A Guide To Successful Interviewing

Always be yourself, genuine character shines through.

Review your accomplishments, skills, abilities and aptitudes.

Decide what you want to draw attention to in the interview.

Mentally, then verbally rehearse your presentation.

Practice your presentation with a spouse, friend or colleague.

How do you set a proactive tone from the start?

Think about the skills you have developed; your talents, abilities and aptitudes.

How have you grown through your achievements in and outside of work?

Choose specific examples of your progress in developing new business, retaining or winning back unhappy customers; the improvements you made to existing processes; cost reductions achieved; profits boosted; shareholder value increased, etc.

Do research on the company, view the website, review applicable industry journals, Dun & Bradstreet assessments, Scott's Directories, Reference libraries for information.

When setting up meetings, offer before or after hours flexibility.

Select clothing that does not distract the interviewer.

Remember that your sense of self-control, enthusiasm, openness, maturity and self-confidence are all transmitted through body language; poise and power are conveyed through your movements, reactions, speech modulation and eye-contact.

The quality of your handshake forms an impression; a limp grasp can be interpreted as passivity; an overly vigorous handshake as insecurity or aggression; offer your hand first, if possible, it denotes friendliness and approachability.

Ask the interviewer how he/she would like to begin as this may determine the interviewer's agenda in the meeting, (see Interviewing Styles/Self-Marketing page).

Ask if you can take notes as this displays interest in the proceedings and is practical to record important aspects of the job which come under discussion.

Use open-ended questions (ones which cannot be answered by a simple 'yes' or 'no') to create a flow of information; after answering a question, follow up with an open-ended one to obtain clarification or shift the discussion to areas you consider important to explore.

Open-ended questions begin with 'who, what, where, when, why or how' or 'describe, explain, outline, clarify', etc.

Speak positively about past-employers; avoid being critical or defensive if you had a bad experience with a past/present employer; negativity leaves a lasting impression.

Don't assume that the interviewer knows what is in your resume, point out those achievements and skills which best tell the interviewer who you are and what you can do.

Avoid being abrupt or rambling, stay on topic and answer questions directly.

Be aware of what the interviewer's reactions are to what you have to say.

Speak at a moderate pace (such as television announcers use), refuse to allow yourself to be rushed and maintain friendly eye-contact.

Have reasons why you are interested in the position and be ready to give them when asked.

When asked about compensation, avoid boxing yourself in to specific figures; outline what your current or immediate past earnings are/were and convey your interest in the opportunity under discussion; follow up with an open-ended question: "What range are you offering?", or a similar type of question.

Ask the time-frame involved in a final decision being made on the person being hired; you need to know if there are lengthy delays likely due to other people being involved in the hiring process.

Offer to leave a list of past employer references or copies of actual employer reference letters and ensure that their telephone numbers are updated.

Thank the interviewer for the opportunity to meet and reiterate your interest in the opportunity, if applicable.

Send a thank-you note after the interview, affirming your interest in the position

Summary:

Always be yourself.

Review your accomplishments.

Choose examples of your progress.

View the employer's website.

Research the company in related journals/reference library.

Offer to meet before or after hours.

Be punctual and call if you are going to be late.

Offer a warm handshake.

Ask how the interviewer wants to begin.

Use open-ended questions to gather information.

Speak positively about your work-history.

Point out your achievements and skills.

Take notes of important details.

Offer to leave updated references.

Thank the interviewer for the opportunity to meet.

Follow up with a thank-you note or e-mail.

Most people do not interview for a living. Otherwise successful and competent people can find being interviewed to be stressful. Presenting yourself effectively and leaving a positive impression in the interviewer's mind requires focus, clarity, sincerity and preparation.

Following the above guidelines will help to ensure that the interview is both mutually enjoyable and a productive exchange of important information.

Employer Interviewing Styles:

Hiring managers employ various techniques when interviewing potential employees. The following are some of the methods and tactics in corporate use.

The Group: Used primarily for volume recruitment with two or more applicants interviewed together, answering open or rotating questions, to assist in determining applicant competitiveness.

The Co-workers: One or more future colleagues ask questions with their superior to assess team qualities and attitudes in prospective group members; interview roles and questions are established beforehand; allowing superiors to see group interaction skills of present and future staff.

The Behavioral: Applicants are tested on decision-making, problem-solving and attitudes and values; open probes are used to encourage the applicant to talk about specifics; examples of how applicants handled certain situations are asked for, indicating applicant's character, values and general maturity.

The Technical: Job knowledge is tested to qualify the applicant for further consideration; knowledge of procedures, processes and technical industry jargon is verified; typing tests or similar assessment tools may be administered on the spot; interviewer questions center on actual functions and daily duties.

The Aggressive: A challenging tone is established by interviewers) at the beginning; stress is created to see how applicants react under pressure; knowledge and performance may be questioned with a skeptical attitude; the applicant's poise and self-control are probed for weak points.

The Written: Applicants are required to provide written answers to questions; determines basic skills, aptitudes and work experience; provides interviewer with a record of responses and statements; indicates writing skills, grammar and spelling.


Common Interviewing Mistakes

Based on a survey conducted with 153 North American Executive Search Firms serving a broad range of industries.

Poor or casual personal appearance.

Lack of interest and enthusiasm: passive and indifferent.

Over-emphasis on money: interested only in best dollar offer, benefits, hours, vacation

Condemnation of past employers: bitterness.

Failure to look at the interviewer when conversing.

Limp, clammy handshake.

Late to interview.

Asks no questions about job or company.

Indefinite response to questions.

Over-bearing, over-aggressive and conceited attitude.

Know-it-all or arrogant demeanor.

Inability to express self clearly: poor diction and grammar.

Lack of planning for career: no purpose and/or goals.

Lack of confidence and poise: nervous and ill at ease.

Expects too much too soon: impatient and demanding.

Makes excuses, evasive: hedges on unfavorable factors in track record.

Lack of tact, diplomacy, courtesy: ill-mannered.

Lack of maturity.

Lack of vitality.

Indecision and hesitation: timidity.

Low moral standards, cynical, lazy.

Intolerant: has strong prejudices.

Inability to take criticism: volatile temper.

Incomplete, sloppy or illegible application.