7_Preparing for the Interview

7/26/2019 7_Preparing for the Interview

1/14

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

When the employer or recruiter callsWhen the HR person or recruiter calls to set up an interview ask for these things:

What are the three most important business objectives a person in this position will need to accomplish?

Why are they important to the company?

NO!: "#f you$re not able to get this %uestion in beforehand& you can still ask it right at the start of the

interview'(

Who will be interviewing me? "his enables you to learn about them via the WWW prior to the interview(

Write down how you can accomplish those objectives' #nclude relevant past e)perience and training and a plan for accomplishing

the objectives'

What to do when the interview start to go badlyhe interview started out great' hings were going well when all of a sudden you were asked a %uestion that completely threw you

off your game' *fter you answer the %uestion you keep thinking about it'How can you change the situation and get the interview back on track?

+' ,top and rela)' ake a deep breath and get your thoughts in order'

-' he good news is that the interview can still be turned around' .ou must focus on the customer$s needs and the

%uestions being asked NOW' Relate the %uestions to the customer$s needs and then create a solution/answer to the

%uestion'

0' Observe the tone of voice and the body language of the people interviewing you' #f they have decided you are not thebest candidate then they will get board or upset'

#f they are board you need to be positive& invigorate the people in the room with a happy attitude and customer

focused answers' 1se your body language to increase the energy in the room' Wave your arms& point at things etc' #f they are upset or nervous then you need to rela) them by being rela)ed yourself' ake on a conservative attitude

that will re2assure them you are a responsible person that can be depended upon'

3' #t is standard practice at the end of the interview to be asked if you have any additional %uestions' 1se this time to ask%uestions that will show them:

.ou have done your homework

.outhink strategically

.ouare aware of cutting edge technology and approaches to doing business'

4onot discuss the %uestions that you had a hard time with'

5reparation used in all interviews,ome of the best advice for achieving your goals is summed up in the words of 6ouis 5asteur:78hance favors the prepared mind'7 .ou may have also heard 7luck is when opportunity meets

preparedness7 create your own 7luck7 by being prepared :9(

+' et personal business cards with contact information ; 3 or < words of what you have to offer an employer' # get my

cards from =istaprint'com'

-' 8reate a compelling message that appeals to the employer>s self2interest while ordinary job seekers aresimply asking for a job'


2/14

0' Know as much about the company as possible to help create an effective message.

et on their web site and memori@e their products and services'

6ook at their press release section for news'

alk to a few people about what they know "call the receptionist& sales people& service reps etc'(

8ontact a stockbroker' hey have access to industry and company research and annual reports' Aind out if

they are in a fast growth mode& or are they in a conservative mode from undesirable performance'

,earch for articles on the company in industry trade maga@ines and news papers'

6ook online for comments& discussions& blogs& forums& and additional insights' ,earch oogle and the employer>s web site for press releases announcing new employees' .ou>ll often

find reasons why those people were hired'

6ook for good news about the company'

6ook for challenges that the company is facing& and think about how you might contribute to their success'

8ontact customers and competitors of the target employer' *sked them& $What is it about 8ompany *B8

that keeps you awake at night?$ or $What makes your product or service superior to *B8$s product or

service$ you can learn a lot of valuable information this way'

8reate a one page paper with a summary of their products and corporate strategies' #nclude your findings

about their top two or three competitors with an eye toward identifying key similarities and differences'

*lso include their products& services& customer demographics& and how the company was started& who the

founders are& and if the founders are still with the company' they want to know that you care enough about

7their7 company and the job you are applying for to have done your homework

3' 6earn about the great things people interviewing you have done' his makes it easy to talk about common

interests and helps you get to know them before they even meet you' #t also demonstrates that you do your

homework'

,earch online for personal resume web sites and general information about every one you will be

interviewing with to find positive things about them or if you have anything in common'

8heck to see if the people interviewing you have 6inked2#n or face book web sites' #f they do print it out

and put it in your primary portfolio' #t may come in handy to compliment people on their accomplishments

4on$t ever provide negative advice or e)pose negative information'


