advice) with which you can solve the problem with minimal financial and time costs (quickly make a speech plan, solve several problems at the same time, etc.).

Reception - reception in the office. The desk at which the administrator sits and greets (consults) guests.

Startup is a new business (often innovative or IT). A small company that is just entering the market.

Sprint - the reporting period of the task (often used in programming, usually measured in weeks).

Trend - the main trend, the current direction of development (in fashion, staffing, etc.).
KPI - the result of activities (in general terms). Evaluation of results and work efficiency (comparison of results and spent resources).

You are invited to an interview. What to bring with you?


The main thing in the interview is to demonstrate the potential and usefulness for the employer. No trifles and inconsistencies should not distract you, so you need to prepare for an interview. We have prepared a simple and understandable list of 7 items.

1) Directions and contact details

In order not to spoil your impression of yourself even before the start of the conversation, come to the meeting on time. You can do it.

Study the route in advance, print out the location map sent by the recruiter or which you found at the driven address on the Yandex.Maps service, for example.

The recruiter’s phone number will come in handy if you still get lost, mix up the numbers of buildings, delay.

2) Identity document

Access control in modern companies is the norm. A passport, a driver’s license or an ID card of a Russian serviceman and other documents will be useful for entering the territory of the employer (to the office).
Lay out all the papers and documents in separate files and folders to show yourself as an organized, neat person (and employee).

3) Description of the vacancy and resume (3-4 copies)

The easiest way to show interest in your work is to ask clear and correct questions. Help in this job description. Looking at it, you can always formulate a couple of clarifications about working conditions, salary level.

A correctly compiled resume will help to tell in detail about work experience, achievements. And if you give copies of the resume to the interlocutors, then save yourself from additional questions and unnecessary worries.

4) Diplomas, certificates, certificates

With their help, you will confirm basic and additional education, knowledge and skills that will be useful in a vacant position.

5) Recommendations

Additional points will add written reviews of former leaders, diplomas. Make a few copies to distribute to your interlocutors.

6) Portfolio, cases

Do not neglect the opportunity to demonstrate success. If you become interested in achievements, presentations will come in handy. Print simple examples on a color printer and give them to interviewers. Complex - present on a laptop, tablet.

7) Notebook and pen

Trite, but important. In a notebook you can write down the questions that you want to ask the future employer. During the interview in a notebook, you can make notes on working conditions, important dates.