Is it possible to ask about the salary during the job interview?

Well, discussions about the salary would much better be left to the end, after the offer of employment is made. Early discussions are often considered as a device used by employers to examine the applicants’ tendencies toward the subject. So, release the subject of your mind during the interview even if the employer itself addressed it during that particular moment. Besides, your research into the company should have provided you with some sense of the typical salary range for the position, but you should negotiate later if you think that your position deserves more than the actual range.

What should I do if I have been asked questions I couldn’t find the answers?

Well, it is OK if you face such a traumatic situation…You should not panic and
should not let such a thing destroy your personality or even upset you as well… you should always remember that, any employer will try to create a drama during the interview to examine your strength and to know how you will deal with the situation under pressure and stressfulness. Hence, you should always be strong and never let anything destroy your strength. Moreover, there is actually nothing wrong in saying stuff like “well, it seems to be a very critical question which I have never expected, but, let me think about it for few seconds”!! So, just be honest with yourself and with your employer. But you should always try to get the answer and do not come up with nonsense response. As I mentioned earlier, you should not panic, and always remember that, your employer will actually create questions based on your experiences. The employer wants to ensure itself whether you really deserve the position or no. so, it is your job to release such doubts from the employer’s mind through the way you response. REMEMBER the employer’s interest based on how you approach the situation. Therefore, you should never panic and feel depressed but rather, you should approach any situation positively no matter how difficult it might be. Your confidence is one of the most important manners that should be considered. So, be confident with your talents, and never get nervous, upset or even sad whenever you deal with desperate situations…

What should I do if I couldn’t attend the interview on that particular day?

Well, you are supposed to attend the interview on that particular day since the employers usually have limited time for interviewing. However, you should always inform your employer as fast as possible if an urgent matter has happened. You know, we all are exposed to different situations that might happen all of a sudden and we should always excuse ourselves. The same thing goes to the employers; they will definitely understand the applicants’ extreme circumstances even though, the employers usually present to be such powerful and strict personalities who never get emotionally attached with other people’s urgent matters such as, illness or death… AGAIN, you should always inform your employer as fast as possible if you cannot step into its office for the interview.

What kind of questions should I ask during the interview?

Well, this is a great opportunity for you to sell your qualifications and talents through the way you ask questions to the employer… it is totally easy and does not require too much effort. What do you need to do is tailor your research on organization, the employer, the department and the position you plan to work in. you should collect as many information as possible to be ready for some inquiries as the employer will be pleased with the intelligent questions you pursue during the interview. You should never ask questions where the answers can easily be found on the web site. You should be more critic and try to present an intelligent and logic questions. For instance, if you tend to work in a new department; ask stuff like “what the reasons for establishing the department and what the plans for growth are? How would you describe the responsibilities of the position? Will the job involve much traveling? Can you describe your ideal employee? What systems does the department approach? Could you explain the department’s structure to me? You can also ask questions related to your own performance; how many people usually work in a team? How will my performance be measured? Will be expected to work late nights or at the weekend? What kind of work will I be responsible for? Having reviewed my CV and interviewed me, what qualities do you see in me? Are there any areas you feel I would need to work on in order to become one of the best members in the department? What challenges might I face in this position? Will my roles be limited to what has been outlined in my job description or will I be expected to take on other tasks if needed? When can I expect to hear from you? Such questions will definitely help you as you are most welcome to create other types of questions too...

What are the most common questions that you should be asked by the employer during the interview?

Well, there are actually a number of questions that you should know before stepping in the interview. They might not be addressed using the exact words but the format of addressing the questions will usually be the same, and the answers depend on the applicants’ experiences as well as having done a sufficient research (as I have shown you the way of doing a research in the one of the articles). Moreover, part of the questions will be based on your experiences, and the challenges you make in answering any critical questions such as; describe a situation when working with a team produced more successful results than working individually? Or, describe a situation when you have learnt from your mistakes? Or, describe some challenges you have faced in X situation? Or, what will you do if you have faced X situation? Or describe a particular situation when you have worked under pressure? Such sort of challenging questions will be asked during the interview, and you should be extra careful in answering those critical questions. You should never present any negative examples concerning your performance. But rather, show that you have been successful and learnt from your mistakes.

