Interviewing for an airline (Thursday, February 11, 2010 / 1:06 AM)
As I promise on my previous post; I am going to give tips for you people who are planning to go for an airline interview.
First of all, before you try for any interview, try remembering that, first impression is the most important. These means that you need to have a great attire for the interview. And I bet most of you are still confusing on what to wear in a manner whether or not the airline interviewer going to think it's appropriate and professional.
For female applicants, nothing is acceptable other than a business suit or a dress with a jacket. Candidates will not even get to first base if this important item is omitted --very unprofessional!
In choosing accessories, shoes must be:
The closed-heel type.
No sandals, wedges, moccasins (I've seen that too!) or clogs.
Color complementary to your outfit and are neatly polished, without any worn-out heels or toes.
Heels and hose comprise proper business attire.
A professional looking purse should be in a matching shade or a leather-type briefcase may be carried instead of a purse.
Style and color is becoming to your facial features and skin coloring.
Clean, in good condition.
If longer that collar-length, it should be worn in an upswept style. It must not fall forward or across face when your head is tilted forward.
No wash-and-wear, wet-look or spikey styles.
No roots showing.
No extreme styles.
Hands and nails should be clean and neatly manicured. Nails should be well-shaped, all the same approximate length, and should not extend beyond the fingertip more than ¼ of an inch. They should be polished either in a shade complementary to lipstick - red or a natural looking color. A French manicure is also a good choice, and clear polish is also acceptable, but nails should not be left bare. No chipped nails, designs on nails, or extreme colors.
Keep jewelry to a minimum. It's nice that you want to wear the ring grandma or Aunt Sarah left you, but only one per hand, please. Only one bracelet per hand is acceptable, along with a professional looking watch. Wedding rings are allowed as well. For neckwear, choose a simple chain or a string of pearls. And no heavy perfumes, please.
For male applicants, the same grooming rules apply. A business shirt, tie, slacks AND JACKET must be worn. This cannot be stressed enough!
Ok! So, now you are well prepare on your grooming. Let's step forward on the technique in an interview. It always begin from the time you step inside the interview room to the second you step out.
1. "Become" the audience.
When getting ready to walk into an interview, present at a meeting or speak before a large crowd, don't think about yourself and your anxieties. Rather, become outward-focused. Visualize yourself as part of the audience ready to enjoy your performance. This not only will calm you, but also help you better connect with your audience.
2. Breathe.
When people get nervous, their breathing tends to get shallow, which means they're taking in less oxygen and functioning less effectively. Taking at least one deep-cleansing breath – breathing in through the nose to fill your lungs and exhaling out through your mouth – will calm your nerves and keep you in the present.
3. Carry yourself with "presence."
Much of presence is, quite simply, bearing (how you carry yourself). Those with presence are very secure about themselves. But even if you're not feeling particularly confident, here is how to look as if you are:
· When standing: Stand with your weight evenly distributed on the balls of both feet so you feel balanced and can move easily. Carry your rib cage high and contract your stomach muscles.
· When sitting: Sit with your rib cage high and inclined slightly forward. If at a desk or conference table, put your forearms on the table resting them midway between your wrist and elbow, hands clasped and no fidgeting!
4. Voice control.
Put resonance in your voice by contracting your abdominal muscles and speaking from the diaphragm. To correct a nasal tone, put one hand on your abdominal muscles, the other flat on your chest. Say "low," "low," "low" over and over until you feel vibrations on your chest bone as you speak.
5. Inflection.
No "up-talking." Speak in as low a tone as feels natural to you, and always end sentences on a lower pitch. When answering the phone, don't say "Hello?" in a high-pitched, questioning voice. Emphasize the "low" and the person on the other end will feel as if they're in good hands.
6. Appreciate silence.
Learn to be comfortable with silence. Don't step on your lines or someone else's by rushing in to fill conversational pauses. Silence adds power to your message and signals that you are confident and thoughtful.
7. Use eye contact to connect.
If your eyes aren't up when you talk, you won't command attention.
· When speaking to a group: Don't make the common mistake of scanning the audience. You'll look shifty eyed and get dizzy to boot! Instead, lock eyes with different individuals in various sections of the room, changing sets of eyes as you finish each thought.
· When speaking one-on-one: Maintain eye contact with your partner by looking from one eye to the other – not with the swinging regularity of a metronome, but as though you were planting a message in each eye. This not only will make your eyes sparkle, but will also touch the listener and make you appear sincere.
