Interviewing
General Tips
- Always be on time – 10-15 minutes early. DO NOT BE LATE. No excuses.
- Be sure to wear professional attire and be neatly groomed. No heavy
fragrances.
- Research the company’s web site before the interview – know what they
are about.
- Have extra copies of your resume.
- Greet the interviewer by name, shake hands firmly and maintain eye
contact.
- Be clear and concise in your responses. No one wants to listen to
rambling.
- Emphasize your strengths and be positive!
- Never speak negatively about past employers or positions.
- Ask job-related questions.
- If you want the job – tell the employer you want the job.
- Thank the interviewer for taking the time and opportunity to discuss
the position.
- Always send a Thank You Note after the interview.
(Check out our sample thank you)
The Secret to Interview
Success
Don't Talk Yourself Out of a
Job
How to Answer Interview
Questions
What Should You Ask the
Interviewer?
Sample Questions
Sample
Thank You Note
The Secret to Interview Success - By Bill Radin
Assuming you’re qualified for the job, the outcome of your employment
interview will be dependent on your ability to discover needs and empathize
with the interviewer.
You can do this by asking questions that verify your understanding of what
the interviewer has just said, without editorializing or expressing an
opinion. By establishing empathy in this manner, you’ll be in a better
position to freely exchange ideas, and demonstrate your suitability for the
job.
In addition to empathy, there are four other intangible fundamentals to a
successful interview. These intangibles will influence the way your
personality is perceived, and will affect the degree of rapport, or personal
chemistry you’ll share with the employer. They are:
- Enthusiasm. Leave no doubt as to your level of interest
in the job. You may think it’s unnecessary to do this, but employers often
choose the more enthusiastic candidate in the case of a two-way tie.
Besides, it’s best to keep your options open. Wouldn’t you rather be in a
position to turn down an offer, than have a prospective job evaporate from
your grasp by giving a lethargic interview?
- Technical interest. Employers look for people who love
what they do, and get excited by the prospect of tearing into the
nitty-gritty of the job.
- Confidence. No one likes a braggart, but the candidate
who’s sure of his or her abilities will almost certainly be more favorably
received.
- Intensity. The last thing you want to do is come across
as “flat” in your interview. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a
laid back person; but sleepwalkers rarely get hired.
Most employers are aware of how stressful it can be to interview for a
new position, and will do everything they can to put you at ease.
Other Important Factors
Since interviewing also involves the exchange of tangible information,
always make sure to present your background in a thorough and accurate
manner and gather data concerning the company, the industry, the position,
and the specific opportunity
A worthwhile interviewing goal is to link your abilities with the company
needs in the mind of the employer so you can build a strong case for why the
company should hire you. The more you know about each other, the more
potential you’ll have for establishing rapport, and making an informed
decision. top
Don’t Talk Yourself Out of a Job - By Bill Radin
There are two ways to answer interview questions: the short version and the
long version. When a question is open-ended, I always suggest to candidates
that they say, “Let me give you the short version. If we need to explore
some aspect of the answer more fully, I’d be happy to go into greater depth,
and give you the long version.”
The reason you should respond this way is because it’s often difficult to
know what type of answer each question will need. A question like, “What was
your most difficult assignment?” might take anywhere from thirty seconds to
thirty minutes to answer, depending on the detail you choose to give.
Therefore, you must always remember that the interviewer’s the one who asked
the question. So you should tailor your answer to what he or she needs to
know, without a lot of extraneous rambling or superfluous explanation. Why
waste time and create a negative impression by giving a sermon when a short
prayer would do just fine?
Let’s suppose you were interviewing for a sales management position, and the
interviewer asked you, “What sort of sales experience have you had in the
past?”
Well, that’s exactly the sort of question that can get you into trouble if
you don’t use the short version/long version method. Most people would just
start rattling off everything in their memory that relates to their sales
experience. Though the information might be useful to the interviewer, your
answer could get pretty complicated and long-winded unless it’s neatly
packaged.
One way to answer the question might be, “I’ve held sales positions with
three different instrumentation companies over a nine-year period. Where
would you like me to start?”
Or, you might simply say, “Let me give you the short version first, and you
can tell me where you want to go into more depth. I’ve had nine years
experience in instrumentation product sales with three different companies,
and held the titles of district, regional, and national sales manager. What
aspect of my background would you like to concentrate on?”
By using this method, you telegraph to the interviewer that your thoughts
are well organized, and that you want to understand the intent of the
question before you travel too far in a direction neither of you wants to
go. After you get the green light, you can spend your interviewing time
discussing in detail the things that are important, not whatever happens to
pop into your mind. top
How to Answer Interview Questions - By Bill Radin
Here are eight of the most commonly asked (and basic) interviewing
questions. Do yourself and the prospective employer a favor, and give them
some thought before the interview occurs.
