A winning job-interview strategy

The job interview could be the most important hour of your career. It is the time when you are sized up by a person who might well decide whether or not you get the position you want.

Here are tips to help you prepare for the interview. The tips come from Ralph Ferrone, a longtime advertising executive who has published a book, “Don’t Blow the Interview.”

1. RESEARCH THE COMPANY BEFOREHAND

Your goal in the interview is to stand out from the crowd of applicants. So beforehand, learn all you can about the employer, its market and competitors. Use the Internet, phone calls and other research materials to brush up on your prospective employer. This gives you information to use with your prospective employer and it shows initiative.

“The greater your knowledge, the more confident you will be,” Ferrone writes. “The more confident you are, the greater your interview success. The greater your interview success, the greater your potential for faster job placement.”

2. PREDICT WHAT QUESTIONS YOU WILL BE ASKED

Being prepared can really pay off. You can guess in advance what certain questions will be, or you can go online and search for “interview questions” to get an idea of what you will be asked. At that point, come up with on-target, rehearsed responses to each question.

Here are some common questions for interviews:

•      Tell me about yourself.
•      Why did you leave your last job?
•      What experience do you have in this field?
•      What would coworkers say about you?
•      Why do you want to work for this organization?
•      Why should we hire you?
•      Tell me about a time you made an improvement at your workplace?
•      What are your strengths and weaknesses?
•      What would a former supervisor say about your work habits?
•      What have you learned from mistakes you have made on the job?
•      Tell me about your management style.
•      Describe your perfect boss.
•      What has been your biggest career success and disappointment?

By preparing answers for many questions, you’re less likely to be caught off-guard during the interview. Sure, you might not use all the answers you prepared, but you might be surprised. An answer that you had prepared for a certain question might work beautifully with a different question altogether.

When the interviewer asks you to describe yourself, limit your response to 60 to 90 seconds. If you are too wordy, the interviewer tunes out.

3. PREPARE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR INTERVIEWER

Come to the interview with five or six questions of your own. This shows that you’ve thought about the job and are serious about it. Some of your questions might be answered by your interviewer before you have a chance to ask them, so that’s why it’s good to have five or six prepared.

4. TALK PROFESSIONALLY AND LISTEN INTENTLY

Shake hands with your interviewer: Before you begin, shake hands with all the people who will be asking you questions. At the end of the interview, thank everyone and again shake each of their hands.

Control your speech and attitude: During the interview, avoid words such as “like,” “you know” and “cool.” They annoy interviewers and could cause you to loss the job. And don’t attempt to interrupt, correct a comment or show an attitude.
Emphasize your strengths: Decide beforehand what qualifications, such as teamwork or work ethic, you want to stress during the interview. Then weave those qualifications into the answers of your questions.

Take time to think about your answers: After you are asked a question, take a few seconds to compose an answer before you begin talking. But don’t pause too long or the silence becomes awkward. And if you are completely stumped by a question, ask if you can come back to it later.

Let the interviewer do the bulk of the questioning: Again, it’s good to ask a few questions at the end of the interview to show your interest, but remember that you are there to answer questions..

How to handle the salary issue: Do not risk turning off an employer by asking questions that pertain to salary, time off or office hours. There will be ample time to do so later, assuming your interview goes well. If the question of salary comes up and you are uncertain what the job pays, a good response is: “My primary objective is to work for the XYZ Company.; While money is important, it is a secondary consideration – I am sure that I will be treated fairly.” If you were able to research the salary range, you can begin by saying, “I understand the industry is paying $00,000 to $00,000 for this type of position. However, my primary objective is to work for the XYZ Corp.”

How to deal with an interview at a restaurant: Arrive early to make sure you are there before the interviewer. But wait for the interviewer’s arrival before being seated. Order simple food that is easy to cut and chew, nothing that is sloppy or requires work, such as shellfish, finger food, steak or pasta. And, of course, don’t talk when your mouth is full.

5. COMPOSE A FOLLOW-UP LETTER

After an interview, write a follow-up letter and get it in the mail no later than the next day. The follow-up letter demonstrates your professionalism, communication skills and continued enthusiasm for the job.

The letter should include:

•      A thank you for the interviewer’s time
•      An expression of interest in the job
•      A brief explanation as to why you are a good fit
•      A sentence explaining what you can contribute to the company

The letter is also a chance to address any questions that you didn’t answer fully in the interview or didn’t answer at all. But don’t be too long-winded. Again, brief is best.

The letter can also restate any agreement that was made at the interview, such as “I await to hear from you about the job by such-and-such date.”

6. SEND THANK YOUS IF YOU GET THE JOB

If you are hired, do one last thing: Write an individual thank-you letter to each person you interviewed with. Thank each one for his or her support and confidence and for the opportunity to join them and work together. This touch could well reinforce their decision to hire you, demonstrate your professionalism – and, yes, score another plus for you.