Essential Interview tips

Interviewing Dos and Don'ts

Dos

• Arrive 15 minutes early. Late attendance is never excusable.
• Clarify questions. Be sure you answered the questions the employer asked.

• Get the interviewer to describe the position and responsibilities early in the conversation so you can relate your skills and background to the position throughout the interview.

• Give your qualifications. Stress the accomplishments that are most pertinent to the job.

• Conduct yourself professionally. Be aware of what your body language is saying. Smile, make eye contact, don’t slouch and maintain composure.

• Anticipate tough questions. Prepare in advance so you can turn apparent weaknesses into strengths.

• Dress appropriately. Make your first impression a professional one.

• Ask questions throughout the interview. An interview should be a mutual exchange of information, not a one-sided conversation.

This is probably the most important ability of all. By concentrating not only on the employer’s words but also on the tone of voice and body language, you will be able to pick up on the employer’s style. Once you understand how a hiring authority thinks, pattern your answers accordingly and you will be able to better relate to him or her.

Don’ts

• Don’t answer vague questions. Rather than answering questions, you think you hear, get the employer to be more specific and then respond.

• Never interrupt the employer. If you don’t have time to listen, neither does the employer.

• Don’t smoke, chew gum or place anything on the employer’s desk.

• Don’t be overly familiar, even if the employer is doing all of these things.

• Don’t wear heavy perfume or cologne.

• Don’t ramble. Long answers often make the speaker sound apologetic or indecisive.

• On the other hand, don’t answer questions with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible.

• Do not lie. Answer questions as truthfully as possible.

• Do not make derogatory remarks about your present or former employers or companies.

Closing the interview

Too many people second-guess themselves after an interview. By closing strongly and asking the right questions, you can eliminate the post-interview doubts that tend to plague most interviewees.

If you feel that the interview went well and you would like to take the next step, express your interest to the hiring authority and turn the tables a bit. Try something like the following:

"After hearing more about your company, the position and the responsibilities at hand, I am certain that I possess the qualities that you are looking for in the (title) position. Based on our conversation and my qualifications, are there any issues or concerns that you have that would lead you to believe otherwise?"

You have a right to be assertive. This is a great closing question because it opens the door for the hiring authority to be honest with you about his or her feelings. If concerns do exist, this is a great opportunity to overcome them. You have one final chance to dispel the concerns, sell your strengths and end the interview on a positive note.

A few things to remember during the closing process:

• Don’t be discouraged if no definite offer is made or specific salary discussed. The interviewer will probably want to communicate with the office first or interview other applicants, before making a decision.
• Make sure you answer the following two questions: "why are you interested in the company?" and "what can you offer?"
• Express thanks for the interviewer’s time and consideration.
• Ask for the interview’s business card so you can write a thank you letter as soon as possible.

Follow-up

When you get in your car, immediately write down key issues uncovered in the interview. Think of the qualifications the employer is looking for and match your strengths to them. Call your recruiter! Follow-up now is critical. A "thank you" letter should be written no later than 24 hours after the interview. 

Interview Question 17: Why do you think we should pay you this much?

The salary you're asking for is near the top of the range for the job you are applying for. Why do you think we should pay you this much?

Remind the interviewer about the benefits he will enjoy when you come on board.  Bring up your previous achievements again, for example, you might say,

" I was able to cut operating expenses by 10% and improve throughput time by re-engineering the work process.  Besides, I have been successful in cutting material cost by 15 percent by negotiating better deals with vendors.  I think it's reasonable to expect that any additional salary we agree to would be offset by savings and improvement I could bring to the company. "

Interview Question 18 - When can you start?

As you must be very excited and tempted by now to accept the job immediately, you should be reminded that it is never wise to burn the bridge, as you might come to cross one of them again.  So be accommodating as you can to your current employer.  You might, for example, offer to train your replacement.

If it will be several weeks before you can assume your new function full time, show initiative and offer to begin studying literature or files about the company in your off-hours.  This will better equip you for your next job.

How to write a Cover Letter

Like a powerful résumé and a good business suit, the cover letter is fast becoming indispensable in the job search. Perhaps no other single question is heard so frequently by career professionals… "Do I need a cover letter?"

The answer is a resounding Yes! A cover letter is an essentially a brief letter accompanying your résumé which first and foremost asks prospective employers to take their valuable time to read your résumé.

Ideally, your cover letter should match your résumé in format. It should be neither too short (one paragraph) or too long (most all of a page or more than a page). When at all possible, your cover letter should specify the date, as well as the name, title, company, department, and address of the individual for whom it is intended.

DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL CAREER PLAN

1) Self-Evaluation; 2) Researching your career choice; and 3) Developing a plan

"Self-evaluation"

Oh boy, what fun!? Seems today that everybody wants to 'evaluate' or psychologically 'mess' with everything we do, say or who we want to be. Ever get the feeling that regardless of what you do or who you are...someone wants to change it? Ever feel that there are countless different 'right ways', none of which seem to fit? OK, so here's another one? Nope. We don't want to mess with your skull, just point you in a direction that may help you in your job/career. Might as well do it, 'cause we spend more time on our jobs than in most other activities (unless of course you're under 30.... I think I remember that age!). 

Self-evaluation can be the start of career planning. It's basically figuring out what will fit with you. Then again, 'self-evaluation' can be just another ivory tower, 'do this or be unhappy forever' type of 'think tank' exercise. Not here. We've taken all the psycho-babble stuff, and run it through a 'translator' so it will come out practical, and useful. Then again, you do have the option of skipping this completely. 

The Interview Success Plan - Interview Gameplan

Step 6 - Interview Gameplan

Many books are available that discuss interview behavior. We could go into a review of interview behavior, but why reinvent the wheel? Among the best and least expensive sources are the guidelines available through your organization's personnel office. Why? Because the guidelines are often the basis for formal training in the organization.

Here are the tips that we've picked up in our own experience: 

• Don’t smoke, chew gum, tobacco, or anything else.

The Interview Success Plan - Interview Day

Step 5:  Interview Day Preparation

1. Get your rest.

2. Don’t get distracted or excited by little things, don’t schedule meetings over controversial issues, or do anything that might break your concentration prior to the interview.

3. Taking into account the time of your interview and traffic, go early to find parking and make sure that you have money for parking meters.

6. Be on time.

7. Don’t take any exhibits or any reference letters. The vast majority of interview boards will not consider exhibits or reference letters. If you absolutely feel the need to take exhibits or letters, call and talk to the person supervising the interviews to obtain prior approval.

7. Usually there is one telephone number to call for information. The person answering your call may be temporary, new, or otherwise not fully informed about the procedures. When in doubt, always ask for the person supervising the interview. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and what was said. (Public Service Only)

8. Dress appropriately.