• The official blog of Abacus Group — a place to share our knowledge and thoughts on trends in recruiting •

An interview is a two-way street of answering but also asking questions. The potential employer wants to know about you, your background, and your skills. However, it is important to remember that they are also being interviewed by you.

When preparing for an interview, many job seekers focus solely on what questions will most likely be asked and brainstorming answers about their experiences and skills that will set them apart from their competitors.

Getting to the final round of the interview process is both incredibly exciting but definitely nerve-racking for any job seeker.

With social distancing practices keeping companies from conducting interviews in person, job seekers must adjust their interview tactics to fit virtual platforms.

It’s the daunting question that you know the interviewer will probably ask: What were you doing during the time when you were not working? Whether you chose to prioritize something in your personal life, or your jobs came to an end and it took some time to find your next role, it is not uncommon to have some gaps in time on your resume.

Having a phone interview is an exciting first step in the process of landing your dream job. It gives you and your potential employer the opportunity to get to know each other before meeting in person.

When preparing for an interview, rarely do you need to practice the answers to questions about your past positions, current role, and the skills you have acquired. However, every interview includes some tough questions that can catch you off guard if you don’t have a plan on how to answer them.

Regardless of what role you are applying for, leadership skills are sought after across all companies and industries. Compared to technical skills, they are not as easy to quantify but demonstrating that you have these leadership skills will put you above those whom you are interviewing against and assure your potential employer that you have the ability to make a great impact on the company and community.

Knowing how to talk about your weaknesses in a job interview can be difficult. However, it is important to understand the motivation behind the question in order to answer it favorably.

It’s hard to predict what questions and scenarios will arise in an interview. However, questions like “why did you leave your last job?” and “where do you see yourself in five years?” continue to play a part in many interviews.