- You must be prepared to answer the interview questions you are likely to be asked. Review commonly asked interview questions. In addition, use the internet to gather sample interview questions specific to your field.
- Examine the job posting closely. Circle each of the required qualifications and parts of the job description. Be prepared to elaborate on each area.
- Relate your answers to what they are looking for in candidates for this position. For example, if the interviewer asks what your strongest skills are, your answer should include some of the skills that were listed as requirements on the job posting (assuming that those are skills you actually have!).
- Watch for clues from the interviewer. Throughout the discussion, they may provide useful clues as to what they are looking for in candidates. For example, if they mention that the company’s goal is to provide better supervision of the staff, make sure to talk about your supervision and leadership experience.
- Most candidates say too little in the interview. Be thorough in your responses and give examples to support your comments. For most interview questions, plan on spending at least one minute answering the question. That doesn’t mean ramble unnecessarily. If you can’t fill one minute, you probably didn’t prepare well enough.
- The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself. You need to overcome any shyness toward talking about yourself and even “tooting your own horn.” It’s difficult to convince someone that you are the person they want if you can’t promote your qualifications.
- Thoroughly research the employer. Go to the company website and learn as much as you can about the company and its history, culture, competitors, and performance. Also, become more familiar with the industry in which the company operates.
- Never badmouth previous employers, supervisors, or colleagues.
- If you don’t know the answer to question, acknowledge it (“That’s a good question”) and ask for a moment to compose your thoughts.
- Relax and let your true personality come out. In most cases, interviewers want to like you (or they wouldn’t have called you in and spent time interviewing you).