Preparation

"It's really frustrating for an interviewer to have someone that they're talking to who really doesn't know the company or the position they're applying for," laments one US based recruiter, who is confounded by candidates who don't do the bare-bones research before the interview. He estimates roughly 1 of 5 prospects commits this crime.

Candidates must look at the website, read the company brochure, talk to people who've worked there -- do your homework. If you haven't done that, it can really make it uncomfortable in the interview, because either you're not going to understand what the interviewer's talking about, or you're going to ask some dumb questions.

Applicants should sit down and think, ‘What are they going to ask me when I'm in that interview?' Try to find out things about the interview such as:

·         Will they use behavior-based questions?

·         Will they use case-based questions?

·         Will they use an unstructured conversational interview?

Finding people to talk to within the organization can yield a lot of information and it's perfectly acceptable to ask some questions when setting the interview up, including:

• Who will I be talking to?

• Any suggestions on how to prepare?

• Should I expect a particular type of interview format?

You have nothing to lose by asking and it shows that you are interested in what's going to happen. You are interested in the firm as an employer and show that you are inquisitive -- in most cases, that's going to be a very positive thing.

Practice

Candidates can often anticipate the kinds of questions -– if not the exact ones – they you will be asked during interviews, particularly if you have done your due diligence. Once you've determined the probable questions, we advise practicing in front of someone.

Although many people talk about preparing yourself by looking in the mirror and answering the question, it's much more difficult to give your answer to a live person and ask them what they thought of your answer than to look yourself in the mirror and do it.

Personal Presentation

Dressing appropriately is sometimes lost, especially on recent graduates. Remember you are usually up against competition for the position, so do your homework to be sure you know the appropriate attire to wear. Some things are easy to fix, such as wrinkled clothes or mis-matched ties, but if you don’t pay attention to the small things, you can fail the interview before you have even opened your mouth.

Be sure to cover all the standard interviewing etiquette points as well. Focus on the basics -- like a good handshake, not being nervous, smiling -- because interviewers will not see the real you if you are uptight. Also be conscious of basic eye contact as many people put a lot of weight into eye contact, so maintaining that is really important.

Pertinent Questions

As an interviewer it is very disappointing to get to the end of an interview and ask, ‘Do you have any questions I can answer for you?' and the candidate says, ‘Nope, I think you answered them all.' and that's the end of it. Not only is it really disappointing, it reflects negatively on the candidate.

Develop a tough question in your preparation to finish things off. Think of something that takes some courage to ask, and ask really well-thought-out questions that show you know the business that that interviewer is in. If you show that you know their company and you've thought about the question, it tells the interviewer you prepared for the interview before you walked in the door.

Back to Monthly Newsletters