Ideally, you want all of your hard work in searching, networking, and creating your resume and OneWire profile to culminate in a job offer. But first, you need to nail your interview. If you follow no other advice but this, that's fine because it's incredibly important: whether it's your dream job or not, always act excited about the opportunity. Your interviewer will know if you're not thrilled about the company or the position they are offering, and you don't want to miss out on an employment opportunity that may come to pleasantly surprise you in the future. If you do plan to use some advice, check out my suggestions, as well as a few great sites, below.
Resources
Doing research on your potential employer is the best place yo start. However, the more interview tips you're familiar with, the better. Here's a list of over 100 resources with information on everything and anything you'll ever need to know about interviewing.
Know What to Say
Knowing the right words to use throughout your job search process is key. You need to become familiar with the language that a company associates with a particular position so that you can use their terms in your search, resume, and interview. Using their language will make your conversation flow very naturally, and you'll appear to have a good grasp of that company. Here's some information on how to make that happen.
Job Fairs
Job fairs are a great way to network and get your information out there. However, you need to remember that attending a company's fair is basically a preliminary interview. That means that you need to be just as polished as you would be for the actual interview. Remember that job fairs are a little more informal than a first-round interview, so you can be more easy going and personable, but still be as professional as you can. Here's some advice on how to ensure that the first impression you leave leads to an interview.
Answers to Prepare
It's always good to know some interview questions ahead of time so that you can prepare your answers. Practicing will help calm your nerves, if you have any. However, don't over prepare. Prepping yourself is completely necessary, but if you come up with and memorize answers to every question that you can think of, you'll mix up your answers or sound like a robot. Either way, it won't go well. Instead, here are the top 10 questions that you should focus on.
Questions to Ask
You should always be prepared to ask questions at your interview. It's important to maintain an "informed interest," meaning that you know enough about the company to not ask general questions but are interested in the particulars of the role for which you are being considered. Here are 7 questions to use or adapt. Why 7? Because 10 is way too many. You need to remember who is conducting the interview. (Hint: it's not you). Asking too many questions will change the focus of the interview. If the hiring manager feels like s/he didn't get enough information out of you, that may be the end of the road.
What NOT to Do
Learning from others' experiences is the best way to find out what works and what doesn't. Avoiding mistakes is only half the battle (answering questions and being memorable is the other), but you'll be less nervous is you come prepared knowing what not to do, as well as what to do. Here are 10 suggestions for what general actions and personal habits to avoid.
OneWire Tips
Getting information from people on both sides of the process is a great idea. If you know anyone who is a hiring manager, works for HR, or has conducted interviews in the past, pick their brain for ideas on what they didn't like to see while interviewing a candidate. As for getting information from people who are familiar with the candidate side of the interview process, here are a few tips from OneWire:
1. Pete--"Try not to be nervous. You can do this by speaking slowly." Pete's right. Even if you feel like you aren't being natural because you're slowing down your speech, consider this: if you're not speaking slowly, you're speaking too fast. If they can't understand you, they won't hire you. Simple as that.
2. Carina--"Answer the question." All too often, candidates will give lengthy, round-about answers to a simple, direct question. Tailor your response to the style in which the question was asked. If it's a direct question, be short and to the point. If it's a more natural, easy-going question, you can speak a little more freely and maybe ask a relevant question.
3. Mike--"Don't oversell or undersell yourself." Keep a level of humility that presents your accomplishments in a positive, truthful light. There's no need to down play your accomplishments. But there's also no need to exaggerate and come off as boastful. This especially important to keep in mind, as the hiring manager is also judging how well you will fit in with the company's culture.
4. Me--"Dress for the job you want." It's common advice, I know. But it is important. Everyone's heard of the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover." But as far as you're concerned, the hiring manager is evaluating you from the second you walk in the door, from your outfit to your handshake to your conversational skills. Losing a job opportunity because you didn't look polished is just silly. If you're not sure how to dress appropriately for your interview, take someone with you when you go shopping.
If you have any good interview stories, bloopers, or tips, please leave them in the comments section!
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