Interviewing Tips for Job Seekers

If the interview is over lunch, do not order an alcoholic drink or something that is messy to eat. (Choose a salad rather than a huge layered sandwich.)

Lunch interviews are always tricky – “What should I order? Will I be able to really provide enough information while they are eating, or, more importantly, while I am eating?  The first rule is do not order an alcoholic drink, even if the interviewer does. You want to be alert and you want to show your professionalism, which includes not drinking on the job. Make sure you order something you like so you can eat at least a little, but don’t order ribs or messy sandwiches that make it difficult to be neat and professional.  I suggest a salad, soup, or simple entrée that is easy to eat and is moderately priced.  You don’t want to eat like a bird or a pig, so just take it slow and eat when they are talking. Make sure you do not attend the lunch interview when you are starving because you will not be able to concentrate on the interview!  Remember, the real reason you are there is for an interview, not the food.

The advantage of a lunch interview is that it is more casual and less stressful, since there are many others around. You also have the opportunity to be more personal during a lunch interview due to the setting. The interviewer is trying to get to know the real you, but you must still talk about your professional experience, like any other interview, with examples and details.

 

Research the position and know what is expected of the position for this particular organization. What are the responsibilities, the qualifications required, and the special projects?  Once you know these, demonstrate your abilities to meet the requirements and special duties of the position based on your past experience in similar positions or your education.

I once interviewed a candidate for a position called Laboratory Supervisor.  When the candidate was asked about his supervisory experience, he said he didn’t know the position we were interviewing for was a supervisory position.  I did not listen to anything he said after that, and neither did any of the other panel members. When applying for manager and supervisory positions, provide examples of how you have done this in the past, or demonstrate that you know what you need to do if you become a supervisor.  For any position, you need to know what it entails so you can provide example about your background to prove you can handle the responsibilities.

 

A typical question at the end of an interview is, “Why do you think you are the best qualified person for the position?”  Or they may provide you an opportunity to summarize.  You should always be ready for this type of question. Based on what you have learned in the interview and the information you gathered about the position and organization; highlight at least your top 5 characteristics, traits, skills or experiences that make you a good fit for the position. For example, if a Master’s degree was preferred and you have one, then stress that because it shows you have more than the minimum requirements.

You must demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position and real interest.  Do this throughout the interview, of course, but at the end of the interview make sure you state that you are really interested and excited about the opportunity.  When an employer has a choice between two candidates who have the same experience and knowledge, they will select the candidate who is enthusiastic over the quiet candidate.  If you are shy or nervous, pump yourself up for the interview so you can show your confidence and excitement.

 

The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior, which is why interviewers want to know how you handled situations in the past.  It is important to provide detailed examples of how you dealt with stressful situations, irate customers, and poor employees. They also want to know how you handled projects, with descriptions of the steps taken, mistakes made, solutions found.

It is hard to provide examples to assist you with this without knowing something about the position in questions or about your previous positions.  But I can tell you this: don’t say, “I just try to calm down a customer who is irate.” That answer is not detailed enough. You must explain why the customer was irate and exactly what you did or what you said to calm him or her down. Provide detail so that the interviewer can get a good picture of the situation.  That said; don’t go on for 10 minutes.

 

In most cases, the interviewer will have a copy of your resume and letter, so you need to remember what you sent to this specific organization. In some cases, they will not have your resume and letter, so bring an extra copy just in case. You need to be able to talk about your past experiences without having to look continually at your resume. Review the materials so you can provide dates of employment and/or how long you worked for a specific agency.  If you have to look at your resume, the interviewer will wonder if you really have the experience you claim.

If your resume says as an office manager you handled accounting, purchasing, and recruiting, then be able to provide examples of those activities with some short details. It is impossible to describe everything you did in each position without creating a 10-page resume, so have additional examples for each position, such as “assisted the organization with the implementation of a new Health Insurance Program.” Make sure you can provide details of your role and responsibilities.

 

When you are called for an interview, make sure you get all the details: location of office, specific room of interview or where to check in, parking arrangements, time and who will be involved with the interview.  Ask how many people will be conducting the interview and their titles. Interviews can involve many formats, including:

• One-to-one interview.
• A round robin interview where you meet one-on-one with various people in the organization.
• A panel of 2 to 10 people.
• An interview over lunch.
• A tour and “meet and greet” scenario, where they observe how you handle yourself in different situations.
• An in-box exercise where they present you with sample in-box memos and ask you to prioritize them and respond to them.
• Assessment Center interviews that bring you and other candidates in the same room to deal with sample problems that are typical of the position – they watch how you work as a leader and team member in these situations.
• Practical exams such as a driving test, written test, computer test, or any test that has you actually completing tasks that would be assigned to your position on a normal day.

As you can see, understanding the format will enable you to be prepared and be less nervous, and to know how much time to allow for the interview.

 

In addition to learning about the firm or agency, you will need to understand the organizational chart of the organizations so you can determine which department or division you will be working with if you receive an offer. Find out the name of the Department/Division and its function related to the other departments/divisions.   How many people work for the department/division, and what types of employees work in the department/division?  Is your position one of many, or is it unique?  What type of management structure has been established for the department/division?  Is it divided into sub groups?

If you are unable to discover this information from your Internet search, then ask Human Resources for more information. If you know someone who works for the agency, contact them. If you understand more about the department/division and the position, then you can provide better answers to the interview questions and show that you have done some research. If you are unable to gather this information before the interview, use some of these questions at the end of your interview to ask the person(s) you meet with. This shows your interest in the specific organization and position.

 

Before your interview, research the firm/organization and find out whether it is non-profit, government, corporation or small business. The best place to look is their web site—look at all the pages on the web site to determine what types of services or products they offer. The web site will also provide some of the organization’s terminology that might come up in the interview.  For example, if they are in the health care business, are they selling health care products to doctors and hospitals, or are they selling to the general public? If they are in the insurance industry, do they only provide one type of insurance (such as health insurance) or do they provide homeowners and automobile insurance? Who are their customers?

You should also find out the names of the officers or board of directors in case their names are discussed in the interview. Research the size of the organization, the budget, how long they have been around, and their financial status. All of this will prepare you for the interview and assist you with determining if the organization is the right fit for you. In this day and age, you need to know if the firm will be around for a while – you don’t want to be looking for a new position next year.

 

A few days before the interview, brainstorm a list of questions you think they may ask you. Prepare the answers and then practice them.  Ask yourself what you would want to know about candidates if you were the hiring manager. The day before the interview, review the questions and answers again to make sure they are clear in your memory.  This will help you remember the important things you want to tell the hiring manager about yourself, even if he or she doesn’t ask the same questions.

Some typical questions or issues to think about include:

• Why are you interested in this position?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses related to this position?
• What experience do you have that makes you qualified for the position?
• If you are a recent graduate, explain how your education prepared you for the position or what you learned in your classes that would help you with this position.
• Why should we hire you? (This is an opportunity for you to sell yourself!)
• Be able to use the jargon related to the position.
• What did you like or dislike about your last position or supervisor?
• How did you handle a difficult situation or customer?
• What project management skills do you have that will help you be successful in this position?
• Why are you a good team player? Give examples.