When it Comes to Interviewing...Preparation is Key

The key to interviewing success is to be prepared and to present yourself in such a way that you will connect with the interviewer.

First a few important hints:

1. Be persuasive, not argumentative
2. Be concise and come to the point
3. Leave personalities out of the interview
4. Don't discuss past experiences unless they are directly related to the job interiew.
5. Bring extra copies of your resume and cover letter and be sure that these are the same paperwork that you actually sent to this employer (Note: Since each resume and cover letter will be uniquely prepared for a particular job opportunity you will need to create a system so that you know who got what paperwork).
6. Maintain eye contact but don't stare.
7. Listen very carefully...the interviewer will give you hints about what is important to him/her.
8. Ask brief and well prepared questions such that you will be talking about 50% of the time and the interviewer the other 50%.. Your questions are the key to your gaining control of the interview and about your finding out what the hot bottons of the interviewer may be (See below).
9. Be thoroughly prepared to answer the interviewer's questions (see below).
10. As the interview comes to a close (watch the interviewer's body language) ask what the next step in the hiring process might be and create your campaign timing accordingly.. 

Answering Questions:

The interviewer will ask a number of questions. You will need to be prepared to answer these questions without any delay and without looking to the heavens for the answer. This means that you will need to prepare a list of probable questions in advance of the interiew along with appropriate and effective answers. I have accumlulated a list of over 500 questions but my top 10 favorites are below. Do not fail to be prepared to answer these questions.

1.  "Tell me about yourself." This question is not asking for your life history. It is asking for information related to your recent job history, education and training. It requires a percise response that will demonstrate that you have been a productive and successful individual whose next step is to obtain employment with company conducting the interview.
2. "What are your career goals...5/10 years or so?" Be well prepared to relating these goals to the interviewing company and its industry. Also be able to  talk about a possible career path, promoting from within, job growth, responsibility, additional education and training as examples.
3. "Why should I hire you?" This question requires that you memorize the list of strengths that you bring to the table. Examples are reliability, creativity problem solving, team player, etc and in each case be prepared to give an example.
4. "What did you like most and least about your last job why?" This question required careful preparation because you could fall into the "Complaining and knocking a previous company and supervisor trap" which you should never, never do.More specifically, the interviewer is attempting to determine how you would fit in with his organization. Be sure that your response does not conflict with what the company appears to be looking for.
5. "How long to you plan to stay with us?" This questions seeks to learn about your preparedness,  your career plan and your attitudes about company loyalty. Tell the interviewer what he wants to hear.
6. "Do you work well under pressure...give me an example?" The interviewer is looking for a YES answer and some proof that such is the case.
7. 'How would you describe your personality?" Here again, the interviewer wants to know if you will fit as well as your level of confidence. You will need to choose your words carefully so as not to appear to be bragging. Be conservative but positive in your response.
8. "Are you talking to other companies at this time?" Be honest. If you are, thre is no harm in saying so but be sure to indicate that you are searching diligently for the right fit and career opportunity that matches your personality and career goals.
9. "If we hire you, how soon would you be able to make a contibution?" The interviewer wants to hear that you will do whatever is necessary to get up to speed rapidly (short learning curve), so tell him or her that and why you feel this is so.
10. "What can you do for us that someone else can't?" This is the time for you to indicate your very special strengths and attributes...don't brag but don't be shy. Make a list of these and think about what the interviewer is likely to want to hear.

Interviewing is a game. You are trying to win the game but at the same time attempting to determine if you want to play that particular game at that particular time. For example, if you've been out of work for some time then the game is "get the job and don't be terribly fussy".

Since an good interview requires a 50/50 talking split between the interviewer and you...asking questions is critical. Also, the right questions enable you to learn what you need in order to select your special strengths that will mitigate existing company or departmental challenges. The trick is to ask good questions and then listen very carefully to the responses. Below are my 10 favorites:

1.  "What are the most pressing issues your company faces?"
2. "What are the most pressing issues the department I will be working in faces?"
3. " Exactly what sort of person are you seeking to fill this job?"
4. "What do you seek as the future of this company and its industry"?
5. "What is the employee turnovere in the company and department and why?"
6. "What is the company's policy regarding promotions? Does the company make its best efforts to promote from within whenever possible?"
7. "What do you consider the company's three most important assets and liabilities?"
8. "How has the recession impacted the company and what has it done to offset the downturn in business if any?"
9. "How long have you been with the company and what brought you to it in the first place?"
10. "How is competition impacting the company and what has been the company's response?"

Naturally, you will not be able to ask all of these given the amount of time available but pick out the ones that would seem most relevant to you and only ask those. Asking these questions will tell you a great deal about the company and the department and will also demonstrate your preparedness and intelligence. Few candidates will come off as well prepared as you.

One final tip...be sure to look around the office of the interviewer...pictures of kids, some award or recognition, the way he or she keeps their office, etc. Be sure to make some mention of these in your thank you letter.