Interview Tips
PREPARATION
Confirm all appointment details: date, time, names, directions
Research the company and exhaustively explore their web site
Find a list of difficult interview questions and prepare responses
Make a list of questions about the company and the role
Make a list of key points about yourself
Wear formal business attire unless instructed differently
Be on time
INTERVIEW
Be confident, give a firm, comfortable handshake
Make eye contact
Listen carefully
Clarify buzz words and acronyms
Be yourself and be honest
Check to be sure your questions and key points are covered
Ascertain next steps
Ask for the job
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
Send personal thank you notes to each interviewer
Managing the Interview
I. Preparation
Preparation is critical to interviewing success. The following guidelines have been prepared to assist you in your preparation for successful interviewing.
• Confirm the proper pronunciation of the Company name, the proper pronunciation of interviewer(s) name(s), and the title(s) of the interviewer(s).
• Verify time, date, place, and parking directions.
• Research the company ahead of time. Know the latest news and concerns. Be prepared to discuss key company and industry issues.
• Review the company's entire web site. This is expected as an indication of your interest in the company.
• Prepare a list of key questions to ask during the interview.
• Prepare a list of key facts about your experience, skills or attributes you want to communicate
• Prepare and practice your responses to frequently asked questions.
• Rehearse short vignettes about each of your roles. Explain reporting relationships, responsibilities, and key accomplishments.
• Take extra copies of your resume and a notepad and pen.
• Dress in formal business attire unless instructed to do otherwise by the company.
• Be on time for your interview . Allow enough time to get there, maybe even check out your route the night or day before. Anticipate traffic or weather delays.
II. THE INTERVIEW
1. PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW
• Get sufficient rest.
• Eat and drink enough to sustain you through the scheduled time.
• Allow sufficient personal preparation time to manage unforeseen delays.
• Minimize the use of fragrances.
• Allow sufficient travel time to accommodate traffic delays
• Upon arrival, announce yourself to the receptionist.
• Ask to visit the restroom to make a final appearance check.
2. DURING THE INTERVIEW
• Be alert, enthusiastic, confident, and polite.
• Give a firm, comfortable handshake upon introduction and at conclusion of interview.
• Look your interviewer in the eye.
• Follow the interviewer's lead. Do not interrupt the interviewer.
• Listen carefully.
• Accentuate the positive.
• Use your oral communicative skills effectively. Be concise and offer specifics.
• Be yourself. Be honest.
• Finish by covering any of your key points that have not been discussed.
• Express your interest in the role. Give convincing reasons for your interest.
• Ask for the job
• When closing, ascertain the next steps in the process. Establish the timing of the next contact.
3. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
• Write down your immediate impressions. List questions you forgot to ask and points you wish you had made.
• Follow-up with a personal thank you note.
III. Interviewing specifics
1. BODY LANGUAGE
Entrances:
• Enter with a sense of confidence.
• If you are late, take a moment to compose yourself before entering.
• Make eye contact.
• Believe and project that you have a reason to be there and have something of value to offer.
Handshakes:
• Handshakes should match the firmness of the interviewer, be immediate, friendly, and offered with confidence.
• Extend your hand first.
Eye Contact:
• Direct eye contact is interpreted as a gesture of confidence and self-assurance.
• Make eye contact consistently.
• Friendly, non-aggressive eye contact is one of the most powerful nonverbal tools in business.
Posture:
• Stand and sit in formal postures.
• Do not lean on conference tables or desks.
• Do not slouch in chairs.
• Avoid defensive postures like tightly crossed arms.
Nervous Gestures:
• Do not chew gum or use mints or other food during the interview unless invited to do so by the interviewer.
• Avoid fidgeting hands, playing with pens, tapping pencils, and jingling change in pockets.
• Jiggling feet and bouncing legs are also very distracting.
• Do not handle items on the interviewer's desk without first asking permission unless invited to do so.
2. KEYS TO GOOD LISTENING
• Limit your own talking.
• Do not interrupt.
• Think like an interviewer. Listen carefully for objectives and needs and then demonstrate how you meet those objectives and needs.
• Use listening responses such as an occasional "yes" or "I see" to show the interviewer you are attentive and comprehending. This also helps to keep the interviewer speaking.
• Take selective notes to help you remember important points. Notes also allow you to remember questions instead of interrupting the speaker.
• Ask for clarification if you are not sure you understand everything the interviewer says. It could embarrass you later if you don't clear it up during this interview.
• Use reflecting phrases when you want a interviewer to elaborate on a point such as "you mentioned," "you stated before," or "you described." After repeating the statement, follow through with a question with who, what, when, where, why, or how.
• Clarify buzzwords; i.e., “Teamwork can mean different things to different companies. How does teamwork function in your company?”
• Do not jump to conclusions. Avoid making unwarranted assumptions about what the interviewer is going to say.
• Concentrate and focus your mind on what the interviewer is saying. Practice shutting out distractions.
• Pay attention to subtleties: the way the interviewer says things and/or the reactions to the things you say.
3. Anticipated questions
Be prepared to naturally answer the following from memory:
• Why are you interested in making a job change?
• What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in 5 - 10 years?
• How do you describe your style? What is your management style?
• What do you know about our Company? Why are you interested in working here?
• What are your major strengths? Weaknesses?
• What kind of money are you looking for? Why? What was your last salary, when was your last salary review, next due?
• What might your current or previous superiors/peers/subordinates say about you?
