Interviewing 

You have an interview.....great!  Now is the time to get ready for that all-important first meeting.  Remember that interviewing can be a long, drawn out process.  It is not unusual to have to go through 3, 4 or 5 rounds of interviews before a decision is made.  While it's frustrating, know that it is part of the process, and prepare yourself for a long wait.

• Once the interview is scheduled, do your homework.  With the amount of information available today, there is no excuse for anyone not to know a great deal about the organization - their products, services, locations, etc.  The more you know about the company for which you are interviewing, the better you will feel, and the more prepared you will be.
• Do not discount your appearance and behavior when you are being interviewed.  If you are asked to wait for the interviewer, be sure you wait patiently, do not rummage through your hand bag or briefcase, do not make calls on your cell phone.  The best thing you can do is sit patiently, flip through a magazine, or review your resume.  All the little things you do will be noticed.
• Dress appropriately for the company.  However, even if the company has a casual dress policy, you should opt for more formal, business attire.  Appearance absolutely counts!  Regardless of what you choose to wear, be certain your outfit is clean and pressed - and your shoes are polished and scuff-free.   You don't have to spend a great deal of money to be well dressed - neatness counts here too.

Questions To Expect

Tell me about yourself..... 

While this seems to be a pretty easy questions, be aware that the interviewer is not looking for a list of your accomplishments - she has that on your resume - she is looking for you to describe yourself in real terms.  "I enjoy a challenging position because.....", "I've been able to....." Opening sentences such as these leads you into your 'story'. Be prepared to tell your story.

Why do you want to work here? 

Be sure to mention how you admire the industry, market, product, etc.  Mention that you've always had an interest and would love to learn more about it and are prepared to learn a great deal.

What salary are you looking for? 

Try to stay away from an exact figure.  The best way to handle this is to stress your interest in the role, rather than the pay itself.  If they dig deeper, mention the range you are most comfortable with.  The lower end of the range should be the lowest amount you would accept, or the salary at your last position.

Why should we hire you? 

Stress some of your attributes here.  Mention how well you've mastered a certain program, or the fact that you pride yourself on your attention to detail.  Think back on some of the accolades you received on past performance reviews - these are the details you want to highlight for this type of question.

What is your greatest weakness? 

The first thing you want to do here is re-phrase the question - you can say "my greatest area of improvement is...." and then mention something you know you need to improve.  Maybe you are not an excel whiz, or perhaps you need to improve you presentation skills  - these are areas you know you need to work harder to improve.

Tell me about your previous boss..... 

This is not the time to get things off your chest.....if you did not have a good relationship with your former boss, stay away from making negative comments or complaining.  Rather, you may want to mention that your previous boss was very demanding, and, at times, it didn't seem possible to meet the short deadlines or timeframes.  However, also mention that you learned a great deal about time management from this individual, and it has helped you better plan your time.

Tell me about a time when you experienced failure - how did you handle it, and what have your learned?  

People generally do not like to dwell on failure, or on circumstances that did not turn out well.  However, there will always be times when you can learn from a situation, and how small improvements will generate a more favorable outcome.  You can cite a time perhaps when you were planning an event, but the speaker cancelled at the last minute and you had to scramble to find a replacement.  Perhaps you learned to always have a back up plan in place so this could be avoided in the future.

If we were to speak with your former boss, what would we hear? 

Here you want to balance what you say - you can mention that your boss would say you were dependable and dedicated.  You can also say that your former boss may mention that you were a quick learner and was always eager to go the extra mile.  To balance this statement, you may also want to mention that your desire to go the extra mile sometimes stretched your time frames and the boss was concerned about too many dishes spinning at once.

Questions You Should Ask

To prepare for the interivew, you will have done your research on the company, and most of that information will have been discussed during the interview itself.  However, you should always be prepared to ask the interviewer questions outside the realm of the company or position itself.  Here are a few samples:

How do you describe success? 

The answer the interviewer gives here will give you an indication of what is expected of employees in the organization.

How would current employees describe the culture here? 

The answer here will give you a snapshot of how people feel about the company.  Another good way to get a feel for the culture is to observe people while you wait for the interview.  If you are in the reception area, you are bound to see interaction among current employees. 

After hearing about my experience and my credentials, do you feel I would be a good fit for the opportunity? 

This is a good way to get an idea of what the ideal candidate looks like, and what the company considers the right fit.

Check this page often for updates and more information on interviewing!  If you would like more information on this topic, contact CausaAssociates, LLC for details about the Teleseminar Six Things To Know About Job Hunting at 800.287.4713 today!