You’ve done all the work and finally been called in for an interview (adapt, as necessary for a phone or SKYPE interview). Remember these key points:
- Your Questions - Create a list of specific questions about the company and the industry (use their website, as well as Google & other sources).
- Their Questions – Prepare yourself for questions they may ask you, including the tough ones (salary, experience, how long unemployed, etc.).
- Arrive Early - Drive to the company a day ahead of time to make sure you know where you’re going. Talk to the receptionist to get more information.
- Decorations - Notice how the office is decorated (awards & diplomas, sports stuff, family photos, etc.) and comment on them IF there’s time.
- Ideal Candidate - Ask the interviewer early on to describe the ideal candidate, then use the interview to describe how your skills and strengths match.
- Good Responses - If you have any doubt that your interviewer understands your answer, ask,”Did I answer your question?”.
- Turnaround Questions – When you give an answer, don’t hesitate to follow-up with a related question to get more information and to engage the interviewer.
- Distractions – Unless all your questions have been answered, don’t get side tracked with unrelated topics by the interviewer (golf, families, politics, etc.).
- Salary -Avoid the subject and, if pressed, say that you need to know more about the job & then, if necessary, focus on total compensation (medical, vacation, etc.)
- Follow-up – Ask when a decision will be made and allow a few days after that before following-up by phone, if possible (more direct).
- Thank You/Follow-up – Within one day, send a written (typed) letter to thank them & also include any information you didn’t cover during the interview.
RSS Feed