Interviewing

You know what you're interested in. You've prepared your resume. Now...Are you ready for the interview?

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Preparation

In an interview, the interviewer's main objective is decide whether or not to make you a job offer. In addition to your work history and educational background, he or she is also evaluating your strengths, accomplishments, level of motivation, values, attitude, and personality. All of these factors help the interviewer decide if you are a good match for the company. It's up to you to convince him or her that you are indeed a good match. You can do this more easily by thoroughly researching the industry, company, and position being offered. Request that a detailed job description be emailed to you so you can better understand the position. Your goal is to come across as someone very familiar with the company and its goals...someone who would "fit right in".

When arriving at an interview, make sure you arrive somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes early. If you're not sure of the directions, visit the location the night before. Getting lost or stuck in traffic is not an acceptable excuse for arriving late. Bring a briefcase or folder to hold a a good copy of your resume printed on resume paper (bond, parchment, etc.), your references, samples of your work, notes, a note pad, pen, business cards, etc. Once you meet the interviewer, be sure to smilie, make direct eye contact, and give a firm but gentle handshake. Self confidence and focus are very important.

Common Initial Interview Q&A:

Q: Tell me about yourself.
A: Keep it business related to how you decided to go into your field (brief), how that led you into your bachelors and then your masters program, and what position / field you want to go into.

Q: Why do you want to work for us?
A: Research the company beforehand, so that you can talk intelligently about the company and what it has to offer you.

Q: What can you do for us?
A: Use some of what's in your summary --- the skills and strengths you have to offer the company. Describe why you're the perfect candidate for them. Their conclusion of how good you are will come mainly from how good YOU think you are, not necessarily from the resume.

Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
A: Strengths are easy --- your personality type and skills that match what you know the company will want. Weaknesses are harder --- find a weakness that's not so bad (for example, too detail-oriented) or one that you're working on (be sure to explain how).

Q: Give an example of a problem you encountered on the job and how you solved it.
A: Be logical. State the problem and then illustrate the step-by-step procedure you used to correct it.

Q: Describe your best / worst boss.
A: Be positive. Speak about your best boss if possible. If pressed to speak about your worst boss, try to put a positive spin on it. For instance, "I had a supervisor who was often very vague. However, because of this, I learned the value of good communication."

Q: If you could be an animal, which would it be and why?
A: This is not a trick question. You may be asked questions that seem ridiculous or out of place. The interviewer is trying to see if you can think on your feet.

Q: What was the last book you read?
A: This is intended to see if you remain current in your field and / or read for self-improvement. Think of a book that relates to your business or contributes to your personal growth.

Q: What are your salary requirements?
A: Try not to approach this topic in the first interview, if possible, unless it is a deciding factor as to whether you'll continue the interviewing process. You'll need to do some research on your job title and what the salary range would be for such a position. Offer them a broad range so you don't limit yourself by asking for too low or high a salary.

Q: What's your work status?
A: (This is only an issue if you are an international student on an F-1 visa.) Try not to approach this topic in the first interview, if possible, unless it is a deciding factor as to whether you'll continue the interviewing process. If asked, explain the OPT program to them while trying to make the employer feel comfortable that this will not be an issue and that you are not asking for a guarantee of H-1 sponsorship at the end of your year. It is simply too early for the company to do something like that. Most companies will require that you work for them for at least 6 months before they will consider sponsoring you.

Q: Do you have any questions?
A: This is a question that you can always anticipate. Moreover, as a result of your research, you should always have several good job and / or company specific questions to ask. Again, it shows that you're prepared.

Some good examples include the following:

"What are some of the major short and long-term company objectives?" Their answer will help you to formulate your future comments to fit their goals and objectives.

"What are the common denominators in successful employees that work with you?" You should be able to match your abilities with most of their responses and common denominators.

"Can you share with me areas of the company that need polishing or development?" With the information you receive in this answer, you should be able to share your special skills that will save them time or money.

"I am very interested in this position and am anxious to move forward. When will you be making your decision?" If you want the opportunity enough, then you need to ask for it! Show your enthusiasm.

Tough Questions

1. What would your previous employers want to change about you?

When presented with this question, some people may want to deny that anyone would want to change anything about them. After all, it's everyone else who has annoying habits, not you. Right? Wrong. Speak about something that is credible and sincere, but also mention how you have learned from the situation. Be sure that your topic is not a skill directly related to your position but rather something that you can work around. For example:

"I was once made aware of how poor my handwriting is; my boss was concerned handwritten notes to other staffers would be misread. With that in mind I developed a strict policy of typing all notes to my teammates, even if it is just a quick message."

Alternatively, you could talk about a situation that has created a side benefit for others, like so:

"One of my previous employers thought I could speed up progress on projects. After some reflection, I realized I was getting distracted during projects by doing tasks that could be delegated to my quite capable assistant. Now, when starting a project I make a list of tasks that can be done by my support staff. I also find now that my staff members stay productive and learn more about their jobs."

