How well you interview will determine if you get the job. It is essential to know yourself and how your personality, characteristics, qualities and experiences relate to the position you are applying for. Prepare diligently for the interview and know what kinds of questions will be asked of you, in addition to what questions you intend to ask of the employer.

Finally, don’t forget to ask questions at your interview. Keep them relevant to the position and don’t ask about pay or benefits during the first interview.

Preparing for the Interview

The most important and useful thing you can do to prepare for an interview is practice. Study the common interview questions listed below and practice answering them. It may even be useful to write out the answers and read them several times – including right before the interview. Practice in mock-interview situations. Practice with your friends and family.

Analyze your answers and determine what will set you apart from other candidates. Relate those qualities and characteristics to the kinds of questions that will be asked in the interview. You can also use mistakes made in the past as examples of self-improvement if you have taken the initiative to improve in those areas.

Achievements

• Tell about a time when you displayed excellent customer service.
• Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.
• When you start a project, what kind of detail do you want and need from the boss, and what do you supply on your own?
• Have you ever introduced a new idea or improved a process? Can you describe what it covered, the steps you took to implement it and why you saw the need to introduce it?
• Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.

Character

• Describe an ethical dilemma/situation you have faced. How did you handle it?
• How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience?
• Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree.

Communication

• Tell about a situation when you had to speak up (be assertive) in order to get a point across that was important to you.
• Have you ever had to “sell” an idea to your co-workers or group? How did you do it? Did they “buy” it?
• Have you ever had difficulty getting others to accept your ideas? What was your approach? Did it work?
• Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you – maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.
• What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?

Conflict Resolution

• Tell about a situation in the past year in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker
• Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.
• Tell about a time when you dealt with a difficult person. How did you handle it and what happened?
• Describe a recent success you have had in dealing with a customer. How did you accomplish it?
• Tell about the most difficult client (or manager) you’ve dealt with. Describe the relationship and how you handled it. What would that person say about you now? Would you handle things differently if faced with similar situation in the future?

Decision Making

• Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
• Give an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.
• Tell us about the riskiest decision you’ve made.

Problem Solving

• Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
• Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
• Tell of the most difficult customer service experience you have ever handled – perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and the outcome.
• All jobs have frustrations. Describe some examples of your job which frustrate you.
• Tell about a time when you were confronted with an unexpected problem. How did you deal with it? What happened?

Leadership

• Give an example of when you had to show good leadership.
• What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style.
• What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
• In a supervisory or group leader rule, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?
• Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view.

Teamwork

• Tell about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done?
• Think about a difficult boss, professor or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?
• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
• Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager’s actions?
• Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.

Time Management

• How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?
• What do you do when your schedule is suddenly interrupted? Give an example.
• Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?

Dress to Impress

How you dress says more about you than you may realize. It demonstrates your attention to detail and your judgment of what is appropriate. These are two very important pieces of information for a potential employer. Whether we like it or not, people judge us by how we look. First impressions matter.

How You Should Dress

Conservative! Many organizations may allow casual attire or a casual day, but until you are quite certain about what it is, it is best to err on the conservative side. Conservative is also the rule on a job hunt. Even in companies where the culture is more casual, they still look for job seekers who stick with the classics.

The Classics

Conservative suits in dark colors – black, charcoal or navy – are ideal. Men should be in slacks, tie, suit/sport coat and dress shoes. Women should wear slacks or knee-length skirts, tailored suit coat and one-inch heels. All clothing should be ironed, and shoes should be buffed. Again, those who pay attention to every detail of their clothing probably pay attention to every detail on the job.

Beyond Your Clothing

It’s also imperative that you have a good haircut that is styled neatly, your hands and fingernails are clean and your breath is fresh. Also, wear a minimal amount of jewelry. Men should only wear a watch, a college ring and/or a wedding band. Women should limit their jewelry to stud earrings, two or three rings and a watch. All accessories should be simple and kept to a minimum. Lastly, do NOT wear cologne or perfume. You have no way of knowing whether or not your interviewer is allergic to perfumes. Play it safe.

There is no one perfect outfit. The general rule of thumb when interviewing is to dress one step above what you would wear on the job. Ultimately, you must decide what you are comfortable wearing and what is most appropriate for your situation. And don’t forget – a smile is always the best accessory.

Interview Etiquette

Responsiveness

• Maintain normal eye contact.
• Establish a give-and-take conversation.
• Don’t interrupt or monopolize the conversation.
• Be prepared with several questions you can ask about the position and the company.
• Asking questions indicates you are interested, eager, and willing to do the job.

Politeness

• Shake hands.
• Say thank you.
• Don’t sit down until the interviewer does.

Timeliness

• Arrive ten minutes before your scheduled appointment.

Preparation

• Have copies of your resume and references ready.
• Have your portfolio ready with examples of your work and accomplishments.
• Make sure you have done your research on the position and the company.

Honesty

• Never exaggerate or lie about your qualifications.
• Confess to areas where your knowledge is limited and then tell the employer how you plan to take corrective action.
• Help the interviewer by keeping your information relevant to the task at hand.

Follow-Up Letter

What occurs, or does not occur, after the interview often determines who gets the job. Even if you’ve done everything incredibly well up until now, not following-up with a thank you letter can kill your chances of getting the job. Employers often interview several people for each position, and you can get lost in the pile if you don’t follow-up and make yourself stand out from the crowd. The follow-up letter gives you the opportunity to thank the interviewer(s) for their time and restate why you are the perfect candidate.

This may seem like a trivial, even menial, task – but it is important. A follow-up letter is a step in the job-search process that many people overlook or take for granted. Show your follow through abilities, initiative, and respect by taking the time to craft a strong letter.

Components

Your follow-up letter should include the following:

• Address line: Use the full name of the interviewer, his or her title, and the company name and address.
• Subject line: “Re: Interview for the position of XXX on XX X, 2003”
• Salutation: Dear Mr./Ms (Don’t use Miss or Mrs.)
• Opening: “It was a pleasure…” “I appreciated meeting with you…”
• Body: Develop something you discussed in the interview that emphasizes how your qualifications will help the employer or add a point or two that did not occur to you during the interview.
• Closing: “I look forward to hearing from you.” “I look forward to the opportunity to work for your company.”
• Complimentary closing: “Sincerely,” or “Best regards,”

Guidelines

• Each letter should be an original. Never send photocopied or mass-produced letters.
• It should be signed in black ink.
• Print the letter on the same paper used for your resume and cover letter.
• A follow-up letter should not be more than one page long.
• Send the follow-up letter the same day or the day after the interview.
  • Sample Follow-up Letter