Tricks to answering all interview questions

They say well begun is half done. Preparing for a job interview with a carefully thought out personal career presentation allows you to do just that.

Usually, interviews begin with small talk. This helps to put the candidate at ease and establish a certain level of rapport.

At some point, the interviewer shifts gears from small talk to the actual interview. This is often done by asking the seemingly innocuous question "Tell me something about yourself." Or, "Tell me about your work."

At this point, many candidates make a crucial mistake. They start from their schooling or college days, ramble on about their education, and briefly summarize the various jobs they have held. Or they may launch into details about their current / last job and go through various responsibilities and tasks.

By taking this approach, they are missing out on an outstanding opportunity.

An alternative approach is to smile and deliver your 'secret weapon' - an impactful, one minute personal career presentation. This can truly set you apart from the competition.

A personal career presentation is a short, power-packed description of you and your career.

Your personal career presentation sets the tone for the entire interview. It is important because it is the best chance for you to favorably impress your interviewers.

Here are the guidelines for creating your short talk when preparing for a job interview.  

* A personal career presentation is a short verbal summary of your career background, skills and interests. It is a powerful, enthusiastic presentation about you, made by you.
* Your presentation should not exceed one minute or at the maximum, one and a half minutes. Anything longer will quickly lose the interviewer's attention. So don't attempt to tell them everything about yourself in this presentation.
* Think of it as the trailer of a movie - it is meant to portray you attractively by highlighting the best parts, thus making the interviewer want to know more.
* Start with a statement of who you are - your profession or specialty, the work you do.
* Mention some of the organizations you have worked for or have been your clients.
* Pick out a specific accomplishment in your career that you would like to highlight. Also talk about skills and abilities that you are proud of.
* In professions that require extensive preparation (e.g., the medical profession), mention your educational background and qualifications.
* Give the interviewer a sense of your career progression and how this position / assignment will fit in.
* End with a question that can lead to further discussion on any of the aspects you have mentioned in your presentation.
* Your background research should have given you a good idea of what the particular employer you are going to meet is looking for. Armed with this knowledge, you can tailor your presentation to meet their specific needs.
* Remember, this is not a repetition of what is written on your resume.

Go ahead and write down your brief talk. It would be a great idea to practice the talk on a friend when preparing for a job interview.

My name is Melissa Summers and I have achieved a fair amount of acclaim as someone people go to when they need help preparing for a job interview. I have conducted training sessions for groups of people who were looking for a successful interviewing experience to land the job of their dreams. I am passionate about helping people launch themselves on careers they love.

Many people have asked me to for ideas on preparing for a job interview so I've written this article. It outlines something you must do before you meet any prospective employers.