2. What do you think management should do to allow you to function more effectively?

Your response to this question should reveal your attitude toward work and management. Again, keep your answer positive! Think about your response and frame it in a constructive, yet effective way.

"I've found that the more management shares their ideas and vision, the better I can function in my position. When they clearly communicate the organization's goals and the reasons behind some of the actions they take, I'm ultimately better able to buy into those ideas and represent the company in the best way possible."

You might also share an example of a time that this worked very well for you. Be sure to give the interviewer some background on the situation, including management's approach, your actions, and the results.

3. What has prevented you from progressing as fast as you would have liked?

This is a tough question; it implies that you are not where you should be in your career and that, possibly, it is someone else's fault. Don't fall into this trap by blaming any lack of success on anyone or any company. Your response should be something like:

"Some circumstances within my current position have limited my upward mobility; it's a small company with a loyal staff. Since there's not a lot of turnover, it makes advancing difficult. That being the case, I always make sure I take on as many new projects as time allows. I have always wanted to continue to learn and grow, even if my title wasn't changing."

Again, continue your answer with an example or two that demonstrates your philosophy. Whatever your response, think about what it will sound like to an employer. Does your answer present you as someone focused on achievements and goals or as someone who is "entitled" to recognition for doing the basics?

4. Tell me about the best and worst boss you've ever had? What was his or her management style?

Approach each part of this question with an overview, then use examples and insight to give definition to your thoughts. Moreover, especially with a question like this, keep in mind even your worst boss has desirable characteristics and skills that got them where they are.

"The best boss I had would have to be Jane Jeffries, the CEO at Octagon Financial. She was a skillful leader, an excellent communicator, proactive and involved in the company. She knew our products well and made sure the staff did also through quarterly educational seminars and motivating team meetings. She and I are still in touch."

"The worst boss, wow that is a tough one, I think there is something to learn from everyone. At Junior Films, the President of the company could have been more communicative. I found him to be stoic, and he often held information within a close-knit circle of upper management. Because of this, it was sometimes hard to deliver what the company was looking for on a project. On the other hand, the company was very successful because he was also skillful at keeping information away from our competitors; the company was often first to market, with the competition lagging a bit behind."

5. What have you been doing since you left your last position?

If you've been out of a traditional paying job for quite some time, it's smart to develop hobbies and activities that you can discuss during an interview.

In your answer to this question talk about your continued research to show you still have industry knowledge. Discuss your volunteer work and how the skills you apply there relate to the job at hand.

"I have spent a great deal of time furthering my education and keeping my credentials intact with continuing education courses at Albertville Community College. I also stay in touch with industry trends by reading the New York Times and Accountants World Weekly. In addition, I volunteer my accounting services at the local youth community center."

Maybe you were trying a new career but decided you didn't like it -- that is OK as long as you frame the experience in a positive light and explain you are now "returning to your first passion: the (fill in the blank) field or industry."

After the Interview

Be sure to end an interview with a thorough understanding of what the next steps are. If these haven't been explained to you in detail, then ask. You'll want to know when you'll be hearing back from them, what the next phase of interviewing entails, when they're going to be making a final decision, etc.

Supporting Documents

Supporting documents are only given to the employer if they want them. These include reference listings, resume addendums, a portfolio, certificates, work authorization forms, and letters of recommendation, among others.

Dress

Men should wear suits and ties. Women should wear suits as well --- either with a skirt or pants. Appropriate colors include dark neutral colors such as black or blue. You may enhance it with a colorful tie or light-colored shirt / blouse.

Information Interviews

Information Interviews are a great way to begin getting referrals. These are informal interviews that you set up with someone in a company to ask them questions about the industry, company, or position. Some steps to effectively using these types of interviews include:

1. Find the hiring authority in your department of interest and contact that person directly. You can find them through the web site, or, if that doesn't work, call the operator and ask the name of the head of the department.
2. Talk to the person about the industry and the position you are interested in.
3. Try to gain feedback regarding that person's perception of you and how well you would fit into the field. Ask them to briefly critique your resume.

View a list of information interview questions.

Informational Interviewing Guidelines

Career Portfolio

Creating a Career Portfolio can be a great addition to your interview. A portfolio such as this contains the usual resume, certificates, degrees, etc., but also shows off samples of your work. Even if you haven't already worked in your career field, you can create samples of what you can do. This impresses an employer, both for your initiative and the ability to convince him or her that you can do the job.

Find out about our Annual Career Portfolio Competition!

View our Interviewing Skills Workshop

More Interview Tips:

Graduate School Interviews
Career Builder
The Monster Board
Yahoo!
WSJ: Job-Hunting advice
RHI Consulting Career Center
Search Masters International
Fast Company
Medical School Interviews
Interviewee Questions
Interviews
Interview Process