Regarding to the other part of the questions that should be asked by the employer are usually based on the research that you have done on the organization, reasons behind choosing this particular position, your dreams, and other general stuff such as; tell me about yourself? (You should only tell the employer about your working or studying experiences with relation to your position), or how well do you know yourself, your strength? (Again, the answer should be quite related to your current position) or where you see yourself in 5 years? (You should not be specific in answering this question as the employer does not want to know your time frame goals. For instance, do not say stuff like “well, within 5 years I want to be the vice president of this organization! But rather say, “Hmmm, clever question but you know, no one hates developments, and to be honest with you, I wish part of my dreams will be accomplished within 5 years of time!”) Or why do you think we should hire you? (You should not say stuff like “well, you should hire me because I think I’m the best applicant for this position and I’ll help the company to grow up in a whiz of time!” do not be specific, you should always give the employer a general view of your ability. Such questions you will usually be asked during the interview and please provide examples when the questions require details or descriptions of particular situations besides do not talk too much if the question does not need extra elaborations.

Last but not least, the employer will ask question like; do you have anything to ask? (You should never say stuff like, “oh thanks sir X I have no question to ask as everything is so clear to me”) you should never say the word NO in answering any question; release the “NO” from your vocabulary on that particular day! As it will give a wrong impression that you haven’t done your research. You should always ask and come prepared with at least 3 questions. For sure you will have some inquiries on the position, the company, and the department (as I’ll show you a list of question you should ask in one of the coming articles). REMEMBER never ever ask any obvious question where the answer can easily be found on the web site, and should never ask about the salary in the interview. The salary should always be addressed at the end when you have gotten the job. As I will show you how to negotiate your preferable budget in one of the articles...

Do you think having sufficient information on anything related to the position help the applicants to pass the interview?

I will definitely say YES, a research is considered to be an important part of your homework if you really want to get the job!!! Do you know the majority of the questions that should be asked during the interview are based on the research! Do you know that 90% of your interview is based on the research and the other 10% goes to your confidence in answering the questions spontaneously and intelligently!! So, what are you waiting for? Go a head, do your research and be ready for the interview… Learn as much as possible about the company, position, the employer, and you can even read any article related to the company in a magazine or a newspaper or any other journals. Collecting such information will help you to ask questions in the interview which well definitely impress your employer (As I’ll show you in another article the type of questions that you should ask as well as the common questions that are usually asked by the employer). Therefore, tailor your research, analyze the position you are interviewing for and come prepared. REMEMBER that, employers are usually interested in applicants whom are prepared…

How to find the location of the company?

Well, it is not that difficult. You can always get the location via the website, and you should always be provided with either written instruction or a map within your invitation letter for the interview. But if your invitation letter excludes the instruction, you should telephone your employer as he or she might have forgotten to include the instruction within your invitation letter that always be sent to you within two weeks before the date of the interview. Besides, you should never be too early or too late for the interview. Do not enter the building If you arrived too early, go and take a rest in any nearer restaurant, relax your mind while taking some refreshment, and go back to the building within fifteen minutes before the time. Try yourself to never be late and make sure to apologize for your lateness although punctuation is taken into consideration.

How to avoid nervousness during the interview?

Well, being nervous will not usually help you reach your purpose successfully, therefore you should always try your best to overcome such negative manners…you do not have to look at the interview as something scary!! There is nothing to be scared of…

Personally, I have heard about lots of people who really get nervous, unable to sleep the night before the interview, having a terrible stomachache, and experience other stuff that would definitely turn up their day into a nightmare!! Actually, I myself used to get scared from even hearing the concept itself and I even thought of ways to get rid of interviews!! However, things got the other way around; I began to do an online search since a few days ago and amazing things just happened!!

