Are you intimidated when it comes to interviews? Are you new to the world of business? Here is the research and selected resources that I compiled as a part of my Leadership and Professional Development class. Good Luck!
There are some core tenets to interview preparation and success that are common knowledge: dress for the job, do some research on the company and the position, bring a copy of your resume, answer all questions honestly and respectfully, stay calm, and have a good handshake. What many job seekers don’t know are the rules that follow these tenets. Some have been the same for decades, but most have changed as the job market has changed. Interview questions today are not the same questions that were posed fifty years ago, or even ten years ago. There are right answers, and there are wrongs answers. There are behavioral questions, and there are hidden tests in most.
Doing research on the company doesn’t just mean knowing the name and industry of business. Job seekers should know the missions, values, and goals of the company in question. Research should be done on the position, what the duties and responsibilities are, and whether or not it is a position that would be well filled with the job-seeker. Most of the time the interviewer does not care how much the job-seeker wants the job beyond the normal expectation of interest that coincides with the application. The company that advertised the position, the person doing the interview, these individuals have a problem. This concept is best said by ForbesWoman’s Debbie Fay states it best "Whoever is interviewing you has a problem they need solved. The problem is that they have an empty work space where a person should be, so important work either isn’t getting done, or is getting done by someone with other important work he or she should be doing. YOU, the interviewee, are the answer to this problem. Your main objective in the interview is to let the person on the other side of the desk know that you have the skills, experience and desire to get this work done on time and effectively. In other words: be the solution to his or her problem" (Fay 2011). This is a vital point that many job-seekers do not see clearly. The interview is not about what the job-seeker wants in life, though it may come up in a question or two, it is about whether or not the applicant fits the vacancy that needs to be filled more than the fifteen or twenty other job-seekers that are also scheduled for interviews.
One aspect that is not often considered is timing; job transparency website Glassdoor.com has a fantastic article about the best time to schedule an interview. The best interview time in on Tuesday at 10:30 am. Unfortunately, other job-seekers have probably read some information, and that specific appointment may not always be an option. Author Rusty Rueff has the following guidelines: avoid early morning meetings, especially Monday, try to avoid Mondays all together; avoid the last meeting of the workday, especially Friday, try to avoid Fridays all together; avoid pre or post-lunch meetings (lunch meetings are okay though); and lastly, avoid scheduling interviews for weekends and holidays (Rueff 2011).
Dress for success. While some graduates of business school should be familiar with this concept, not everyone is. What the job-seeker may think is appropriate is often not the case. For men it is pretty simple, throw on a decent suit that fits (it has to fit properly), an oxford shirt and a tie. There are some refining characteristics depending on the situation and the individual. For women it is much more complicated, and has changed over the years. The environment also plays a part. A well-fitting suit is usually an excellent choice, however sometimes separates can be an option. If the interview is in a very conservative industry like investment banking or a law office, then dress should be more conservative. Regardless of how relaxed an environment, professionalism is still important. Here are a couple dos and don’ts for women according to a multitude of sources: do wear stockings with a skirt, don’t wear fishnets, loud colors, or crazy patterns; do wear an appropriate and tasteful dress shoe, don’t wear shoes with an open toe or that could easily be found in an exotic adult entertainment facility; do look to media for inspiration, great examples can be found in the pages of business magazines, don’t follow what Cosmopolitan Magazine states is the new workplace look. Many professionals suggest that the more conservative, the better. The only issue that can arise with this is if the job-seeker appears “too good” for the company. Amber Kallor from Oprah.com suggests that going undercover, scope out the business in the morning or around lunch, ensure that clothes fit well from all angles, stick to the classics, find balance between the extremes, Black is classic, but not a uniform, accessorize, but very carefully and in a minimal fashion. There was an excellent article from the Seattle times that sent photos prepared by OfficeTeam to career professionals at Career Woman, Inc. Robert Half International for critique. The outfits cover business casual and business professional for both men and women; these are attached and cited at the end.
What about the questions?! There are so many respectable resources for how to answer interview questions; they cannot possibly be covered here. A sample suggested list of sources to review is included at the end, prior to the bibliography; the URLs can be found in the bibliography. The most important thing about answering interview questions is to answer them, answer them honestly, answer them confidently, and try not to be surprised or caught off guard. Practice, practice, practice; Practice out loud, and often. Do not memorize word for word responses, but have an idea of what to discuss as a situation where conflict was resolved. Turn weaknesses into strengths. While it might seem confident when asked about weaknesses to say “None”, think very hard prior to answering this, there is not a recallable person that could answer this and not sound a fool. There are also questions that the job seeker needs to ask, to show interest yes, but also to show that critical thought has been put into whether the position would actually be a good fit.
Do research, read and rehearse practice questions, buy a suit and get it tailored. Do everything possible to prepare ahead of time. Go confidently along the road to success.
Interview Outfits: DO and DON'T for Men and Women
Suggested Resources for Interview Questions
Job Interview Tips – “Tell Me About Yourself” by Mary Elizabeth Bradford
Job Interview Tips – “Why Should I Hire You?” by Mary Elizabeth Bradford
Acing the Only Three True Job Interview Questions by George Bradt
Interview Questions to Help you Nail an Interview by Lisa Duncan
What not to ask in a job interview by Anne Fisher
10 Toughest Interview Questions: Answered by Forbes.com
6 Questions to Ask During Your Interview That Will Make an Employer Want to Hire You by Kelly Gregario
Pesky Interview Questions by Carol Martin
12 Tricky Interview Questions for Interns by Jacquelyn Smith
How To Ace The 50 Most Common Interview Questions by Jacquelyn Smith