HOW TO PREP FOR AN INTERVIEW

GENERAL:

Know the company name & web address
Have you taken a look at the website, what did you find interesting (make sure you do your homework)
Find out as much about the company as you can through the website-their history, their current situation and their future plans
Make sure you understand the position and the primary responsibilities and what is expected of you
Arrive 10-15 minutes early for your interview
Make sure you know the names and background of the people you are meeting with
Dress appropriately for interview
Bring copies of resume – minimum of 1 for each person you will meet
Make sure you bring the same resume that was sent to the client (any changes, version, etc…)
Be just as professional and detailed with HR as you would be with whoever else is interviewing you

MEETING:

Mirror the person’s greeting (strength of handshake, etc.)
Make sure to have eye contact-first impressions are lasting impressions
Be able to walk through your resume
Be able to elaborate for 30-60 seconds for each bullet point
Be prepared to cite specific examples of achievements and how these experiences can help the company solve some of its problems
Definitely concentrate on your most recent positions, but don’t neglect your early career, considering those earlier positions are what helped to bring you to where you are today
You always want to have strength in your answers-sometimes it’s not all about WHAT you say but about HOW you say it
You never want to give one word answers. If the answer is “yes” then you want to say “yes and…”, if the answer is “no” then you want to say “no but…” you don’t want to leave anything open-ended
You want to be able to sell yourself by giving examples and painting a clear picture of where, when, how, what, and why you did it
If there ever comes a time where you don’t understand a question, do not be afraid to gain clarification
Remember that the prospective employer will base their hiring decision on:
Your attitude and business poise
Your image presentation and communication skills
Your experience and skill set
Your education and certifications
Your technical background
You want to give short little blurbs about job changes, you don’t want to ramble on
Answer questions honestly and directly, and be discrete: honest and direct answers are disarming and relatively rare, they are also very effective
Remember to play up your strengths
If you have to talk about negative experiences, make sure to point out what you learned from them and why you won’t make the same mistake again
Be positive about your reason for leaving your current job or any previous jobs
If you’ve been fired or laid-off, stress how much you learned from the experience and how it has helped you become even better at what you do
Frame your answers so that you let the interviewer know that you see this job as a means to achieving your ultimate career goals

QUESTIONS TO ASK:

Questions researched off the company web site
You want to do your homework on the company and you want to be able to ask well thought out questions about the company and anything else that would help you learn more:
You can ask about the history and growth of the company
Ask what has been the biggest advance in the recent history of the company and what the biggest setback was
Ask what a typical day is like
Ask where they see the company going in the next several years
What are the three main qualities they are looking for in a candidate?
Greatest challenges – 6 months/1 year down the road
You want to ask the interviewer what he or she finds challenging about the company/his or her position
Ask about the backgrounds of the people interviewing you
How did they get where they are today? Where did they start?

CLOSING THE INTERVIEW:

If the interviewer has left anything out that you need answered, ASK
Ask if there is anything in your background or qualifications that they would like you to elaborate on
If you are interested in the position, MAKE IT KNOWN
Have a firm handshake and the end of the interview and remember to thank them for their time

HOW TO PREP FOR AN INTERVIEW

GENERAL:

Know the company name & web address

Have you taken a look at the website, what did you find interesting (make sure you do your homework)

Find out as much about the company as you can through the website-their history, their current situation and their future plans

Make sure you understand the position and the primary responsibilities and what is expected of you

Arrive 10-15 minutes early for your interview​

Make sure you know the names and background of the people you are meeting with

Dress appropriately for interview

Bring copies of resume – minimum of 1 for each person you will meet

Make sure you bring the same resume that was sent to the client (any changes, version, etc…)

Be just as professional and detailed with HR as you would be with whoever else is interviewing you

​​

MEETING:

Mirror the person’s greeting (strength of handshake, etc.)

Make sure to have eye contact-first impressions are lasting impressions

Be able to walk through your resume

Be able to elaborate for 30-60 seconds for each bullet point

Be prepared to cite specific examples of achievements and how these experiences can help the company solve some of its problems

Definitely concentrate on your most recent positions, but don’t neglect your early career, considering those earlier positions are what helped to bring you to where you are today

You always want to have strength in your answers-sometimes it’s not all about WHAT you say but about HOW you say it

You never want to give one word answers. If the answer is “yes” then you want to say “yes and…”, if the answer is “no” then you want to say “no but…” you don’t want to leave anything open-ended

You want to be able to sell yourself by giving examples and painting a clear picture of where, when, how, what, and why you did it

If there ever comes a time where you don’t understand a question, do not be afraid to gain clarification

Remember that the prospective employer will base their hiring decision on:

Your attitude and business poise

Your image presentation and communication skills

Your experience and skill set

Your education and certifications

Your technical background

You want to give short little blurbs about job changes, you don’t want to ramble on

Answer questions honestly and directly, and be discrete: honest and direct answers are disarming and relatively rare, they are also very effective

Remember to play up your strengths

If you have to talk about negative experiences, make sure to point out what you learned from them and why you won’t make the same mistake again

Be positive about your reason for leaving your current job or any previous jobs

If you’ve been fired or laid-off, stress how much you learned from the experience and how it has helped you become even better at what you do

Frame your answers so that you let the interviewer know that you see this job as a means to achieving your ultimate career goals

QUESTIONS TO ASK:

Questions researched off the company web site

You want to do your homework on the company and you want to be able to ask well thought out questions about the company and anything else that would help you learn more:

You can ask about the history and growth of the company

Ask what has been the biggest advance in the recent history of the company and what the biggest setback was

Ask what a typical day is like

Ask where they see the company going in the next several years

What are the three main qualities they are looking for in a candidate?

Greatest challenges – 6 months/1 year down the road

You want to ask the interviewer what he or she finds challenging about the company/his or her position

Ask about the backgrounds of the people interviewing you

How did they get where they are today? Where did they start?

​​

CLOSING THE INTERVIEW:

If the interviewer has left anything out that you need answered, ASK

Ask if there is anything in your background or qualifications that they would like you to elaborate on

If you are interested in the position, MAKE IT KNOWN

Have a firm handshake and the end of the interview and remember to thank them for their time

Arrive 10-15 minutes early for your interview