Yeah, I found that, having an interview is considered to be a wonderful step that should ever be remembered… you just need to prepare yourself completely (I’ll tell you how to prepare yourself in one of the next articles) and relax your mind on the day before your interview.

Well, I have an idea; why don’t you try to visualize the day of the interview!! Hmmm, sounds curious!! Well, you CAN make it if you really WANT... do you know that, most of the champions visualize their dreams!!! Well, you can program your mind to visualize the POSITIVE result, and it will happen in reality!!! Yeah things will be on your side if you act and program your mind positively. For example, on the day before the interview, try yourself to stay away from a crowd area, relax your mind, close your eyes and fly into the day of the interview; imagine that you have arrived to the building, been welcomed by your employer with a sweet smile shower your face while shaking the hands, saying stuff like “how are you sir X” then imagine the questions been asked (I’ll elaborate more on the questions in another article) and you have answered confidently, and then imagine been impressed by the employer through the usage of facial expressions or saying stuff like “you will hear the good news soon”

Well, you might say that I’m just a full of imagination and no such thing of sweetness might ever happen. However, I swear that visualizing your mind positively is one of the most successful steps ever happened and the majority of the successful people around the world use this step. In fact, I myself use this step in approaching different positions too... so, why don’t you try it yourself!! You got nothing to lose if you try it…

It is all about the matter of trying if you train your mind and keep trying and trying and trying until you reach your point. Yeah, trying to be self confident is the solution to avoid nervousness. So, are you ready to do that?

Ok, why don’t you treat your interview as if it is your first date!! Well, I know it sounds a bit weird, but attending an interview is like dating your lover for the first time. You don’t know much about your lover, but you tend to build a relationship that leads to marriage and a happy life ever after. The same thing goes with your interview; you don’t know much about your position and the employer, but you tend to build a successful job through working with your employer. Therefore, you should be confident, dress properly, speak intelligently and just be yourself to get the attention of your employer or your lover J…

So, what are you waiting for? Go a head, train yourself, and keep on practicing in front of a mirror, or in front of a family member or through using a video camera. REMEMBER, keeping on practice is the best solution to reach your success…so, do not GIVE UP PRACTICING…

How to organize your resume?

Organizing your resume is the most important task in your job, because the employer will devote a few seconds to read it. Hence, you should follow this formula to get rid of confusions and complexities:

Contact information: you should start with your contact information (name, address, and phone number). You can place your name either in the beginning of the resume or below your signature, while the rest of your information can be either placed in the left or the right side in the beginning. BUT, it should be addressed below your name if you have chosen to place your name in the beginning of the resume!

Education: you should mention the names of schools you have attended, its location, your living (in-campus or out-campus), your course titles if it is required and you should mention anything else related to your education and relevant to your position.

Experiences: you should mention the experiences and the skills you have acquired. You should describe the skill or the experience you possessed provided with the location, the title position and other relate stuff.


Awards and and honors: you should mention the titles and the purpose for being awarded.

Interests: consider the importance of your interests and its relevance to the company.

Skills: your skills are part of your credibility. So, specify your relevant skills and your professional level.

Fonts: you should select a reasonable size. The most acceptable size usually goes to size 12 and should use Arial or Veranda instead of Times New Roman.

Papers: should not use colored papers such as blue, gray, or green and should not use glossy papers.

Content: use action words to portray yourself as someone who is active and gets things done and minimize the usage of the articles (a, an, the) and never use first person pronoun I.

Journalistic questions: you should always use journalistic questions (who, when, why, how, and what) to develop your contents. For instance, use (when) to indicate where you did get a particular experience or skill. Journalistic questions are really important; it helps you to identify your information and to prevent confusions as well.

Headings and subheadings: you should use it to help the employer skim over your document to find the desired information quickly; since the employer will devote a few seconds over your materials. Therefore, you should provide the employer with headings and subheadings.

Proofreading: you should proofread your resume countless of times to get rid of grammatical weaknesses, unusual punctuations and to catch up any hidden mistakes. You should pick up a trusted friend, or your professors, or even a member of your family. You should get more than one person to review your resume and seriously consider their advice.

