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Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job (Programmer to Programmer)
by John Mongan Noah Suojanen Eric Giguère
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Heard on the Street: Quantitative Questions from Wall Street Job Interviews
by Timothy Falcon Crack
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301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions
by Vicky Oliver
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Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job
by Tony Beshara
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Competency-Based Interviews: Master the Tough New Interview Style And Give Them the Answers That Will Win You the Job
by Robin Kessler
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Tricky Job Interviews

Most people do not particularly enjoy going through the job interview process. It can often be difficult to talk about yourself, especially in a situation where you are essentially selling yourself and your skills to a potential employer. Trying to think of just the right things to say, or not say, especially under pressure, can make all the difference in the end result of a job interview - whether or not you get the job.

As if job interviews were not already stressful enough, you could very likely end up being interviewed by someone who uses tricky tactics in order to draw out the "real" you. There are a number of ways that an interviewer can introduce trick questions, and the best way to keep from getting tripped up on them is to be aware that it could happen, and then try to prepare for it ahead of time.

One way that some interviewers try to get at an applicant is to start discussing the bad or undesirable things about the job you are applying for. They may even appear to be confiding in you, as one employee to another. Most applicants pick up on this trick, because it just seems odd when a representative of a business points out negative things about the business they are representing, but some applicants get tripped up. They feel that the interviewer is just trying to be friendly by giving them a heads up about the position they are applying for. Do not make this mistake. If you follow their lead and agree with them about the negative aspects, they will probably get the impression that you are not going to appreciate your job or that you are easily swayed. If they bring up a negative, counter with a positive and stick to your guns.

The person conducting the job interview may also try to gauge whether you are the type of person to gossip or talk behind someone's back. If they mention the name of someone and ask if you know them, be honest, but never discuss how you feel about that person. The subject matter is completely irrelevent to the interview process, and your personal feelings about another person should never have a place in an interview.

Another trick is when the interviewer pretends that you have some added control over whether you get hired, by asking whether you would like to add anything else about yourself. This typically happens right around the end, and it is usually when the applicant finds themselves practically begging for the position, saying that they work hard or that they are self motivated.

In this situation, you want your last words in the interview to be positive ones that the interviewer is going to remember and take into consideration when deciding whether to hire you. If you come off as desperate and say something to the effect that you really, really need this job, it is not going to bode well for you. Your best bet would be to explain why you chose to apply at that particular company and how you expect your being hired to affect both yourself and the company. Remember, you need to keep it brief. If you allow yourself to ramble on and on, you might find yourself saying things that make you sound needy.

All in all, job interviews can be hectic and stressful, but they are a necessary evil. If you can make yourself aware of the pitfalls before you become trapped in them, you may find that you have a real edge on your competition.

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Tricky Job Interviews

Jessica Simpson Self-Promotes to the Paps (E! Online)

Post a comment (Salina Journal)

Judge dismisses claims in Ledger lawsuit (CNN.com)

Just shy of No. 500, Leavitt still has passion of a rookie (Daily Herald)

The Women Stars Talk Madge, Politics & the Mambo (E! Online)