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Purpose of the Interview

The interview is a mutual exchange of information between an employer and a candidate for a position. The primary objectives are:

• To supply information about yourself that is not contained in your resume; to show that you understand yourself and have a sense of direction in your career. 
• To enable the employer to evaluate your personality and attitudes in terms of the demands of the organization and the possible position. 
• To enable you to gain information about the organization and the job which is not available through other sources. 
• To give you and the employer an opportunity to discuss the desirability of further contact or an offer of employment. 

To impress an employer you must be well prepared and understand the value of what you have to offer and be able to relate your assets to the  position and the organization.  To accomplish this you must know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses.  Review your self assessment results and occupational information.  Review your resume and the job description.  Be prepared to answer questions about the contents and substantiate all points with information.  Employers may want to determine the level you are currently functioning and how you have grown over time in areas related to position, interpersonal and work skills, and motivation.  Some will ask you to talk about your failures and mistakes to find out what you have learned or have since done differently. 

Knowledge of Company/Organization

You must be familiar with the position and the organization so that you can demonstrate how and why you will be an effective employee.  Try to find out as much as you can about the organization prior to your interview.  Ask the company to send you material, such as the annual report, brochures, in-house newsletters or magazines.  Review the organization's Web site.  Obtain information, if you can, on whom you will be meeting with and the schedule for the interview period.  If you can find out about your interviewer such as, their names, titles, and background, in advance, you will be able to commit their names to memory and use them during the interviews.

Dress For Success

Your success or failure in the interview can depend on your appearance and the interviewer's first impression of you.  If it is not good, it will be much harder during the rest of the interview to change the interviewer's mind.  Look neat, clean and well-groomed.  Select proper clothing for the type of organization interviewing you. The generally accepted standard is to dress similar to the supervisors.   If in doubt, be conservative.

Interview Questions
For a list of sample interview questions and information relating to questions that are illegal for the employer to ask on an interview, go to INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.

Questions to Ask the Employer

Ask intelligent, well thought out questions to show the employer you are serious about the organization and need more information.  The questions, however, should be pertinent to the position and reflect your enthusiasm and knowledge. 

Examples:

• What do you see as the priorities for someone in this position? 
• Would you be able to describe a typical day on the job? 
• What would be a typical first-year assignment? 
• What training programs do you have available for your employees? 
• What level of responsibility could I expect in this position? 
• What qualities do you look for in new employees? 
• Is there a typical career path for a person in this position? 
• How are employees evaluated and promoted? 
• What is a realistic timeframe for promotion? 
• Does the company have a promotion-from-within policy? 
• What are the company's plans for the future? 
• What do you see as the greatest threat to the organization? 
• What/where are the greatest opportunities for the organization? 
• How would you describe your organization's management style and working 
• environment? 
• What do you like most about your organization? 
• Why is this position available? (Is it a new job or where did the former employee go?) 
• I feel confident that I would be able to do your job well, but do you have any doubts about my suitability?
• Do you have a copy of the detailed job description? 

In the United States, acknowledge introductions with a smile and a firm handshake.  Maintain good eye contact and smile when appropriate.  Be enthusiastic and responsive.  Radiate energy.  How are you going to demonstrate your enthusiasm if you tend to be a quiet person?  As you talk about your past and present activities in answer to questions, your passion and energy can be communicated both through the words of your stories and your body language (sparkling eyes and tone of voice).

Sit comfortably, without slouching.  Don't put anything on your lap or in your hands as it will restrict your natural body movement and you may be tempted to "play" with it.  Keep your clipboard, note pad, briefcase, or portfolio on the floor beside your chair for easy retrieval when necessary.

Respond to questions specifically and concisely but give sufficient details to enable the interviewer to evaluate your credentials.  Interviewers become frustrated when they have to listen to long rambling answers. Think before you speak.  It is quite acceptable to pause before talking in order to organize your thoughts, but think quietly.  Avoid verbal fillers such as um, ah, you know, etc., or repeating the question in order to provide thinking time.  Use business language.  Avoid slang.  Speak clearly.

Prepare in advance to talk about any topic that you are concerned or feel uncomfortable about.  If there is something that you don’t want an interviewer to inquire about, you can be sure that somehow the interviewer will sense it, and ask.  Practice your answer out loud often enough to feel confident when saying it.  Maintain poise and self control.  Maybe you need to think about that difficult issue as a learning opportunity which has made you a better person.  Answer questions truthfully.  If you are playing a game in order to get hired, you will be found out once you are on the job. 

One-On-One

The most common interview format is one interviewer speaking with one candidate.

Team/Board Interview With Two or More Persons

In the United States, the key is good eye-to-eye contact with the person who asks you the question, but remember to look at the other persons present periodically in order to include them in your answer.  Review the information relating to personality types.  Because there will be various personality types represented, it is important to realize they will be evaluating your responses from a variety of perspectives; some personality styles want details others the global perspective, some logic based others values based answers, some are looking for decision makers others want open to other ideas.  Answer each question from more than one perspective, for example, give the big picture and supplement it with details; give a logical bottom line answer but supplement it with a values based comment. 

