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The Security Guard Interview

By Timothy R. Longwell


The interviewer hopes that YOU are the right person for the job. They are under pressure to fill the position so that they can get back to their own work. Therefore you are in a greater position of strength than you think. Concentrate on what you have to offer in the way of qualifications and experience instead of feeling intimidated.

Question: Tell me about yourself? Answer: The interviewer is looking for you to talk about yourself and to reveal anything that s/he might not otherwise be able to ask. For example, do you have kids? Married? Hobbies? Interests? Single parent? Let's say the job involves shift work, the need to be at work at 7:00 every day or the flexibility to be on call? Candidates with children are perceived to have more problems getting to work on time, miss more work because of children illnesses, school functions, etc. Is this fair? No. Is this a reality for some hiring managers? Absolutely. So what to do. Talk specifically about previous work, your desire to work, etc. The only exception would be if you know for a fact you and the hiring manager have something in common that you can use to build interest with him/her and that you would be a great fit.

There is more information concerning interviews-how to conduct and how to survive them-on the internet than ever. The information, depending on how hard you look, can be very specific too! For instance say you are a small software development firm in silicone valley amongst giant sized competitor companies.

A better approach might be to tell the interviewer that you get along with everybody and that you do not have problems with difficult people. Assuming that that statement is true, expand on your ability to pull diverse groups of people together to complete a project

Question: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Answer: While the obvious answer would seem to be "this job", you might also talk about your desire to take the next step thereby giving the interviewer the thought that you are an achiever and willing to work hard. It always amazes me how many people that I have interviewed are stumped by this question or answer it saying a surfing job.

Some of the main influences on the interviewer are: Your experience in other employment or life situations Your personal presentation. How your personality comes across in the interview Your background and references Your enthusiasm for both the job and the organisation. Relevant qualifications for the position.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, an experienced interviewing has a reason for each and every question. While the question may seem innocent enough, how you answer it could decide whether you get the job or not. Always to remember to focus on the positive aspect of your past. Focusing on the negative will give the impression that you are a negative person and probably not the best fit for the position.




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