Interview Advice
Sell yourself:
Your success in any interview is based on your ability to sell your background and experience, showing how they are right for the job, and showing what you can bring to the ultimate success of the company by possessing a genuine interest in the job and the company. Your preparation in selling YOU will ultimately be the key. Your goal is to present yourself as the kind of candidate the employer is looking for: someone with good knowledge of self, capabilities and shortcomings, someone with a clear vision of goals and opportunities.
The first 5 minutes of the interview are where the interviewer makes some very important perceptions about you. Project a favorable image by arriving early, dressing appropriately, and behaving in a courteous manner. Be poised and enthusiastic about your opportunities with the employer, and confident in your abilities.
In your advanced preparation, determine three key skill sets you can bring to the position based on your background. You are selling yourself, so even if the question is not specifically asked, make sure you add these points at some point in the conversation. Remember to elaborate on questions instead of giving a simple yes or no answer. Volunteering an example of a real situation is key in effectively selling yourself as it provides validity to your response. Always listen closely to the question and stay on the subject, remembering to avoid a "fluffy" response. A "fluffy" response, or one that is what you think the interviewer wants to hear, can lessen your chances of effectively selling yourself. Referencing real situations or experiences proves your response, and is much more effective than generalizing about how wonderful you are.
Remember that you are there to ultimately find out if this is a company/job that you can love. Feel free to write out questions ahead of time that you can ask to get a feel for the direction of the company, along with whether the position will give you the growth and development you desire. Asking questions like, "why the position is available," and asking to meet the manager or team you will be working with, are very acceptable and help you to decide if this is the right opportunity for you. Be sure to focus your questions 60/40 on what you can add to the company's growth and what the company can add to your growth, respectively. Avoid questions about benefits and compensation in your first interview unless they are asked by the interviewer.
Things to Remember:
- Dress appropriately (Minimal jewelry, No perfume/cologne, and Make sure your SHOES are shined)
- Arrive on Time
- Smile
- Firm handshake with direct eye contact (ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT!!)
- Show a genuine interest and enthusiasm in the company
- Do your homework on the company prior to the first interview (i.e. review their web site, annual report, etc.)
- Maintain direct eye contact throughout the interview
- Perfectly acceptable to take notes
- Be aware of your body language - (do not fold your arms - appear relaxed, yet poised and confident)
- Thank the interviewer for their time at the end and ask about next steps if they were not discussed
- Ask for a business card
- Send a fax or email thanking the interviewer
- Call your recruiter and let him/her know how the interview went
Things Not to Do:
- Over emphasis on money - Interested only in best dollar offer.
- Condemnation of past employers - Bad boss, unfair treatment, etc.
- Failure to look at interviewer when he is talking and when you are.
- A limp, weak fishy handshake - It should be firm and friendly.
- Unwilling to go to work at locations where needed.
- Arrive late for interview.
- Failure to express thanks for interviewer's time.
- Ask few or no questions about the job - Indicates either lack of interest in the job or stupidity and both are fatal.
- Indefinite response to questions: Do not be evasive.
- Overbearing, over aggressive, conceited with a superiority of "know it all" attitude.
- Inability to express yourself clearly - Poor diction, bad grammar, slang, mumbling, speaking too low, etc.
- Lack of planning for a career - No purpose, no goals set forth.
- Lack of confidence and poise - Nervous, ill at ease, tense.
- Failure to participate in the interview - Pay no attention, let your eyes wander around the room, etc.
- Unwilling to start at the bottom - Expects too much too soon.
- Makes excuses, evasive - Hedges on unfavorable factors in record.
- Lack of tact - Discussion of personal matters not related to job.
- Lack of courtesy - Ill mannered, crude language, etc.
- Lack of maturity - Child-like opinions and attitudes.
- Lack of vitality - Slouch walk, lounge in the chair, etc.
- Indecision - Weak, vacillating answers to questions.
- Merely shopping around - No particular interest in this job.
- Wants job only for short time - Just stop-gap employment.
- No particular interest in the company or the industry.
- A cynical attitude - This can imply distrust.
- Low moral standards - Self-explanatory.
- Intolerant - Bigoted, strong prejudices.
- Narrow range in interests.
- Inability to take criticism.
- Lazy - Interested only in the easy, unchallenging job aspects.
- Keep your cell phone or pager on during an interview.
Reasons for not accepting a counteroffer
- What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you are worth?
- Where is the money for the counter offer coming from? Is it your next raise early? All companies have strict wage and salary guidelines which must be followed.
- Your company will immediately start looking for a new person at a cheaper price.
- You now have made your employer aware that you are unhappy. From this day on, your loyalty will always be in question.
- When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who was loyal and who was not.
- When times get rough, your employer will begin the cutback with you.
- The same circumstances that now cause you to consider a change will repeat themselves in the future; even if you accept a counter offer.
- Statistics show that if you accept a counter offer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go within one year is extremely high. Ninety-six percent of those who accept counter offers are gone the next year.
- Accepting a counter offer is an insult to your intelligence and pride; knowing that you were bought.
- Once the word gets out, the relationship you now enjoy with your co-workers will never be the same. You will lose the personal satisfaction of peer-group acceptance.