3/14

Websites to help your preparation:Work source:

https://fortress'wa'gov/esd/worksource/!mployment'asp)ideos on preparing for an interview:

http://newgradlife'blogspot'com/-CCD/+-/job2interview2interview2%uestions'htmlideo on interviewing in person:

http://newgradlife'blogspot'com/-CCD/+-/job2interview2%uestions2tell2me2about'html

enture beat:http://venturebeat'com/!op "# personal branding tips:

http://internsover3C'blogspot'com/-CCD/++/top2+C2tips2for2personal2brandingE+C'html$alery.com:

http://sw@'salary'com/salarywi@ard/layoutscripts/sw@lEselectjob'asp?hd,earchByOptionFC;hd6ocationOptionFC;rdb,earchByOptionFC;rdb6ocationOptionFC;hd,ortByFC;hdGeywordFor

acle-Cdba;hdIob8ategoryF;hdJip8odeFDKC0C;@ipcopeFDKC0C;hd,tateLetroF;hdI,Bool4isplay*dver$alary e%pectations:

http://www'livecareer'com/report/report'asp)?pagecdF,6RN;rcdF,R+C;productidFM;uridF-33-


4/14

5reparing for the phone interview "part+(0aterial to have displayed on your computer or printed

* pen and paper for taking notes with the name and phone number of the interviewer at

the top'

* picture of something that makes you feel happy

5ut on your smile and keep it on until the interview is over

enuinely feel and e)press interest in resolving their needs

he gettingEtheEjobEoutlineEofEimportantEthings'doc

+ color copy of your resume

* printout of the company$s entire web site "with notes and %uestions written on it(

* printout of the job description "with notes and %uestions written on it(

* 7Re%uirement ualification Aulfillment7 document' !mail me and # will send you a

sample'

* printout of any interesting press releases you have found'

Have a story1e%ample for each bullet on the 2ob description and each bullet in your resume.

#nclude the challenges you were up against'

*ction you took to overcome these challenges'

Results you achieved'

5olicy put in place to prevent the problem from re2occurring'

". 3e an e%pert at answering this 4uestion 5!ell me about yourself5

When they say 7tell me about yourself?7

What they are really asking is:

7ell me why # should hire you for this job?7

7ell me how you can solve my problems?7

NO!: ,tart with the last job you had and tell how that job %ualified you for this position'

Relate other e)perience you have to their needs' 1se e)ample of past achievements' 4oesn$t talk about you very

much& instead focus on the benefits your employer received as a result of your contribution and the benefits youthink the current company will receive from your employment?

NO!: .our objective is to identify their needs and match your skill sets to those needs' 4on$t tell them aboutyour hobbies or anything else that is not related to the job you are applying for' he e)ception to this is if you

know they have a hobby that you also share'

,. Write down answers to standard 4uestions such as:

.our strengths'

Where you want to be in the future'

What was the worst project you have been involved with?

-. Write down the answers to difficult 4uestions you don6t want to be asked.

4on$t shy away from these %uestions and hope they won$t be asked' !)pect them to be asked and have your

answers composed& practiced& and ready to go' ,ome %uestions to tackle are:

.our weaknesses'

#f you have a gap in your resume& have a good response for when you are asked about it'

#f you were fired or laid off& be prepared to tell the employer why with a positive spin'

#f your job was outsourced or the company went out of business'

NO!: N!=!R 6#! about anything' Remember what goes around& comes aroundS and

lies will catch up with you some day'

#5: oogle often has advice on answering tough %uestions'


5/14

3' Write down an introductionS an opener that says who you are and what you do' his is your C secondelevator speech that should leave the person e)cited about working with you and wanting to learn more about

you' #t$s a tool that helps you target your skills to meet the employer>s needs' #t allows you to summari@e your

most marketable strengths in a brief and concise manner' .our elevator speech can be used to answer these

common %uestions:

What are your strengths?

Why should # hire you?

What makes you think you are %ualified? What makes you think you can succeed at this job?

Why do you want this job?

#nclude:

a( .our past title or the title you are applying for'

b( he type of work you have been doing as it relates to the job'c( How you can help them with challenges they are confronting'

d( How you can fill a gap in their team skill sets'

e( How well you work as a 7team 5layer7 through collaboration and helping others succeed'

f( Why you are e)cited to be interviewing with this company'


6/14

=. 4ress for success' 4ressing for success will help you feel successful even though they cannot see youthrough the phone line'

>. Be poised& confident& upbeat& passionate& and e)cited about their company'

. Reveal what you honestly like about the person or the company' ,incere flattery starts the interview off in

a positive way' Lention something flattering about the persons 6inked#n ,ite or their personal web site' ,ay

something flattering about the company that you have discovered via their web site or oogle research'

"#. Be interested in them and the challenges they are hiring you to overcome'

"". Write down the name and job title of each person'",. *nswer %uestions and ask them' Remember& it$s a two way conversation& and an opportunity for both

parties to see if there is a match' hink of this as a meeting not an interview where your objective is to identify

their challenges and propose solutions to those challenges'

"-. Gnow what %uestions NO to ask' 4on$t ask about salary& bonuses& vacation time& benefits& or your office

space' 4on$t ask about on2call or overtime e)cept in the conte)t of doing it for no additional pay because on2call

and/or overtime comes with that type of work'

". Lake sure you cover anything that was not discussed in the interview before you leave' Aor e)ample:

4id you cover your 0 points?

