Interview Tips:
Your resume has earned you the interview. At this point, the company would like to meet you to discuss your qualifications, get a sense for your personal style, and determine how you would fit into the organization. The interview is also your chance to find out whether the available position is consistent with your long-term career goals.
• Prepare for the interview.
• Research the company, its products, and competitors.
• Review your resume relative to the position and highlight your qualifications for the position.
• Prepare short, concise answers to some commonly asked interview questions. Numerous, well-written interviewing books are available listing hundreds of possible questions. Review probable questions, so you are not caught off guard during the interview.
• Many employers are currently using a behavioral style of interviewing in which they give you a scenario and ask you to reason your way through it. It is difficult to prepare for these questions. A general rule would be to remain clear, concise, and avoid rambling.
• Prepare a list of specific questions you would like answered during the course of the interview regarding the company and position.
• The appropriate attire for an interview is a suit. If you don’t own one, buy one.
• Avoid perfumes, colognes, and smoking prior to the interview.
• Arrive 10 minutes early. Confirm the correct pronunciation of the interviewer’s name.
• Complete all required paperwork in its entirety. Resist the temptation to write "See Resume" when listing previous employment. Company paperwork typically requires complete addresses and contact information for former employers as well as the applicant’s signature verifying the accuracy of all information.
• Address the interviewer by name. Greet the interviewer with a smile and a firm, not gripping, handshake. Maintain eye contact throughout the interview.
• Project professionalism by your enthusiasm, speech, posture, expression, and caliber of your questions.
• Answer all questions truthfully in an articulate manner. If you do not understand a question, ask for clarification. Stay focused on the question.
• Ask the interviewer early on to identify qualifications necessary to succeed in the position. Highlight those qualifications in your own background.
• Avoid making negative remarks about previous employers. List reasons for leaving former positions in a short, simple, professional manner.
• Do not make inquiries about salary, bonuses, benefits, or vacations in your initial interview. Should the topic of salary arise, you may do one of the following: refer that discussion to your recruiter, give the company a range based on current market rates identified by your recruiter, or tell them you are interested in the position and willing to entertain their best offer.
• Be prepared to provide the following information if asked: your resume, driver’s license number, Social Security number, and the contact information for three professional references. Make sure your references are aware they may be called and review with them your dates of employment and responsibilities.
