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You can’t imagine the number of times that I’ve heard stories of candidates getting so taken in by the Interviewing Game that they’d do anything to get the job. That’s how you know you’ve lost the game (and probably the job, too).

The stories that candidates tell me would break your heart. The only reason they don’t break my heart is that I’m a recruiter and apparently don’t have one.

The people that you’re interviewing with are playing a game. I call it The Interviewing Game. Original, no?

I know that you’re trying to get a job and it is a very serious matter, but unless you know how to play this game, you’re going to do damage to your career that will last a lifetime. So, in order to be serious about your career, you’ve got to play the game.

In any case, today I’m going to talk a little bit about The Interviewing Game, what it looks like, and some tips on how not to lose.

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Today, I’m going to start telling you about something that your parents or your first boss should have told you, but probably didn’t.

It’s something that will help you have (a little) less stress about your job and start to understand what is going on around you.

That being said, you’re still not going to like it.

Did you know that just about every company that you work for or interview with is playing “The Career Game”?

It’s a game that everyone involved play for fun and profit. Unless you don’t play the game. Then it is most definitely not fun and very unprofitable.

And, while you can have a good time with “The Career Game”, the downside is that everyone is betting with your career.

Not only are you playing right now (whether you know it or not), but you’d better play the game right or you’ll lose.

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Fake Interviews are insidious little things.

As a job seeker, they raise your hopes and waste your time. All that time setting up time off from work, getting your “interview suit” cleaned and ready, fighting traffic to the most difficult-to-get-to location in town, and waiting in the lobby a half hour after the interview time. Wasted.

Because they were never really considering you as a candidate. Perhaps they already knew someone they wanted for the position. Or, perhaps, they were just checking off government boxes so they could hire cheap foreign labor.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain what a Fake Interview is and maybe offer some ways to avoid them.

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Do you know what your brand is?

Every employee and candidate has one, though many have no idea how to express it. And, as a result, they lose out on jobs, promotions, and career advancement.

I was reminded of this when I read a story about Smith & Wessen over on Ask Uncle Bill.

Smith & Wessen, as the story goes, only made handguns for the longest time. Everybody thought that made other things (rifles, shotguns, etc.), but they were strictly a handgun company.

That is, until a smart guy got hired there and found out what potential customers thought when they thought of Smith & Wessen. He then went into the shotgun business. And the rifle business. And other places people already thought of them.

You should do the same for your career. Read on to see how.

Experience.com provides information on internships and entry level jobs.

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There are two places that you get asked the question, “What is your biggest weakness?”

The first is when you’re in an interview trying to improve your career. The second is after that interview when you wonder what you should have said.

Today, we’re going to make sure that your main weakness isn’t preparation. And if you fail to prepare for this question in an interview for 7 days, does that make it a “weekness”?

Sorry - couldn’t resist.

So, do you know what your biggest weakness is? And would you admit to it in an interview?

Let’s talk about what you ought and ought not say to this question…

Find out more about Hispanic Recruiting at LatPro.com.

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Liz Handlin (she of Ultimate Resumes fame) posted an article about Interviewing for your First Post-College Job and dispensed a lot of good advice to fresh graduates.

As I was reading it, I found myself nodding my head and saying, “Yes! Wait - No! What’s this lady talking about with “graduates”!? This is stuff that every interviewee should do and almost none of them do!”

In fact, the most common reasons that candidates tank an interview badly is because they’re not doing things like Liz suggests.

My thought has always been, “Well, they must be trying to tank the interview if they’re going to do all that stuff…”

So, in an effort to be helpful, today I’m going to talk about exactly what you can be doing to tank your interview. No more guessing for you! You can do it right!

So, without further ado, here is How To Tank an Interview in 17 Easy Steps.

Checkout Austin jobs at itzbig.com.

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Have you ever come out of an interview with the impression - nothing really to back it up, just an impression - that you didn’t like the person you were interviewing with? Or that you probably wouldn’t get along with him?

Well, guess what? They get the same sort of impression that they can’t explain, but most people trust. It’s the sort of thing that leads people to say, “I don’t know what it is about him, but…”

The answer is that it is body language. As noted in an article about body language in BusinessWeek, it can be very important to how people perceive you.

In my recruiting life, I frequently end up on the other end of the phone when an employer says, “He seemed overly nervous” or “She seemed immature” or “We just weren’t comfortable with him”. Some employers have a reason, but most of them can’t really explain it. But almost all of them go with their gut reaction.

So, today, here’s a little primer on how to have positive body language.

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As I read Jason Alba’s JibberJobber Blog yesterday, it reminded me of all of the horrendous advice I’ve ever received on building rapport in an interview.

Of course, everyone tells you to build rapport so that the HR person / Hiring Manager likes you.

And the standard advice is to look around the person’s office, see what they’re interested in, and start talking about it and your experiences with whatever that interest is.

I didn’t know this until later in life, but - for anyone who has been in that type of position for more than 2 weeks - that type of effort is completely transparent and makes it feel like you’re being sold.

So today, I’m going to talk about How To Build Rapport in an Interview Without Sounding Stupid!

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When you’re interviewing at a company for your new position, what do you find out about the people that you’ll be working with?

Usually, the answer is nothing. Most interview processes really don’t include the co-workers (in part because everyone is rather nervous about what they’d say).

However, as cited by Business Pundit, there is a new study out showing one employee can cause problems for all the rest.

While the report is targeted more at employers, you should be aware that one of those “Bad Apples” could make your life miserable.

How? Read on…
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