Structured Interview

All candidates are asked the same questions for the employer's ease in evaluating applicants.  If there is important information that you have not conveyed by the end of the interview, when asked if you have any questions or anything to add, present your additional qualifications.  Usually the interviewer will make written notes of your answers. 

Unstructure Interview

In an unstructured interview, you have a better opportunity to convey information as there is no set agenda for questions by the interviewer.  However, you will have greater responsibility for structuring the interview, you need to be well prepared and know the points you want to make.

Telephone Interview

Because of the high cost of paying travel expenses for candidates to the employer's location, some first interviews are being conducted over the phone.  If the call surprises you and you are not ready for an interview, ask the person to call back in 15 minutes, or arrange another time which will be mutually convenient.  You need time to refresh your memory on the organization and what points about yourself you want to make.  All points about good interview skills still apply.  You just do not have to dress for the occasion.  However, you may find that dressing up may help you perform better.  Keep your resume and your list of questions to ask in front of you. Have a pen and paper available to note any comments or questions you may have during the interview.

Computer Interviews

Because of the number of qualified applicants available for positions, you may find that your first interview will be with a computer.  The purpose of this screening is to compare your answers to the information on your resume.  Be just as diligent with your answers as you would with a human interviewer.  You don’t want the computer to find reasons to screen you out.

Video Conferencing

Computer technology through on-line interview rooms allows companies to prescreen more candidates from farther afield than has been possible through visits to colleges and universities in the past.  The pool of applicants then invited to the company for personal interviews can be more comprehensive.  Recruiters conduct live, face-to-face interviews with job applicants via personal computers equipped with cameras and speakers.  Use the same strategies you would if you were meeting in person..  Clothing, body language, and dialogue do not differ.  Your agenda is to be offered an invitation to meet personally for a second interview at the company.

Second Interview - Plant/Office Visit

Except for short-term positions, a candidate being seriously considered by a prospective employer will be invited to visit the organization at one of its locations.  One purpose is to provide you with an opportunity to meet other staff.  The second is to give more people an opportunity to interview you at greater depth to determine whether a good match is developing. The visit can take an entire day, sometimes more.  When an organization offers to pay your expenses to travel to the interview, be prudent in submitting costs.  Your choice of moderate rather than luxurious accommodation, food, transportation, etc. will reflect your good judgement. 

Ending the Interview

When it appears that the interviewer is about to end the interview, there are certain points you should make sure you have covered before you leave the room: 

• Be aware of the interview process yet to come before a candidate is selected for the job (another interview in same/other location, meetings with other individuals in the organization, etc.) 
• Ask the interviewer when you can expect to hear about a decision or ask when you should make an inquiry as a follow-up. 
• Express your interest in the position and thank the interviewer for interviewing you. 
• Ask for a business card or ensure that you have the interviewer's name, title, address so that you can send a thank-you letter.  Make sure your letter arrives within 24 hours of the interview.

Employers usually have a formal rating sheet with predetermined areas such as:

• neat and clean overall appearance/poise/communicative skills 
• academic/work achievements (learning ability, standards of excellence) 
• special skills (technical, languages, creativity, management, analytic, negotiation) 
• personal characteristics (team player, enthusiasm, dependability, emotional stability, flexibility) 
• asssessment, goals/ambitions 
• leisure-time activities, balance in life 
• reaction to job/organization 
• potential 

To evaluate how well you did after each interview.,ask yourself:

• What points did I make that seemed to interest the employer? 
• Did I present my qualifications in the best manner possible, giving appropriate examples as evidence? 
• Did I pass up opportunities to sell myself, to demonstrate the work I do, and to show how profitably I could do it for both the organization and myself? 
• Did I talk too much? Too little? 
• Was I too tense? Passive? Aggressive? 
• Did I find out enough about the employer and the job to help in making a knowledgeable decision?

Evaluating Your Job Offer
When you receive a job offer it is important to review the opportunity in light of your long term goals, findings in your assessment results, occupational exploration, and company research to help you understand if this is offer is a match.  For more information on job offer evaluation, go to JOB OFFER EVALUATION.

Employer Contact Record

Keep a record of your employer research and contact information.

Employer Research
                Name of the organization
                Type of industry
                Products and services
                Financial picture
                Size of company

Contact Information
                Person, Title
                Organization
                Address, Phone
                Initial Contact Date
                Employer Response
                Date
                My Follow-up Date
                Job Interview Notes
                Job Offer
                Date
 

Links to More Information

Ace the Interview Quiz
http://quiz.ivillage.com/work/tests/interview.htm

iVillage's Makeover-o-Matic
http://www.substance.com/es/mom