8 Strategies to Beat the Job Interview Jitters

Hint: This isn't one of the strategies.

Job interviews aren't much fun. Quite frankly – they're stressful. You're under the microscope and there's a lot of pressure to make the best possible impression in a short period of time.

The good news? There are strategies in approaching the interview process that you can undertake to reduce the stress and improve your chances.

1. Dress nicely for the interview. Wear a suit. End of discussion.

2. Remember - It's just a conversation. Sure, the people you are meeting with are judging you, and they're likely going to throw some curve balls your way, but in the end, an interview is just as much about demonstrating you can work together as much as the technical skills you bring. So do your best to remember that you're just having a conversation with the person seated across from you. You're both trying to find common ground. And often, the interviewer is looking for reasons to hire you – being easy to get along with helps.

3. Do your research. The more you know, the more you'll be prepared to talk about. Learn about what's going on at the company and about the products they deliver by looking at the company's web page and by searching on Google News. Be prepared for the question you'll likely get, "What do you know about the company?" Likewise, if you have an agenda ahead of time telling you about your interviewers, check out your interrogators' LinkedIn profiles – you should be able to come up with some great discussion material (example: "I see you left General Motors to come work here. There must have been something interesting about this company, what drove your decision?").

4. It's okay to bring a few notes. Most interviewers won't mind if you have a page of notes and research to job your memory during the interview, so long as it's not a crutch. Detail short, easy-to-read, bulleted discussion points so that you can glance quickly at your notes without having to study them. Notes can often project the positive impression that you have prepared.

5. Prepare your war stories. Behavioral interviews are prevalent - interviewers will ask you questions about your past actions to determine how you'd behave in the future. The examples you present can be your opportunity to shine - choose examples that show your ability to identify and overcome adversity, to collaborate, and to come up with creative solutions to work problems. Have 5 or 6 go-to stories about your work successes that you can tell, and which will show you as a strong potential hire.

6. Have your questions ready. At the end of the conversation, your interviewer will either run out of questions for you, or ask if you have any of your own. Never, ever, ever be caught without insightful questions to ask. They don't have to be earth-shatteringly profound, but they should demonstrate that you're engaged and have been paying attention. Some good standbys: "What does success in this role look like?"; "What does the average day in this position consist of?"; and "Why is this position open?" Find some other effective questions here.

7. Put off the salary discussion, if at all possible. In fact, don't bring it up - at all. Let the interviewer bring it up, and if they do, handle it delicately. Focus on your interest in the job, and indicate that your concern regarding compensation is secondary.

8. Send your "Thank You" notes. If you met with somebody during your interview day, send them a brief note (email is fine) thanking them for their time and consideration. I've seen a well-placed "Thank You" note push a candidate over the top. And don't send notes to some people and not others - everybody has a say in whether you get hired, from the receptionist through the CEO; don't let anybody feel snubbed and then feel like finding a reason to sabotage your chances.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

What Does It Mean When a Company Says I'm "Not a Cultural Fit?"

This should fit, right?

This has happened to many of us: You've interviewed for a job. You know you can do the job - well. Damn well, as a matter of fact. You know the duties of the job inside and out.

Then the recruiter calls you to tell you didn't get the job.  The reason? You're "not a fit for the job."

What does that mean?

It means that something you said or did gave the interviewers pause. True, your technical background and work history contain everything they asked for.

But there's more to being a fit for a job than just having the right skill set. It's often a matter of whether the company feels you're going to fit their idea of the kind of person who can not only get along, but thrive, in their environment.

"Applicants can come to the table with a record of past successes but the company culture needs to be compatible with what the candidate values as the way they are comfortable getting things done in an organization," says an SVP of HR I spoke with on the topic.

Translation? It's just as often not about what you get done, but how you get it done.

Imagine you are selecting a new employee to join your highly productive team. Let's compare the profiles of two potential employees:

Employee 1: Meets most of his/her productivity goals. Is described by his/her peers in references as, "a team player, a pleasure to work with. Understands what it means to work well with others."

Employee 2: Exceeds all of his/her productivity goals - in fact, was a top producer for their company last year. In reference checks, is described as, "a real Machiavelli type. Will step on anybody to get what they need. Two team members cited this employee in their exit interviews as a major reason they left the company."

Who would you choose as the newest member of your team?

Granted, Employee 2 could make a tremendous financial impact for your team this year. But is he/she worth the amount of time it would take to referee disputes on the team, or replacing the people who leave because of this single hire?

Cultural fit comes in many different forms, this is but one example. Employers can evaluate people for cultural fit based on their energy level, teamwork abilities, work ethic or a variety of other factors.

A more realistic example might be one of the work environment itself. A certain employee might fit better into a slower-paced, more established company, while others may have the skill set to adapt on an ongoing basis to faster-paced, constantly changing environment.

"I evaluate fit by understanding when a candidate has been happy and most engaged in a past job/company and when a candidate has been most frustrated or felt least successful," says the SVP. "Identifying the environment of both scenarios will help both parties realize best culture fit."

It's also incumbent upon job seekers to find the best fit for themselves. Not every company is a fit for their own personality and values. The SVP quoted here recommends that job seekers askinterviewers how they would describe the culture in their organization.  The more people the ask, the more they will find the commonalities that define the culture within that organization.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Four Steps to Restart the Interview Process When an Employer Has You On Ice

Should have worn those thermal briefs!

You interviewed with an employer for a job about a week ago.

You felt it went well. Really well.  But you haven't heard anything.

And you're getting frustrated.

What do you do?

Tread gently. This is some delicate territory, and how you handle this will demonstrate to the company your ability to negotiate a challenging situation. I would recommend the following.

Step One: Send an email to the hiring manager to thank them again for their time on the date of the interview, and reiterate your interest in the position, and that you look forward to hearing great news about the opportunity to work with them. Thank them for their time and consideration.

Step Two: Reach out to the Corporate Recruiter in a polite email reiterating the same as you have to the manager.  Ask for any feedback they can provide in terms of when they believe a decision will be made, and if you can provide anything else which may help them in their hiring decision. Thank them for their time and consideration.

Step Three: Wait. Be patient. I know, this is difficult, but if you reach out too often, people will think of you less as a potential candidate, and more as a stalker (think: John Cusack in "Say Anything").

Step Four: If either individual replies, listen to the message. If the answer is that they are continuing to interview, you may or may not still be under consideration (the other interviews may have been scheduled at the same time as yours). Anything they ask of you, do quickly. i.e., Need references? Done.

If they tell you they have decided to proceed with another candidate, thank them for their time and reiterate what a great experience you had interviewing with the company, and that you hope you may be considered for a future opening.

Try to remember, companies can - and do - often go back to other candidates, especially if their dream candidate falls through. Never burn that bridge. Sometimes things just move at a glacial pace.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.