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The Clinical Interview Using DSM-IV-TR Volume 1-2 : Fundamentals / The Difficult Patient

You should keep in mind that a judgment will be made immediately by your outward appearance. A clean, neat, and professional appearance is a must. Never dress casually. If you are dressed your best, your demeanor will follow suit.
Also, the more applicants there are, the more competition you will have. Below are some tips that will help you ace any interview.
Do your homework.
The interviewer, it may appear has the upper hand, but you should approach each question as an opportunity. First and foremost you must know something about the company. The information you obtain can be crucial to your success and can determine if you will remain in the running for the position.
Check out the company’s website. The most pertinent and useful facts will be found on the company’s website. You should know the name of the CEO and their basic infrastructure.
What other facts are important? Well, you should know what products and/or services they offer. Find out where the company headquarters are located. Learn the locations of independent branches and who operates them. This information gives you leveraging power and it is wise to use it to your advantage. Once the interviewer learns that you have researched their company, they know that you have invested your time and that should serve you both well if you are hired.
Your research will help to answer the “Why do you want to work here” question that every applicant dreads. The information that you have learned about the company can be used to link their needs of their company and your skills together.
This is one of the most effective ways you can let the interviewer know you have done your homework.
Offer Compliments
At the right time during the interview offer compliments for the company’s accomplishments. Be careful and don’t overdo it. Subtle compliments at key points in the interviewing process can set you apart from your fellow interviewees.
Use Your Wits
While you want your interviewer to know that you are genuinely interested in the position, you don’t want to reveal everything about yourself. After all, the goal is to make the interviewer curious enough to want to give you a closer look and not scare him/her off.
Never tell the interviewer that you are looking to change jobs to increase your salary. Such revelations only give the impression that you are fickle and are always on the prowl for more money. Employers want to know that you will return the investment that they will be making by hiring you.
Be Honest
It is pointless to try and convince the interviewer that you have skills you cannot deliver. If you don’t have experience in a particular area then say that you are not familiar with that area but you are more than willing to learn. Doing so tells the interviewer that you are honest and willing to learn new things.
Think before you speak! If you present yourself confidently then others will see that too. Remember: a healthy dose of confidence can go a long way.

1. What are your greatest strengths?

This is an opportunity to examine your self image. Do not get caught without an answer to this question that is short and effective. Do not oversell or undersell yourself. You can start with something like this:

“I have many strengths which include problem solving, creativity, working well with others, and other skills that contribute to success in the job. Is there a specific strength you are looking for that I can demonstrate?”

2. What are your weaknesses?

Here is another loaded question that is often asked. What benefit is there to you in discussing your specific problems and issues in an interview? None. Do not be caught off guard with a question like this. You can provide a simple answer like:

“I’m a work in progress like everybody else. Professionally, we can discuss any concerns you might have about me.”

If the interviewer pursues this question beyond this kind of answer, do not be intimidated by probing, and do not let down your guard by confessing all your self perceived weaknesses, past incidents with former employers, or any other unpleasant information. An escape clause would be a good thing to develop. To move on, you might say:

“Let me think about that for a while and come back to that later if you’d like. Is there something in particular that you are concerned about?”

After giving your answer, you might also try smiling and asking the interviewer what their greatest weakness is. By turning the question back to them, you may find something you can work with to satisfy why they ask such questions of you. As a general rule, never be afraid to ask questions that will clarify the level of answer expected from you. You may find that your thinking is on a completely different level than the person who is interviewing you. Asking your own questions in response can help to give you control over your answers. You should not respond with questions to every question being asked, but when you do not understand why the dialog is moving in a specific direction, questioning the intent is justified.

3. What are your salary expectations?

If you are in a hurry to get through an interview, and this question is one of the first ones asked, you can eliminate yourself from consideration by being unrealistic in what you expect to be paid for the position. Think about this one before you answer, or better still, wait until the company has actually said they want to hire you for the job. The interview is where you find out about the job, so you can determine what it would be worth for you to accept it. If you are wise, you will not focus totally on salary, but also consider the other benefits the company has to offer. Do not state a salary expectancy on an application, or in an interview until you have information on the “big picture.”

What you really want to consider is salary, how far from home you would have to go, what kind of health insurance, dental, retirement, perks, bonuses, and services the company offers to their employees. These details are rarely provided during the interview, and will take time for you to analyze before giving your response. How much is the company thinking they want to pay for the job? Whatever figure they quote is likely to be their lowest bid. How much flexibility is there in their starting salary figure? How often do they give salary reviews? All these questions should be answered, and all of them should be asked at the end of the hiring process, when it is time for you to decide on whether or not to accept the position being offered.