- Why do you want this job?
- Why do you want to leave your current job?
- What are your personal and professional goals?
- What do you like most about your current job?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- What do you like least about your current job?
The last question is probably the hardest to answer: What do you like
least about your current job?
I’ve found that rather than pointing out the faults of others (as in, “I
can’t stand the office politics,” or, “My boss is a jerk”), it’s best to
place the burden on yourself (“I feel I’m ready to exercise a new set of
professional muscles,” or, “The type of technology I’m interested in isn’t
available to me now.”). By answering in this manner, you’ll avoid pointing
the finger at someone else, or coming across as a whiner or complainer. It
does no good to speak negatively about others.
I suggest you think through the answers to the eight questions above for two
reasons.
First, it won’t help your chances any to hem and haw over fundamental issues
such as these. (The answers you give to these types of questions should be
no-brainers.)
And second, the questions will help you evaluate your career choices before
spending time and energy on an interview. If you don’t feel comfortable with
the answers you come up with, maybe the new job isn’t right for you.
top
What Should You Ask the Interviewer? - By Bill Radin
A job interview will quickly disintegrate into an interrogation or monologue
unless you ask some high quality questions of your own. Candidate questions
are the lifeblood of any successful interview, because they create dialogue
and help clarify your understanding of the company and the position
responsibilities.
In addition the questions you ask serve to indicate your grasp of
fundamental issues, reveal your ability to probe beyond the superficial and
challenge the employer to reveal his or her own depth of knowledge and
commitment to the job.
Your questions should always be slanted in such a way as to show empathy,
interest, or understanding of the employer’s needs. After all, the reason
you’re interviewing is because the employer’s company has a piece of work
that needs to be completed, or has a problem that needs correcting. Here are
some questions that have proven to be very effective:
- What’s the most important issue facing the company (or department)
- How can I help you accomplish this objective?
- How long has it been since you first identified this need?
- How long have you been trying to correct it?
- Have you tried using your present staff to get the job done? If so,
what was the result?
- Is there any particular skill or attitude you feel is critical to
getting the job done?
- Is there a certain aspect of my background you’d like to exploit to
help accomplish your objectives?
Questions like these will not only give you a sense of the company’s
goals and priorities, they’ll indicate to the interviewer your concern for
satisfying the company’s objectives. top
Sample Questions
The following questions can help you prepare for your interview. Think about
how you will answer these questions before meeting with your potential
employer. Give clear, concise and honest answers.
Tell me about yourself.
Use what you have learned about the company and position to emphasize
experiences and accomplishments that fit position requirements.
Summarize your qualifications for this job.
Review the job description prior to the interview. Highlight your skills
that match the main points in the job description.
How much do you know about this company?
Research the company and be able to summarize what they do and their
mission.
Tell me about your last job. What did you do?
Explain your duties and highlight your achievements.
Tell me about a difficult situation in your last job and how you
solved it?
Give a specific example that highlights skills mentioned in the job
description.
What are your weaknesses?
The best way to answer this is to offer a characteristic that you consider
a shortcoming but others may perceive as strength such as “I am a
perfectionist.” You can also explain recent steps you have taken to
overcome your weakness.
How will your skills and abilities fit with this job?
Emphasize your top 2-3 strengths that relate to the position. Show how
your skills match the position requirements.
Why did you leave your last job?
Try not to be negative about a present or past employer. Statements such
as lack of career growth can demonstrate your motivation.
What can you do for our company?
This is your chance to shine. Don’t be humble! Explain how you can
contribute to company success.
What are your goals?
This is a popular question. Have long and short term goal statements
prepared. Your goals should pertain to or be related to the position.
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Sample Thank You Note:
July 15, 2xxx
Mr. Dave Smith, V.P.
XYZ Corporation
155 Corporate Way
Minnetonka, MN 55555
Dear Mr. Smith,
Thank you for taking the time to discuss the Field Service Engineer
position at XYZ Company with me. After meeting with you and discussing the
position, I am further convinced that my background and skills coincide well
with your company’s needs.
I really appreciate that you took so much time to acquaint me with XYZ. I
feel I could learn a great deal by working for this company and would
certainly enjoy working with you and your team.
In addition to my strong qualifications and previous electronics
experience, I will bring excellent work habits and judgment to this
position. With the importance of the equipment that is being handled, I am
sure that you require people who can be trusted to carry out their duties in
a responsible and timely manner..
I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any further questions,
please feel free to call me at 000-111-2222. Again, thank you for your time
and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Please keep in mind that this is just an example. Should you choose
to use this as a reference, be sure to change any and all information
according to your personal interview information.
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