INTERVIEWS…
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Arrive at the interview 5-15 minutes early. Go alone!
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Be courteous to everyone you greet as you enter the office. That
receptionist probably will have a voice in who gets offered the job!
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Greet the interviewer and introduce yourself. State your first and
last name and the purpose of the visit. Example: "Good morning
Mrs. Smith. I am Sally Jones and I am here to visit with
you about the case worker position here at ABC Training Center."
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Offer a firm handshake.
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Used interviewer’s name a couple times throughout the interview. Do
not use first names unless you have been invited to do so.
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Wear neat, appropriate clothing. A rule of thumb is that you dress a
step above how you would dress for the position for which you are
applying. Neat, clean, and well groomed is always appropriate.
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Maintain good eye contact.
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Smile. People like to hire people who will be pleasant to work with!
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Restrain nervous mannerisms.
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Possess a confident, enthusiastic attitude. Act like you know what
you are talking about and act like you want the job!
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Respond well to questions. Speak in complete
sentences. Explain things thoroughly. Avoid using "yeah,"
"you know," etc.
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Market your important skills and qualities. Talk about your skills
and experiences as they relate to the job. Be prepared to give
examples of things you have done.
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Be able to state long-range goals and objectives that are related to your
career.
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At the very least, take a folder with a couple of copies of your resume and
your reference list. In the folder, be sure to have paper to write
on and a pen. You can even have questions that you want answered
written out to take to the interview.
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Arrange follow-up. Ask the interviewer when a decision will be
made. After all, don’t you want to know?
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Ask appropriate questions. Avoid asking questions about salary and
benefits.
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Thank the interviewer for his/her time.
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Express a desire to be work in that position. Don’t take it for
granted that an employer will assume you want the job, just because you are at
the interview. Do you want the job or not? If you do,
why not try saying something like this at the end of the interview, "Thank you
very much for your time. I enjoyed visiting with you I hope have the
opportunity to work for you in this position."
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Interview Questions to Practice…
Tell me about yourself.
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What kind of work environment do you like best?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What are your long-term goals?
Describe a problem you had with a former supervisor and how you dealt with it.
Why should I hire you?
What are your salary requirements?
If you won the lottery, what would you do in the first six months?
Tell me about a major failure in your life and how you dealt with it.
Which of your previous jobs did you like most? Why?
Which of your previous jobs did you like least? Why?
If you were your own boss, what would you do differently in your present
company/department?
How did you choose your career?
How do you motivate subordinates? What is your supervisory style?
Who was the best boss you ever had? Why?
Who was the worst boss you ever had? Why?
What does success mean to you?
What do you know about our company?
Are you more of a lone eagle or a team player? Why?
How do you deal with change?
How do you deal with criticism?
When would you be available to start?
How did you hear about this opening?
Do you know anyone who works at this company? What did they tell you?
How did you get your last job?
Where do you see this industry heading?
Why do you want to work here?
What do you do in your leisure time?
How would your friends describe you? How would your current/former
employer describe you?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Describe a team project you were in charge of. How did you delegate
assignments? How did you monitor progress?
What were the major challenges of your last positions and how
did you deal with them?
What would your closest coworkers say about you in confidence to someone else?
Tell me a success story. You must be a character in the story.
Are you detail-oriented or do you like to focus on the big picture?
What is your computer background?
How much travel is acceptable to you?
Have you ever trained or supervised employees?
What are your hobbies?
What capabilities would you like to develop in yourself?
What motivates you?
What is your philosophy on customer service?
How would you handle an irate customer?
How do you deal with stress?
What new goals have you set recently?
Can you work under pressure, deadlines, etc.?
Are you a leader? Give an example.
I’ve interviewed several people with more experience than you. Why
should I hire you instead of them?
What personal characteristics are necessary for success in your chosen field?
Why do you think you might like to work for our company?
What college/high school courses did you like the
best? Least? Why?
What interests you about our products or service?
Define cooperation.
How do you feel about overtime?
What is the most important lesson you have learned in life? How does
it help you on the job?
Why do want to work here?
Interviews are not one-sided. You are also looking for information
and determining if a job is right for you and your career. Asking
good questions also indicates to the interviewer that you have done your
homework and are interested in their business. Here are a few
questions to help you size up whether this job is a window of opportunity or a
closed door.
Be prepared to ask questions about the company, who you would be
reporting to, the commitment to training and education, how important this
position is to the company’s mission, and so forth. During the
interview, other questions may occur to you. Add them to a list of
written questions. Don’t try to memorize the questions you want to
ask.
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What will by specific job responsibilities be?
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Would you describe a typical workday and the things I would be doing?
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How will I get feedback on my job performance?
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Are there opportunities for advancement?
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When will you be making this decision? May I call you in a few days?
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Is there a dress code? What guidelines do you have regarding dress?
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How does this position fit with the mission of the
organization? What are the key responsibilities of the job?
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Whom would I be working with most closely? Does this company use
working teams?
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What skills and personal characteristics are most important for success at this
company?
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Besides making a profit and offering good service, what values are most
important at this company?
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I have read your mission statement. How do you make this philosophy
come alive on a daily basis for your employees and customers?
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I plan on working hard and contributing to the company. What
advancement do you see for me in five years if I have proven myself?
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What are the major goals of this company in the near future?
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How many people have held this job in the last 10 years? Where did
they go?
Do not bring up salary, vacation, benefits, or sick leave until
the interviewer brings them up or you are offered the position. You
should, however, have in mind a realistic salary that is acceptable to
you. Find out what the going rate is for similar jobs at various
companies. Differentiate between what you desire and what you will
accept. If you are asked what you expect, you can respond with a
range.
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