The Unemployed Life
The Pre-Interview Checklist
Maybe it’s been a while since you were on the receiving end of a job interview. Maybe your current technique isn’t helping you snare a job. Or, are you simply ready to take your interviewing game up a notch? Whichever stage you’re at, these six tips will help you make the most of your next meeting.
- Craft an answer to “Tell me about yourself.” And write it down. And practice it. We suggest the response be three to four minutes long, and highlight your accomplishments and experience with the skills that are critical to the job, as well as explain your progression between positions.
- Ask questions during the interview—and don’t think them up while you’re sitting in the interview. To come up with ideas, research your potential employer: What is the company’s mission statement? What do the most recent press releases talk about? Who are three of the company’s biggest competitors?
- Interviewers often adopt a friendly style over lunch, during tours and in other situations outside of the office. Stay professional regardless of the situation. We have watched job seekers do great in a series of interviews, then sabotage their chances by dropping their professionalism at lunch.
- The company will want to know your expectations and goals, but their priority is not satisfying your needs. So be prepared to talk about your personal goals, but limit the discussion to the questions you are asked. Stay focused on selling your potential; don’t kill an opportunity by focusing on your desires.
- If you’ve lost your job, your self-confidence may be shaky. Attitude and self-assurance play a big role in your interview effectiveness. So review and focus on your past successes. If you’re having serious trouble rebuilding your self-esteem, seek professional help—for your emotional well-being and your job prospects.
- Avoid Salary Creep. We’ve watched a number of candidates “give themselves a raise” during the interview process. If you are given a target or range of compensation at the start of the game, it is unlikely that it will increase over the course of the selection process, no matter how complimentary your interviewers are. That’s especially true these days, so maintain realistic expectations.
Gary Capone and Mark Henderson co-founded Palladian International, a Virginia-based executive recruiting firm specializing in manufacturing, distribution and defense industries. They are the authors of Power Up Your Job Search: A Modern Approach to Interview Preparation.
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This is all extremely helpful. I’d also recommend watching out for one very dangerous trick question: “Tell me about one weakness you have on the job” or something like that. If an interviewer asks that and you say you don’t have a weakness, you look like a liar or clueless. But if you offer a genuinely damaging weakness, you’re sunk. So you need an answer in case someone asks this loaded question, but an answer that is not terribly damning. Like “sometimes I get so involved in my work and so committed that I get a little impatient if a co-worker seems indifferent.”