4id you tell the interviewer what makes you different?

4id you handle all objections properly?

4id you ask the %uestions you wanted to ask?

8over these nowS afterwards may be too late'

";. ell the interviewer again why you want the job'

"7. *sk what the hiring process is& and when you can follow up with them again'


7/14

5reparing for the 7in person7 interview "part+(". &rinted material for the interview

0 to < color copies of your resume to hand out

,. &repare an @nterview Aolder for you to useof things that might be helpful at the interview'

a( 5ut your portfolio in a very nice briefcase or plastic report cover

b( he document: ettingEtheEjobEoutlineEofEimportantEthingsc( he document: uestionsEtoEaskEatEanEinterview

d( 4irections to the interview location

e( * printout of the company$s entire web site "with notes and %uestions written on every page(

f( * printout of the job description "with notes and %uestions written on it(

g( * printout of any interesting press releases about the employer$s successes'

-. &repare several )areer &ortfolios of things to leave with each person interviewing you

NO!: # always print at least < portfolios even if 7only one person7 will be interviewing me

a( 5ut your portfolio in a very nice briefcase or plastic report cover

b( !ither the cover letter you originally sent with the resume or a new one customi@ed for the job

re%uirements'

c( * 7Re%uirement ualification Aulfillment7 document' !mail me and # will send you a sample'd( * color copy of your resume'

e( *wards you have received'

f( * copy of 8ertificates and 4iplomas'

g( 6etters of recommendation from past employers or college professors'

h( Recommendation people have written on your 6inked #n site'

i( !)amples of your work "documents and programming code you authored('

j( ,taple your business card to the cover of the portfolio'

. Have a story1e%ample for each bullet on the 2ob description and each bullet in your resume.

1se the $!8*approach

$ituation

#nclude the challenges you were up against' !ask

4escribe the root cause and what needed to be done

8ction

*ction you took to overcome these challenges'

*esults

Results you achieved'

5olicy put in place to prevent the problem from re2occurring'

;. 3e an e%pert at answering this 4uestion 5!ell me about yourself5

When they say 7tell me about yourself?7

What they are really asking is:

*' 7ell me why # should hire you for this job?7B' 7ell me how you can solve my problems?7

NO!: ,tart with the last job you had and tell how that job %ualified you for this position'

Relate other e)perience you have to their needs' 1se e)ample of past achievements' 4on$t talkabout you very much& instead focus on the benefits your employer received as a result of your

contribution and the benefits you think the current company will receive from your employment?

NO!: .our objective is to identify their needs and match your skill sets to those needs' 4on$t tell

them about your hobbies or anything else that is not related to the job you are applying for' he

e)ception to this is if you know they have a hobby that you also share'

7. Write down answers to standard 4uestions such as:


8/14

.our strengths'

Where you want to be in the future'

What was the worst project you have been involved with?

"=. Write down the answers to difficult %uestions you don$t want to be asked' 4on$t shy away from these

%uestions and hope they won$t be asked' !)pect them to be asked and have your answers composed&

practiced& and ready to go' ,ome %uestions to tackle are:

.our weaknesses'

#f you have a gap in your resume& have a good response for when you are asked about it' #f you were fired or laid off& be prepared to tell the employer why with a positive spin'

#f your job was outsourced or the company went out of business'

NO!: N!=!R 6#! about anything' Remember what goes around& comes aroundS and

lies will catch up with you some day'

#5: oogle often has advice on answering tough %uestions'

">. Write down an introductionS an opener that says who you are and what you do' his is your C second

elevator speech that should leave the person e)cited about working with you and wanting to learn more

about you' #t$s a tool that helps you target your skills to meet the employer>s needs' #t allows you to

summari@e your most marketable strengths in a brief and concise manner' .our elevator speech can be

used to answer these common %uestions:

What are your strengths?

Why should # hire you?

What makes you think you are %ualified?

What makes you think you can succeed at this job?

Why do you want this job?

#nclude:

k( .our past title or the title you are applying for'

l( he type of work you have been doing as it relates to the job'

m( How you can help them with challenges they are confronting'

n( How you can fill a gap in their team skill sets'

o( How well you work as a 7team 5layer7 through collaboration and helping others succeed'

p( Why you are e)cited to be interviewing with this company'

". )reate an outline of important things for this meeting"interview(' he below items came from steps

above:

he top 0 points you want to make sure you get across'

What makes you different?

he job related %uestions you have'

*nswers to standard %uestions'

*nswers to difficult the %uestions'

.our 0C second elevator speech',#. *ehearse your interview.

