How to ace a job interview

[♪music♪] [howdini - get yourself a guru] Hi there. I'm Denise Richardson and this is howdini.com. If you want to learn how to ace a job interview, stay tuned. We're about to talk about it with Maggie Mistal, who's a life purpose and career coach who can be heard regularly on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius. Thank you so much for being with us. [Mistal] Thanks, Denise. [Richardson] You show up, you're dressed properly, you walk in to meet the interviewer. What's the first thing you do when you walk in? [Mistal] I love to smile, and obviously, I think you could tell by that, but I like to make the interviewer just as at-ease as I'm trying to be, because really, this interview is a conversation that you're going to have with this other person who is a human being, and it can be a real ice-breaker if you can just be relaxed, and at least give yourself a break and say, "Hi, how are you?" And even try to talk about the weather or some type of other ice-breaker that kind of gives everybody a chance to take a deep breath because this is an evaluative conversation, and it can be nerve-wracking for both parties. [Richardson] So the interviewer says to that prospective employee, "Why do you want to leave your job?" [Mistal] Yes, that's always a great question, isn't it? And you have to be prepared for those key questions, especially, "Why are you moving on?" Now, if you're moving on because you can't stand your boss, right? Which happens a lot and we've all been there--you don't want to say that. What you do want to say is that "I really need to be in a place where I can be managed and developed and where I can get guidance or mentoring." You really focus on the things that you're looking to get as opposed to all the reasons why you don't have it now. [Richardson] You know, there's some people who will walk into that interview and they walk in a little defensively, because they really need a job, and they hear the words, "You're overqualified," and they're willing to take a job and do their best at it. How do you handle, "You're overqualified"? [Mistal] You can say things like, "Well, I've really thought about that, and if I were in your shoes, I'd be asking the same question, and when I think about it, I can tell you for a fact I'm looking to downshift and I know this industry well, and I don't need to be in charge. I've been the person on the totem pole before, and I can do that again, and I'm really looking for a place where I can contribute but where I don't have to be the one who's running the show." And really address those concerns which are behind the "overqualified" comment. [Richardson] And they may say the opposite: "You just don't have enough experience for us." [Mistal] For folks just starting out in maybe a new career or college students who've just graduated, or even folks out of high school who are new to the work world, that's a common problem. So again, I go back to: internships are great--any way that you can get some experience on your resume to demonstrate, "Hey, yeah, I may not be ten years in this field, but I can tell you that in this experience that I had this summer, I didn't know anything going in, and here's how successful I was." You want to show situations where yeah, you went in without a lot of experience, but you were still able to succeed, and this is where references can be so helpful as well, even if you don't have a lot of experience. Anybody can be a great reference for you--even a teacher or a professor or even someone who you've volunteered for that can attest to your ability to learn quickly and perform well can be a great asset. [Richardson] "We really like you. How much money are you looking for?" It's such a trick question! [Mistal] Oh, it is. And for that question, you definitely want to do your homework. This is one of the best uses for the internet. salary.com, indeed.com, monster.com, hotjobs.com--a lot of them have salary calculators associated with them now, so you can look up the job title in your geographic area and get the range of salaries for that position and find where you would fit based on your level of experience. [Richardson] Briefly, if the interviewer hasn't brought up the word "salary," should you? [Mistal] Not right away. In the initial conversation, you want to get to know whether or not this job even is a good fit and I always tell people, "Become the superstar to this person first." And then, you're in a much better place to negotiate salary, and they may even pay more for you because theyr'e like, "Wow. We can't let Denise go, she's such a fabulous candidate. We were only going to pay this much, but now that we found Denise, we're willing to do more." [Richardson] Healthcare, flextime, vacation time-- these are issues you should bring up during a first interview? Or do you wait for, "Come back and meet Mr. Smith"? [Mistal] Right, wait for the "come back" because, again, first interviews should be about, "Is this a company I can picture myself in?" and vice versa for the interviewer. And if this is a place you can see yourself in, really be your best self and really let them know why you'd be a fantastic fit. [Richardson] Well, we're certainly happy to have you with us. Thank you so much, Maggie Mistal. [Mistal] You're welcome. [howdini.com] [♪music♪]