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| Interviewing With Confidence - Proving Your Worth |
Objective of an Interview:
For the interviewer:
- To assess the overall capability of the candidate in terms of skills, attitudes, values, intelligence and experience.
- To review and clarify resume information.
For the candidate:
- To market job skills and strengths
- To screen the employer and organization.
Types of Interview
There are several different types of interviews. If possible, learn what type of interview is scheduled before you arrive. You can do this by asking about the interview procedure, including the number of interviews, the purpose of each, and whom the interviewer will be:
Preliminary or Screening Interview - This is an initial interview to identify the best applicants and is usually conducted by someone in the company's HR department. Many companies conduct phone interviews for this purpose. This interview presents a wonderful opportunity to highlight job skills and enthusiasm.
Informal Interview- This interview has a more relaxed tone and sometimes may take place at an offsite location. When attending an interview that takes place during a meal, never drink alcohol even if invited to do so.
Formal Interview - This is the most common type of interview. It takes place in a one-on-one environment, and is usually conducted by one of the key individuals responsible for the hiring.
Panel Interview - This is when several people interview you at once. A key point to remember: establish eye contact with every panel member, not simply with the person who asked the question.
Group Interview - This is when you are interviewed in a group with other applicants. This allows the interviewer to evaluate how applicants interact with one another.
Stress Interview - In this interview, the interviewer purposely tries to create a stressful environment to see how you react (i.e. asking difficult questions, creating diversions). Do not be offended. Instead, maintain good eye contact and focus on a strong, confident delivery of your answer.
Advertising Interview - When an interviewer tries to "sell" you the job and asks little about you, this may be a danger sign. Try to discover the reason the job is being "sold" to you.
Preparing for the Interview
Complete a Self-Analysis - You can't sell something you don't understand. Review your skills. Know your strengths and the skills like the back of your hand. Focus on the strengths that are particularly relevant to the position for which you are interviewing. Remember: A major reason for extended unemployment is that applicants fail to prove their greatest skills for the job they're seeking.
Do Your Homework - Research the organization as much as possible. Find out its background, products and services, growth, corporate structure, and prospects for the future. This information will help you to answer important interview questions such as: "What interests you about our company"? and "What kind of contribution can you make to our company"?
Practice - Review the Frequently Asked Interviewing Questions and practice answering interview questions with a friend or family member until you feel confident enough that you could answer the questions inside out, backwards and forwards. At the very least, go over each question in your mind, or practice in front of a mirror. Knowing how you will answer these questions will generate confidence to interview well in every situation.
Also, review the Do's and Don'ts of Dynamic Interviewing.
Other Very Important Tips:
- Arrive at least 10 minutes early.
- Be polite to everyone you meet and greet.
- Remember to bring additional copies of your resume, references, letters of recommendation, etc.
- Take a good pen with you to fill out forms and a notebook to write down any important information.
The Interview
What is an Interview?
An interview occurs anytime you have a face-to-face meeting with a
person who has the authority to hire someone with your skills, even
if he or she does not currently have a job opening. Jobs are
created every day for people who can meet an employer's needs. By
defining an interview in this manner, you will be much better
prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that arise through
your personal contacts and contacting employers directly.
The Secret to Landing the Job
You may be the best person in the world at finding job openings,
finding an opening and landing the job are like night and day, and
each require separate skills. You need to interview well. You must
be able to prove that you can do the job and meet the employer's
needs. If you can prove to the employer that you can meet (and
exceed) their needs (i.e. saving them money, making a job more
efficient etc.) better than the other candidates, you will get the
job. Communicating what you can do for the employer is the key.
Proving Your Value
Most job hunters can't prove their top ten skills for the jobs in
which they are interviewing. In order to prove that you are the
applicant who should be selected, you first need to know what
relevant skills you possess, then you must be able to communicate
that you have the skills and proficiency in them to do the job.
("Proving" your skills means that you can give specific examples
that illustrate that you have the needed skills for the position in
question. For example, a graphic artist might prove she has the
skills to save the company money by saying, "I've had two years of
work experience designing and producing brochures, newsletters and
sales materials. I'm proficient with Quark and saved my employer
more than $10,000 this past year by performing tasks that he had
previously contracted out to a graphic artist. I am also skilled in
providing excellent customer service, handling pressure and meeting
deadlines.")
How to Tell the Interviewer About Yourself
Make sure to have an opening "oral resume" (2-3 minutes) polished
to respond to open-ended questions such as, "Tell me about
yourself." This is where you will give a brief outline of your
professional experience and background, with specific attention on
your value as a competent member of the team.
Other Tips
The most important answer to have prepared for is an answer to the
question, "Why should I hire you"? This question is the root from
which all other questions are created.
Keep in mind that the interviewer may be more nervous than you are (and less prepared). There is a lot of pressure in hiring someone.
Remember that it is not necessarily the person who is most qualified who gets the job. Rather, it is the person who can best communicate that they can perform the job, that gets the job.
Conclusion of the Interview
- Be sure to have your "Questions for the Interviewer" prepared.
- Ask the interviewer when he/she will be making a decision.
- Ask about salary, benefits or vacation only if you've been extended a job offer or are being seriously considered.
- Send a thank you note within 24 hours.
- If you don't hear anything when expected, take the initiative! Master the art of being "gently persistent". In other words, "bug" them in a polite fashion. For example, when you call you can say, "I interviewed with you (one week, two weeks) ago for the _______ position. I was calling to check where you are in the decision-making process".