Ready for your next Interview?

Whether you're a leader or striving to be one, interviewing is a skill you'll need to master.

We've all been there, probably on both sides of the interviewing process. Surprisingly, however, not all of us prepare the same, and some are not even sure how to prepare for an interview.

Maybe you're new to the country and applying for your first professional job, or maybe you're trying to be as prepared as possible. Not sure what to expect? Not sure how to answer the tough questions, or what those tough questions may be?

Maybe you're struggling to hire the perfect employee, consultant, or subcontractor, but you don't have the luxury of time, resources to help you, or even the ability to conduct a face-to-face interview. What questions should you ask? which areas should you focus on?

In the past few years I collected a few resources for interviewing tips, questions and answers..
This maybe a short (but very good) list that I've used personally. I welcome anyone else's additions. If you know of other good sites or links, feel free to add to this list so everyone would benefit.

• 64 Interview answers you need to know
• WSJ Career Journal's How to Answer Any Interview Question
• Interviewers' favorite Questions (and Answers)
  
• Collection of excellent Job Interview articles - covering multiple situations
• Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing (old, and new version) good read for managers
  

Common-Sense Tips for Leaders

So, what does it take to be a leader? We talk a lot about that on this blog, and today I saw (and liked) this simple list of 101 common-sense tips for managers (and really can apply to just about anyone in leadership position).

They broke the list down into different categorizes, and gave reasons behind most tips.

Here are 10 tips I liked from the list of 101 tips, which I encourage you to go read:

1. Only promise what you can realistically deliver. Don't create deadlines that you know you can't meet. By only promising what you know you can do, you'll be able to finish on time.
2. Delegate tasks. Spread work among your employees in a way that doesn't leave anyone overburdened while also allowing the project work smoothly.
3. Give credit when it's due. Don't take credit for your employees' ideas or hog their limelight. This action not only fosters resentment but also makes you seem untrustworthy.
4. Do only what is necessary. There are times when going above and beyond works, but doing so on a daily basis can derail your progress on more important issues. Get the key things done first, then see if you have time for additional things.
5. Do your least favorite tasks first. Get your most tedious and least desirable tasks out of the way earlier in the day. After that, everything else will be a breeze.
6. Remember that the customer is the boss. At the end of the day, your job is to make the customer happy. Act accordingly.
7. Don't be afraid to say you don't know. It's OK not to know the answer to every question. It's better to say you don't know and get back to a customer than to try to bluff your way through a conversation and have to backtrack later.
8. Keep an eye on the competition. Don't let the competition get the best of you. Keep up-to-date with what they're doing and use it to your advantage in managing your business.
9. Be empathetic to personal problems. Whether it should or not, what happens outside of work can have a big affect on the quality of work produced. Be sensitive if employees have personal issues that keep them from concentrating on work.
10. Remember that ethics matter above all. Be honest and reliable in all of your business and personal relationships.