The interview is the single most important part of your search for employment. A job interview is a formal meeting to discuss an individual’s job qualifications and suitability for an employment position. When you are invited for an interview, be prepared.
Do Some Research Before the Interview
Do Some Research Before the Interview
Before the interview, research the company. Try to know more about it than the interviewer. Learn how the company makes money, its operations and history, profitability, expansion plans, and other recent developments. Also research the company’s competitors and the industry. You can find details on the Internet as most companies have websites. Know what the company is good at and how this relates to your skills. Be familiar with the job description
Compile Revealing Personal Stories
Compile Revealing Personal Stories
Assemble some personal stories about yourself that reveal some of your better characteristics. You could have five or more interviews for a single job, and during the interview process you are expected to talk about yourself. Therefore, prepare by writing down some concise stories or statements, perhaps about the time you took over caregiver duties for your siblings while your mother was hospitalized, or facilitated resolving some internal conflicts among the officers in your student club, or assisted a high school teacher coordinate and supervise 20 students on a field trip, or worked 17 straight hours at Wal-Mart during a weather emergency. Preparing as many as 15 stories will give you many ways to talk about your positive qualities without just saying, “I’m good.” Everyone says that! Communicate that message about yourself in part by telling stories to illustrate your better qualities.
Prepare Questions to Ask the Interviewer
A key to success in any interview is to show your enthusiasm and interest in the position and organization. Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer, perhaps about future company plans, company policies, employee benefits, specific duties, and job expectations. You may want to inquire about the corporate culture, too. Write down your questions so you will have your thoughts clear in you mind
Prepare Responses for Anticipated Interview
Questions Your responsibilities during the interview are to remain calm, reveal your personality, be honest, convey your best characteristics, handle questions well, and com municate your enthusiasm about the job. Always answer in a controlled manner. During the interview, be confident that you are the best person for the job and project yourself accordingly. Job interviewers seem to ask similar questions, so prepare some articulate responses to the following inquiries
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would your instructors and previous employers describe you?
3. What did you like the most about college, and the least?
4. Tell me what you know about our company.
5. Why are you interested in working for this company?
6. What unique abilities and experiences qualify you for the job?
7. Describe some of your strengths and weaknesses.
8. What experiences have you had working with teams and coordinating such efforts?
9. Give an example of an ethical challenge you faced and tell how you handled it.
10. Relate a time when you were faced with a very difficult problem and how you handled it.
11. Describe the supervisors who motivated you to do your best work.
12. What were some of the best and worst aspects of your last job?
13. What do you do in your leisure time?
14. Describe your career plans for five and ten years from now.
Create Positive Responses to Negative Questions
Be prepared to “turn any negative into a positive” when asked such questions. One popular negative question, of course, is, “What are your weaknesses?” Interviewers who ask these types of questions want to determine whether the applicant possesses certain qualities such as honesty, self-awareness, humility, sincerity, zest, and skill in managing shortcomings and mistakes. Denying weakness or being evasive means you don’t get the job. Beforehand, practice your interview skills. Practice your responses, especially to negative questions. Perhaps make a videotape of a mock interview, and after evaluating your performance do it again
Be Ready for Telephone Interviews
Prepare Responses for Anticipated Interview
Questions Your responsibilities during the interview are to remain calm, reveal your personality, be honest, convey your best characteristics, handle questions well, and com municate your enthusiasm about the job. Always answer in a controlled manner. During the interview, be confident that you are the best person for the job and project yourself accordingly. Job interviewers seem to ask similar questions, so prepare some articulate responses to the following inquiries
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would your instructors and previous employers describe you?
3. What did you like the most about college, and the least?
4. Tell me what you know about our company.
5. Why are you interested in working for this company?
6. What unique abilities and experiences qualify you for the job?
7. Describe some of your strengths and weaknesses.
8. What experiences have you had working with teams and coordinating such efforts?
9. Give an example of an ethical challenge you faced and tell how you handled it.
10. Relate a time when you were faced with a very difficult problem and how you handled it.
11. Describe the supervisors who motivated you to do your best work.
12. What were some of the best and worst aspects of your last job?
13. What do you do in your leisure time?
14. Describe your career plans for five and ten years from now.
Create Positive Responses to Negative Questions
Be prepared to “turn any negative into a positive” when asked such questions. One popular negative question, of course, is, “What are your weaknesses?” Interviewers who ask these types of questions want to determine whether the applicant possesses certain qualities such as honesty, self-awareness, humility, sincerity, zest, and skill in managing shortcomings and mistakes. Denying weakness or being evasive means you don’t get the job. Beforehand, practice your interview skills. Practice your responses, especially to negative questions. Perhaps make a videotape of a mock interview, and after evaluating your performance do it again
Be Ready for Telephone Interviews
Present yourself in a professional manner when returning a telephone call or engaging in an interview. Have a pen or pencil and paper handy. Be aware of distractions in your surroundings, such as traffic noise. If needed, arrange to call the interviewer back when you find a quiet place. Speak clearly, and eliminate the “uhs” and “ums.” The interviewer will notice if you take a sip of coffee or a bite out of a bagel. Try to eliminate as many annoyances as possible to improve your chances of getting the job
After the Interview, Evaluate It and Send a Thank-You Note
After the Interview, Evaluate It and Send a Thank-You Note
After a job interview, take a few minutes to objectively evaluate your performance. Write down any questions you were asked that were different from what you expected and make some notes about ways to improve in your next interview. The more interviews you have, the better you will be able to present yourself. Also, immediately mail a thank-you note (don’t e-mail it) expressing your appreciation for the opportunity to interview and restate your interest in the position.
Negotiate and Accept the Job
Wait until after the job has been firmly offered to discuss salary. Do not be the first to give a definitive dollar amount. Ask for the salary range for the position. Your objective in negotiating is to obtain a salary 20 percent above the highest figure because you are an exceptional candidate and you will perform at the highest level anticipated. Don’t sell yourself short.
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