Preparing for a Job Interview
by HRD Research & Consulting
Okay - You've prepared your resume, mailed it to employers and remained glued to the telephone for days anxiously awaiting a call. Finally, you have been contacted and are scheduled for an interview. Now what do you do?
When contacted by a potential employer, you will first want to review the original job advertisement in preparation for your interview. Be sure to re-read the entire ad to determine whether or not you meet the education and experience requirements. If you do, prepare a brief synopsis of how your background matches the job qualifications. If you do not have the education or experience necessary, think of what other credentials you possess which would make you a likely candidate. Keep in mind, if you applied and were contacted for the position, you must have something in your background that meets the needs of the employer. Whatever it is, you will need to have those qualifications fresh in your mind during your interview.
In addition to reviewing the job advertisement, you should gather as much information as possible on the employer with which you will be interviewing. This can be done by visiting the company's Web site, obtaining a copy of the annual report, searching the Internet, or visiting your local library. If you do not already know, find out the exact industry and nature of the corporation. Has the company been doing well financially or is it struggling to stay in operation? Is the firm well know in its industry or is it a relative newcomer to the field? What press releases or articles have been recently generated about the company? Were they optimistic or pessimistic in their summary of the firm? These are just a few of the questions that you should have answered prior to your interview.
The next step is to prepare a list of questions which you think you might be asked during your interview. Standard questions expect you to detail your work history and explain how you feel your abilities will contribute to the success of the employer. While keeping these in mind, you should also consider a few less common questions such as: "Think of a time when you handled an angry client. How did you approach the problem and resolve the issue?", "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as an employee?", and "If you were given a project that normally required two weeks to complete and were told to finish in five days, what would you do?". Though it may sound silly, you should spend time practicing out loud your responses to the questions. You may have the answers fully developed in your mind, but if you cannot clearly communicate those ideas, you will not do well during your interview.
Lastly, before you arrive for your interview, be sure to obtain the name (with correct spelling) and title of the person with whom you will be meeting. Also, ask for directions to the office if you are not absolutely sure where it is located. It would be very unprofessional and embarrassing if you arrived late or could not remember the name of your interviewer. You can make sure you are prepared by jotting down the specific details and remembering take them with you.
Hopefully, the above recommendations will be useful. They will not eliminate all of the stress from preparing for an interview, but they should help you feel more confident that you have the process well under control.
Read the next article, "Acing the Interview."