Is there any difference between a cover letter and a resume?

A cover letter considers being an essential part for the job application process. It helps the job seeker for winning the position. Some of you might think that, a cover letter is not as important to the job seeker as a resume which is definitely wrong. Both of them contribute an equal position to the job seeker as well as to the employer. In a cover letter, the job seeker summarizes his or her points within one page, while in a resume; the job seeker produces two other pages to illustrate the points in details (As I’ll show you the easiest method of making your resume in one of my coming articles). These materials reflect upon the job seeker’s personality and help the employer to make the hiring decision.

Surely you have asked yourself thousands of times on how to catch your employer’s attention right!!! So have you got the secret of winning??? Have you succeed in winning the competition and been chosen among thousands of other job seekers??? Or you have given up trying???

Well, I congratulate you if you succeed … but if you did not make it, I’ll surely help you to make it greatly!!!

How should you write a cover letter?

There is a formula that can be followed as a guide to write your cover letter. Your cover letter should be unique and easy to be read within a FEW SECONDS… The employer usually takes a few seconds to read your cover letter. Within a few seconds of time, the employer will make the decision. Therefore, you should compress your points into four paragraphs in max and each paragraph should not have more than two or three sentences.

What should you include in your first paragraph of the cover letter?

Your first paragraph should grab your employer’s attention and interest. The best information to place into your opening paragraph is the name of the employer and its position. You can usually find the employer’s contact information through the company’s website, and easily click on (about us) to get the information you need. However, if you still could not get sufficient information, you may send a letter termed as “Letter of Inquiry” to help you get the information. Making a personal connection with your employer will guarantee that your letter will be taken into consideration because, it shows you have considered your employer and want him or her to get your points clearly.

What should you include in your second paragraph of the cover letter?

Your second paragraph should provide details about your qualifications. You are supposed to compress your experiences within a sentence or two in max. You are not required to list a bunch of skills without considering its relation to your position in the company. You should always ask yourself this question (what good will my qualifications and skills do for the reader and the company?). REMEMBER, your qualifications should convince the employer that you really deserve the position.

What should you include in your third paragraph of the cover letter?

Your third paragraph should let you expand your interest in the company. You should devote a sentence or two for showing your gratitude and some knowledge about the company. You should let the reader sense your effort and that you have done a great job in searching about the company. You can simply get the information through clicking on the company’s website. Such attitude will most probably help you.

What should you include in your final paragraph of the cover letter?

Your fourth paragraph should be the ending of your cover letter. Your last sentences should ask for the job interview. Do not hesitate to ask for the interview. It shows your confidence and your capabilities. You have to let the reader sense your credibility and try to control the situation by saying that you will be in touch at a particular time to get done with the interview

How to individualize your cover letter?

Your paragraphs must be colored with a perfect language that is error-free, simple and direct. Should not use jargon language if your reader does not come from the same major background. You should use everyday language and remember that, your paper should be read in less than a minute; any complexities in reading your letter will never help you. Therefore, your letter should be simple, full of knowledge, and it should reflect who you are; do not try to make yourself sound like someone else. You should also use present tense because your letter is a reflection of your CURRENT position.

Where should you type the contact information of the cover letter?

Before sending the information, you should make sure that you have typed your name, address, and your phone number. Your name should be placed either above your address or below your signature but do not type it in both places, while your address should be typed in the beginning of the letter and you can choose either sides of the page. Do not forget to place the date within two lines below your contact information and, type your reader’s contact information within two or three lines below your address if you are using the left side.

how to create a unique cover letter?

Your cover letter should be typed. You are supposed to use your handwriting to sign at the end of your cover letter. You should always prove to your reader that you are such a great personality who knows how to deal with the tools of marketing materials. Do not use colored and glossy paper that is blue, green or gray. If you want to post your letter, it should be sized 8.5x11 and insert into 10x13. Last but not least, you should not negotiate with your reader about your salary, and you should not provide the salary history in your cover letter, this point is usually addressed later in the interview.