• What was the greatest challenge (or accomplishment or failure) in your professional life? How did you manage it? What did you learn from it?
4. Presentation preparation
Be prepared to naturally discuss the following from memory:
• A concise synopsis of your career.
• A summary of your major accomplishments.
• Examples of your individual initiative and the results.
• Current issues important to the company or your field of expertise.
• A description of your best or worst working experience, how you handled it and what you learned.
• A description of a best and a worst experience with a co-worker, supervisor, or subordinate.
• An explanation of what teamwork means to you.
• The working environment you prefer and why.
5. Question preparation
Generally during an interview, it is appropriate to ask the interviewer a few questions. The best questions usually result from doing research on the organization. Ideally, in doing your research, you will find something that excites and/or concerns you about the organization. This is an ideal topic to discuss with the interviewer.
• How would you describe your company culture?
• Why is this position vacant?
• What are the key functions of this role?
• What are the key characteristics you are looking for in a candidate?
• What are the goals for the person in this position?
• What are the key challenges that the appointed candidate will face?
• Please describe the structure of the department.
• Who does this role report to? What is his/her management style?
• What have been some of the key accomplishments of people in this position?
• Is there room for any upward mobility within the organization? If yes, what would be a typical career path?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of working for this organization? In this position?
• Are there any people who currently work for this organization who used to work in this position? May I speak with any of them?
• How long have you worked for this organization? What have you liked most and least about it?
• How would your subordinates describe your management style?
• Describe your average work day/ workweek.
• What is the likelihood of a merger or acquisition?
• Have you consolidated or anticipate consolidating your operations?
• What is your annual employee turnover rate?
Interviewers are wary of individuals who ask questions only because they feel it's "expected." Make certain that you have a genuine interest in the interviewer's response and that your question is not something basic that is covered in all of the organization's literature.
6. FACTORS THAT INTERVIEWERS EVALUATE
• Ability to adjust to the Company and department environment.
• Chances of being accepted by superiors, peers, and subordinates.
• Ability to do the work.
• Demonstrated record of accomplishments.
• Ability to meet the goals for the role.
• Interest in doing the job.
• Likelihood of remaining with the organization.
• Potential for future growth.
• Ability to keep outside factors from interfering with job performance.
7. QUALITIES THAT WILL IMPRESS AN INTERVIEWER
• Professional appearance.
• Self-confidence.
• Ability to effectively communicate.
• Perceptive discussion of issues.
• Demonstrated willingness to accept responsibility.
• Skills needed to effectively perform in the role.
• Initiative.
• Leadership.
• Goal achievement.
• Imagination.
• Flexibility.
• Self-knowledge.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle conflict.
• Competitiveness.
• Energy level.
• Evidence of career management.
8. FACTORS THAT FREQUENTLY LEAD TO REJECTION OF AN APPLICANT
• Errors in the cover letter, resume, or other correspondence.
• Poor personal appearance.
• Apparent lack of knowledge or experience in the industry or the role.
• Lack of confidence and poise; nervousness; ill at ease.
• Inability to express oneself clearly -- poor diction, grammar, and delivery.
• Indefinite response to questions.
• Lack of courtesy; ill mannered.
• Failure to look interviewer in the eye.
• Lack of interest and enthusiasm, passive, indifferent.
• Overemphasis on money. Interested only in "best-dollar offer" (or title).
• Asks no questions about the role.
• Makes excuses; seems evasive; hedges at unfavorable factors in record.
• Condemnation of past employers.
• Lack of planning for career. No clear career focus or goals.
• "Merely shopping around;" seems uncommitted to seriously considering the opportunity.
• Overbearing, overaggressive, conceited, superiority complex, "know-it-all."
• Cynical.
• Lack of tact, maturity, or understanding of social conventions.
• Attempts to gain sympathy because of personal or financial problems.
• Significant others seem to be making decisions.
• Emphasis on whom he or she knows.
• Unwillingness to travel or relocate.
• Intolerant, expresses strong prejudices or radical social ideas.
• Inability to take criticism.
• Late to interview without a good reason.
IV. Interview CHECKLISTs
1. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
[ ] I have assessed my strengths and weaknesses.
[ ] I know my skills and how they relate to this position.
[ ] I have established a career path/direction and goals.
[ ] I have a general knowledge of this organization.
[ ] I have reviewed the company's entire web site.
[ ] I can identify reasons why I want to be employed in this field, and by this organization.
[ ] I know how I can "psyche myself up" before the interview.
[ ] I have practiced answering "typical" interview questions with a friend, family member, and/or have participated in a mock interview.
[ ] I know the logistics: i.e., the interviewer's name and title; time and place of interview; and accurate directions.
[ ] My professional business clothes are clean and pressed.
2. DAY OF THE INTERVIEW
[ ] I am dressed neatly and appropriately for an interview.
[ ] I feel confidant that I will do well and am qualified for this role.
[ ] I am prepared with extra copies of my resume and supporting information.
[ ] I have a pen and paper to write down important information during and after the interview.
[ ] I have a clear picture of myself that I will project to the interviewer.
[ ] I have a few intelligent and relevant questions about the organization to ask the interviewer.
3. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
[ ] I have taken time to reflect on the interview; my performance and impressions.
[ ] I know the next step in the process - i.e., if/when the interviewer will contact me or I should contact them.
[ ] I wrote a brief, well-written letter of appreciation, thanking the interviewer for his/her time and attention, and confirming next steps.
[ ] I have responded to any requests for follow-up information, which may have occurred during the interview.