Until you are offered the position, you should firmly defer the discussion of salary. Offer a response something like this:

“We can discuss that after I have had a chance to review the entire benefit offering available from your company, and find out whether or not I am a fit for your organization. I’m sure you are willing to offer a fair wage for the position, but right now, you are more qualified to state what the job is worth to the company than I am.”

4. What is your salary history?

Great or small, short or tall, this is another attempt to determine whether or not you are over or under qualified for the position. Whether you are asked this question on an application form or during an interview, use a deferral tactic in answering the question. The right time to answer is after you have received a job offer, and not before. The idea here is to make the question moot as it relates to the position you are interested in. Stick to your stand on providing this information in a positive approach. If you are trying to move up or down the corporate ladder, you can be eliminated too soon by giving the wrong answer. One approach would be to say something like this:

“My salary has varied significantly depending on job responsibilities. My wage has been appropriate to the level of responsibility accepted, and I will be happy to discuss salary with you at the appropriate time.”

You might also say something like this:

“I pretty much focus on what the pay is for the job I am interested in doing rather than what I have made in the past.”

If they pressure for an answer, ask them directly, “Are you offering me the job?”

You have nothing to lose by employing these answers unless your salary history is right in line with the job you are interviewing for. If you are making a lateral move, you can afford to provide your salary history. You can only know this if you already know what pay level the job offers. Few people ever look for jobs that are equal to what they are presently making. How hard is it for you to locate a new job? If you cannot handle the pressure, you should give them the broadest possible range of past salary, and add that the range is based on what you have been asked to do in the past, and the benefits that come along with the salary. If you cave in on revealing past or future salary expectations, you may find yourself disqualified from a position you would otherwise find perfectly acceptable. This is true especially if you have decided to move down on the scale rather than up.

5. What makes you think you are qualified for this position?

A provocative question like this is designed to see if it will make you squirm. Your best approach is to have an answer prepared that might be something like this:

“That is what we are here to explore. So far, I see no reason to believe I am not qualified. Do you have some specific concerns we can discuss?”

If an interviewer is stupid enough to bring unqualified candidates in for interviews, they should be the one to explain why they selected you as a candidate. The very fact that you were chosen to discuss a position shows there was something in your qualifications that interested them. Find out what they saw in your background that interested them, and exploit it.

At the end of your interview, you will often be invited to ask any questions you might have. This segment can be crucial for your success. You should always ask when the company expects to make their decision on the position. This will give you an idea how much longer you will be waiting to be accepted or rejected. You can also learn something by asking them if they have any concerns about you. Using this method, I once learned that I was about to be eliminated because the interviewer felt there were some weaknesses in my skill sets. When I filled in more information about those concerns, the interviewer was visibly moved. The person said, “Really? Well, that’s the sort of thing you should have told me!” I responded by asking if they had any objections to notating this new information at this point of the interview, and it was like someone hit them with an electric shock. They hurriedly scribbled some more notes on my resume, and ultimately chose me for the position. Always remember that an interview is not over until it is over. Apply any insights you receive when they become available to you.

Interview Secrets Click here

No matter how well you have prepared for your interview, chances are you would be confronted with questions you don’t know how to answer. In this case, don’t get nervous. You have to accept that you are not invincible. And sometimes it might just be a trick your interviewers use to test how you respond to difficult and tough questions on the spot. They want to observe your behaviour under embarrassing and difficult situations.

Use the Seek-And-Reply technique. It allows you to

How to use the Seek-And-Reply technique?

Whenever you encounter a question that you don’t know how to answer, follow the procedures:

Think of the best PRELIMINARY answer to the question.

Break down your PRELIMINARY answer into 2 to 3 points.

Begin your answer by using diplomatic language like a politician. For example, “I DO NOT HAVE THE COMPLETE PICTURE BUT I DO THINK…..”, “AS FAR AS I CAN FIGURE IT OUT”, “TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE”, “IF I DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOU FULLY, I HOPE I CAN ANSWER IT IN THIS WAY……”

Here is a demonstration:

I do not have the “COMPLETE PICTURE”, so “to the best of my UNDERSTANDING AND COMPREHENSION”, I would like to express my opinion herein as……………………………………

Then you can go on to explain the first point of your PRELIMINARY answer. Make a short pause after point one and ask the interviewers:

“CAN YOU FOLLOW WHAT I AM SAYING?”

“AM I IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS SO FAR?”

You are now passing the “turn” to the interviewers. They are “guided” by you to provide further information and the “answers” in their mind.

Your strategy is to dig out what is in their mind when they are asking the difficult question.

So give your fair “share” of the answer and ask them for their “share” as well.

Repeat the above procedures for point 2 and 3 of your preliminary answer.

Of course, you can quickly adapt your answers to the information they contribute under your guidance. Now you know how to answer difficult questions by using Seek-And-Reply technique.

Seek their minds before your Reply to their questions.

Use this technique to take control of a job interview.