INTERVIEW TIPS
Interviewing is an important part of the job-finding process. It can be very stressful unless you are prepared for the meeting with a potential employer. There are three aspects of the interview process:
  • Pre-Interview Planning
  • Interviewing
  • Following-up
PRE-INTERVIEW PLANNING

It is very helpful to know enough about the organization interviewing you so that you can comfortably discuss the matters at hand with background knowledge. You will also feel more confident and able to ask more relevant questions. This will make you appear more intelligent and motivated.

Before you get started make sure to keep a written and/or computerized record listing:
  • Date resume was sent
  • Name of company
  • Name of person you sent it to
  • Address
  • Phone
  • Date and time of interview
  • Results of interview
  • Second interview
  • When you sent a thank you letter or note

Research the company thoroughly. This is essential but it is often neglected. Try to find out the following information:

  • Products or services
  • Company history
  • Number of employees
  • Business methods
  • Distribution methods
  • Organizational structure
  • Kinds of clients or customers -Locations                    
  • Reputation
  • Philosophy
  • Industry standing/ Sales or activity volume
  • Prospects for company growth
INTERVIEWING
First relax, take a deep breath, and think about all of your skills, accomplishments, and abilities. Are you talented, outgoing, intelligent, and able to work well with others, handle instructions well? Do you enjoy people or prefer to work alone? How do you handle criticism? Are you good at evaluating the work of others? Do you prefer to supervise or to be supervised? What did you enjoy the most about your last position? What would you change about it? What has been your major contribution to your last job? What are your long and short-term goals? What would you like to be doing in five years? How would you like to improve? What are you looking for in your next job?
 
Resume
  • Always be honest.
  • Be able to quantify your achievements with numbers and percentages
  • Think in terms of increasing productivity, decreasing costs, and increasing profitability for the company - how can you do that?
  • Try to appear poised and alert
  • Be friendly and enthusiastic.
  • If an employer tells you that they dress casually, ignore it. Dress in a suit and tie/suit and look
  • professional at all interviews - first impressions count.
  • Polish your shoes.
  • Be well-groomed.
  • Wear clothing that is professional and comfortable.
  • Sit comfortably without sprawling.
  • Let the interviewer be in control. Do not put anything on the interviewer’s desk.
  • Ask questions. If you want to clarity certain aspects of the job, ask. Interviewers look badly on interviewees who have no questions.
  • Wait until you are offered a Job to ask about paid holidays and vacations.
  • Carry extra resumes and references with you.
  • Do not smoke, chew gum, or eat candy.
  • Do not wear fancy jewelry or cologne.
  • Be polite. Do not show hostility.
  • Show a can-do attitude which demonstrates that you can get along well with bosses, colleagues, and subordinates.
  • If asked general questions, answer in terms of your professional abilities and experiences.
  • Employers are interested in what you can contribute to the organization, not what you can get from it.
  • Never, never be critical of former employers.
  • Only 15% of getting a job is qualifications. Your tone of voice, posture, facial expressions. and eye contact give clues about your inner feelings and altitudes. Non-verbal communication is important:
  • Use good posture
  • Don't hide with sunglasses
  • Don't cover your mouth when you speak
  • Use direct eye contact
  • Give a firm handshake before and after the interview
  • Speak clearly in a firm, confident, and not too loud voice
  • Smile, when appropriate
  • Try to relax
  • Give specific answers to all questions. Don't be vague.
  • Get the name and title of the interviewer(s). Try to get a business card from all of those who Interview you.
  • At the end of the interview, find out when and how you will be notified.
  • Thank the interviewer for his or her consideration.
  • If you are really interested in the job, tell the interviewer again before you leave.
  • Leave promptly, don't drag it out.
  • Send a thank-you with- in the next 24 hours.
  • Don't be discouraged if you don't get the job. Try to learn from the experience.
  • Remember - you only need one YES!
 

EMPLOYERS INDICATE THAT YOU CAN HURT YOUR CHANCES OF GETTTNG A JOB BY :
  • Poor career planning
  • Lack of qualifications for the position
  • Inability to communicate clearly
  • Insufficient evidence of achievement
  • Failure to research the organization
  • Showing a lack of enthusiasm or interest in the organization
  • Unwillingness to relocate
  • Appearing overbearing, aggressive, conceited
  • Seeming more interested in money and benefits than anything else
  • Failure to follow-up after the interview
THE GOLDEN RULE OF INTERVIEWING:
Be yourself, know yourself, and sell yourself. Successful interviewing requires successful selling.
 
I've met men who saved lives, built nations, or unlocked the mysteries of the universe . . . and the most easily observable thread which connected these people was their ability to present well on an interview. Winston Churchill to Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Keep in mind that employers are interested in what you can contribute to the company by:
  1. Making Money
  2. Saving Money
  3. Saving Time