Write a script with %uestions for someone to ask you and answers that you wish to give'

Write down some of your most insightful& witty thoughts regarding the state of your industry and

profession'

Be prepared to describe past positions& responsibilities and accomplishments' his is not a time forfalse modesty& so don$t be afraid to highlight your professional strengths and play down your terrible typing

skills' Remember it$s not bragging if it$s the truth'

*sk your spouse& your child or a friend to play the role of interviewer so you become more

comfortable speaking about yourself in front of others' *gain& this is a confidence builder' he more you

practice& the more confident you$ll be'


9/14

5reparing for the 7in person7 interview "part -(*eserve time to prepare for each interview in this order:

+' + hour to prepare a cover letter and customi@ed resume'

-' - hours to prepare a 7Re%uirement ualification Aulfillment7 document'

0' + hour to prepare a portfolio of material to leave with the managers at the end of the interview'

3' +< minutes to print < copies of your resume and directions to the interview'


10/14

!he day of the interview not less than , hours before the interview

+' ,end a confirmation note the day before the interview

#nclude in your email the time the interview is to start& the address you are to go to'

he email should be addressed to the person you are meeting'

!hings to take to the interview

+' ake a small umbrella that opens and closes with the push of a button' his will help you get in and out of

doors while carrying the other stuff you have prepared for the interview'-' ake a comb or a brush in case the wind gets your hair out of sorts'

0' ake a pad of paper and a blue pen& a yellow highlighter and a green highlighter'

3' ake 8areer 5ortfolios'


11/14

";. Right after your introductionS say something flattering to the interviewer' Reveal what you honestly likeabout the person or the company' ,incere flattery starts the interview off in a positive way'

"7. Open your portfolio and put these documents on the table in front of you' his is so you can refer to them

and so the people interviewing you see that you have done your homework:

.our outline of important things for this meeting'

0 to < color copies of your resume with business card stapled'

5rintout of the company$s web site with notes and %uestions written in plain view'

5rintout of any related information such as press releases'

5rintout of the 6inked #n sites for people interviewing you'

he mini portfolios' ".ou should have a mini portfolio for each person(

*n paper with the names of each person interviewing you& their title& and email address'

*n ink pen& green highlighter& and paper for taking notes' "green is a O color& .ellow is

a 8*1#ON color& red is a ,O5 color& and blue signifies R1, and 8OL5!N8!(

"=. *nswer %uestions and ask them' Remember& it$s a two way conversation& and an opportunity for both

parties to see if there is a match' hink of this as a meeting not an interview where your objective is to

identify their challenges and propose solutions to those challenges'

">. Gnow what %uestions NO to ask' 4on$t ask about salary& bonuses& vacation time& benefits& or your office

space' 4on$t ask about on2call or overtime e)cept in the conte)t of doing it for no additional pay because

on2call and/or overtime comes with 4B* work'". Lake sure you cover anything that was not discussed in the interview before you leave' Aor e)ample:

4id you cover your 0 points?

4id you tell the interviewer what makes you different?

4id you handle all objections properly?

4id you ask the %uestions you wanted to ask?

8over this nowS afterwards may be too late'

,#. ell the interviewer again why you want the job'

,". *sk what the hiring process is& and when you can follow up with them again'

#mmediately after the interview'+' ,end a thank2you note' !mail one version and also send a handwritten version' hank you cards work well

here'

-' #nclude in your email anything you left out during the interview' *dd credibility to your email by

mentioning something specific the interviewer said that impressed you'

0' #f you promised to follow up on a specific day and time& keep that promise'

3' 8ontinue interviewing' No matter how great an interview went& no matter how many people told you that

you are 7the one7& you do not have the job until you have formally been given a job offer in writing' 4on$t

let everything ride on one job' Geep going until you are officially employed'


12/14

*fter a offer letter',ay thanks: When you get the job& send a thank you card to your references or take them out for lunch or coffee to

show them how much you appreciate their help'


13/14

Business cards and signature block for all correspondence+' Lake sure you have physical and electronic business cards'

-' Below is my signature block with electronic business card'

@ am at O9* serviceC

Gen Hughes

!)pect !)cellence 22 Oracle 8ertified 5rofessional5hone:

H:-


14/14

4ocument 8opyright "8( -CCD Gen Hughes hugheskcVyahoo'com& www'kennethchughes'com& -C20+C2K

7_Preparing for the Interview

Documents

Transcript of 7_Preparing for the Interview