8. Never look desperate.
If you come across as needy, subservient or too eager to make a good impression, people will become uncomfortable – even recoil. Believe you are worthy. As much as you want to land the job or make the sale, seem as if you're asking for nothing.
9. Have enthusiasm.
Enter the room radiating energy and purpose. As former actor and Nobel Prize winning play and screenwriter David Mamet said, "You should go on stage as if to a hot date, not as if to give blood."
10. Make graceful exits.
And finally, if you want to be brought back for a second or third curtain call, exit on a high note – and always leave them wanting more!
Now let's get back on common interview Questions!:
Listed below are the 10 most commonly asked interview questions. A well thought out answer to each of these questions, prepared and rehearsed in advance with the logical sequencing of the events will help you sail through.
1. Tell us about yourself
This is an open canvas for you, giving you an opportunity to direct and lead your interview in the direction you want. A. good idea would be to structure your answer in the following three broad heads:
Family Background
Educational Background (starting from schooling to professional qualifications)
Achievements
In all the above subheads speak only that information which will give strength to your candidature. Avoid verbose description of yourself.
2. Why do you want to join us?
To answer this question, you need to research the company well. Here you can quote some of your personal beliefs, which are in conjunction with the values of the company or talk about specific products and services which could be of interest to you too.
In the event where your skill set is mapping with the requirement of the company, do not miss the chance to highlight the same. Specify the initiatives taken or work done to attain that skill set.
3. What would you like to do in five years' time ?
This question is asked to assess candidate’s career plan and ambition for growth and to see if the company will be able to provide that opportunity over period of time. Also to assess if your personal goals are not totally off tangent with what company’s objectives are. It is also to check your stability with the organization. It is good idea to be very realistic in your answer. If required guidance should be taken from your seniors who are already in the corporate environment.
4. Do you prefer working with others or alone?
This question is usually asked to determine whether you are a team player. Before answering, however, be sure about the eligibility requirement of job profile, that whether it requires team work or you to work alone. Then answer accordingly.
5. What are your biggest accomplishments?
You could begin your reply with: "Although I feel my biggest achievements are still ahead of me, I am proud of my sense of involvement. I would like to make my contribution as part of that team and learn a lot in the process".
It will be a good idea to close your answer with also specifying what attributes and circumstances made you succeed.
6. What are your favorite subjects?
It is a leading question giving direction to the panel members for possible areas where they can probe in further for your knowledge base and in-depth understanding. It is advisable to select the topics that you are competent in.
7. Why should we hire you?
Keep your answer short and precise. You should highlight areas from your background that relates to the need of the organization. Recap the organization’s description of the job, meeting it point by point with your skills.
8. What are your hobbies?
This question is generally asked to assess whether you are "desktop" kind of a person or an "interaction orientated person". It also indicates your preference for team-oriented activities or projects with solo contributions. It enables the organization to place you accordingly after selection. Be candid in answering the questions.
9. What is the worst feedback you have ever got?
To answer this question you must admit and share your areas of improvement. Also sharing an action plan for improving oneself will indicate your ability to take criticism well. Your answer should reflect your open-mindedness.
10. What is the most difficult situation you have faced?
Here you should be ready with your real life story. The question looks for information on two fronts: How do you define difficulty and how did you handle the situation? You should be able to clearly lay down the road map for solving the problem, your ability to perform task management and maintain good interaction with your team members and other peers. It is advisable to close by highlighting the lesson learnt out of the incident.
11.How do you measure talent?
[related questions How do you measure talent in an organization (or company or team)? or How do you grow/develop talent in an organization (or company or team)?]
"That's a very significant question. Its implications affect the future health of all organizations - probably now more than ever.."
"The reason why this is such a difficult question for modern organizations to address and resolve, is that while some organizations and leaders know how crucial 'talent' is for their survival and competitive effectiveness, you can't actually measure and grow anything until you can define exactly what it is, which is the real challenge. I believe that you can only begin to measure and develop anything when you can define exactly what it is. Talent is prime example. The concept of 'talent' alone is completely intangible. It means all sorts of different things to different people and organizations. Therefore the key to measuring and growing 'talent' is first to define exactly what 'talent' is - to understand and describe what it means, what it looks like, how it behaves and what it can achieve. And these definitions will be different depending on the organization. Talent in a bank will have a quite different meaning to talent in an advertising agency, or in a hospital. So that's the first answer to the question: First you need to define it and agree the definition, which is likely to be quite and involved and detailed task, because it's such a deep and serious concept..."
I hope these help with your interview in the future. Do not forget to email me if you have any questions.
xoxo
Queenie
