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10 Tips for Acing That
Interview
1. Research, research, and research some
more about the company you are interested in
working for (via Internet, newspapers, trade
publications, association newsletters, and -
even though old fashioned - your library’s
reference desk).
The more you know about what the company does
and how they operate, the better.
Use this knowledge at your interview.
One way to use this knowledge is to “pad” the
almost inevitable lull moments during the
interview.
When there is a lull in the conversation in the
middle of the interview, you can ask a question
similar to this:
“What other long term strategic objectives do
you want to achieve by the merger with Smith and
Lawrence, LLC, besides the industry branding and
increased market share”
2. Dress comfortably and conservatively.
Gentlemen: Wear a dark gray or blue suit with an
ironed white shirt, conservative tie, dark socks
and shoes. If the job you are applying for
doesn’t require a suit, wear dark, solid color
pants or slacks with a sport shirt in a solid
color or with subtle stripes. Don’t wear jeans
or athletic shoes.
Ladies: No fleshy jewelry or heavy makeup. Wear
a medium to dark color suit, or a dress with a
jacket. Or a jacket and skirt together. Choose a
light colored shirt to go with the skirt or with
the suit – preferably white or ivory.
Both gentlemen and ladies: Make sure that your
overall appearance is as professional and as
perfect as possible.
3. Treat everyone you come in contact
with at the company as if they have authority to
hire you (in fact, they might have, you never
know.)
It isn’t rare for the hiring authority to review
his / her first impressions of you with the
receptionist and / or secretary upon the
conclusion of the interview.
The company receptionist can easily give
insights to the hiring authority about how
friendly you were with him / her, how nervous
you appeared in the waiting area and of any
other behavioral and / or attitude related
observations that might weigh heavily in a
second-interview and later, a hiring decision.
4. Make and maintain good eye contact
with the interviewer during the interview.
Can’t stress this enough.
Look the interviewer in the eye instead of
checking your pants or shoes out for the
thousandths time.
5. If you are nervous, feel free to say so.
Say something like:
“I find myself very nervous because I’m very
interested in your organization.”
Acknowledging your nervousness and anxiety often
reduces it and interviewers are usually very
understanding.
Remember, it has been known that people hire
people who they feel comfortable with. So, make
yourself as comfortable as possible!
6. Ask questions, don’t just sit there
waiting to be interrogated.
This is where Step 1 comes into play. (Review
Step 1 above, if you need to.)
Your preparation is key!
Your knowledge about the company is key here!
The more you know about the company, the easier
the questions will come to you and the more
comfortable you will feel during the interview.
And because you have just as much right to find
out everything about the company as they have
finding out about you, you can turn the table
around with these sample questions:
“In your opinion, what are the most relevant
abilities for this job?”
“How would you describe the long-term goals of
the company?”
“So, I have heard that the company is expanding
its production line to include xyz gadget. When
are you starting the production of these?”
7. Make sure you indicate that you want the
job!
One of the top 10 reasons why a job seeker
doesn’t get hired is the lack of enthusiasm and
interest in both the company and the particular
position.
Say that you are interested!!!
You won’t seem like a “beggar”, you will seem
sincere and will come across as someone who is
motivated.
8. Make sure that you have several copies
of your resume with you in case the interviewer
asks for it.
Another reason why you want to have more than
one original resume at hand is because you might
be interviewed by a panel of 4-5 people instead
of only one person.
You never know.
It’s best to be prepared. Have AT LEAST 5
originals with you but 10 would be even better.
Just in case…
9. Have your professional references listed
on a separate sheet of paper.
Make sure that this paper is the same kind of
high quality 24 lb. paper as the one your
resumes were printed on.
Have approximately 3-5 of your professional
references listed on the page.
When the interviewer asks about your references,
voila, you will have them right there to present
to him / her.
If you are interviewed by a panel, you don’t
have to give your reference sheet to every panel
member. Just give your reference sheet to the
hiring manager. But only if he or she asks for
it. Most likely, they will.
Having your references ready and with you for
the interview shows a high degree of
preparedness and professionalism.
10. Follow up IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INTERVIEW
with a thank-you letter.
You will stand out from the crowd because
approximately 95% of job candidates ignore this
essential step.
If you want to outperform your competition and
leave a final, positive impression with the
person who interviewed you, you need to send a
thank-you letter or a handwritten thank-you
note.
If you were interviewed by a panel, you should
send a letter to each of the panel members but
only if you have the CORRECT spelling of their
names and job titles.
Can’t stress correct spelling enough!
Get the names from the receptionist upon
leaving, if you have to.
Or call afterwards.
Do anything to get the CORRECT spelling of the
names with the correct job titles.
The company’s website is a great source for this
type of information. Look at their “about us” or
“officers” page, etc.
If you are typing your thank-you letter on the
computer and printing it out, use the same
quality and type of stationery you used for your
resume and cover letter. If you are sending a
handwritten note, use quality thank-you notes,
big enough to include these elements:
* Real appreciation of the interviewer’s time.
* Clear understanding of the future duties of
your job.
* Briefly highlighting ways your qualifications
match the job requirements.
* Mention that you are highly motivated and
eager to succeed.
* Also mention that you hope you are being
considered for the job because you are very
interested in it.
* Say that you look forward to talking to him /
her in the near future.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU! GO AND GET THEM!
Rita Fisher is an award-winning Certified
Professional Resume Writer and President of
http://www.BestCareerChangeResumes.com. She
specializes in creating resumes for career
changers and her resume writing work has been
profiled in a book on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
She is the only resume writer from Indiana
published in "Gallery of Best Resumes" 3rd
Edition, by Jist Inc. |
