Interviewing for jobs can feel stressful, but knowing the strategies we will address can reduce your anxiety and prepare you to interview confidently. Reviewing these keys before every interview will maximize your ability to prove that you can meet the employer’s needs and receive job offers! Here are the critical components for interviewing with confidence:
Prepare for the Interview
“Research” yourself.
A significant reason for extended unemployment is that 80% of job applicants can’t prove their top ten skills for the job they are interviewing for. You can be in the 20% by reviewing your transferable, personal, and content skills in your CFT Skills Map™, noting the ones that particularly apply to the position you are interviewing for. Develop examples of how you have used these skills and what results you have obtained. These examples are what we call quantified skill statements. Here is an example: “Successfully led a team of 10 sales representatives to exceed quarterly sales targets by 25%, resulting in a 15% increase in overall company revenue within six months.”
Research the organization.
Become knowledgeable about the company’s age, products and services, origin, growth, corporate structure, and prospects for the future. The place to start doing this is at the company’s website. Here, you will find some of the best online resources for researching organizations. Knowing this information will help answer the interview question: “What interests you about our company (agency, school)?”
Practice answering frequently asked and “problem” interview questions.
Being prepared to answer frequently asked interview questions will give you more confidence to interview well in every situation.
Review the dos and don’ts of effective interviewing.
Dress for success: What you wear can help you make a great first impression. Here are important tips to dress for success.
At the interview:
- Arrive about 10 minutes early for your interview.
- Be polite to the receptionist and secretary (the boss may ask for feedback about you from their assistant).
- You should bring additional copies of your resume, letters of recommendation, etc., a pen to fill out forms, and a notebook to write down any important information.
During the Interview
Be prepared with your Strengths Summary.
Your Strengths Summary will help you to answer open-ended questions such as, “Tell me about yourself” or “Why should we hire you?”
Your job is to help the interviewer gain an accurate understanding of your qualifications for the position. If the interviewer isn’t asking questions that allow you to talk about your skills and abilities, find ways to integrate the information into the interview questions you answer.
A good interview should be a two-way conversation.
Look for opportunities to ask questions to determine what you need to know to assess whether the job and organization would fit you well. Also, at the end of an interview, the employer will ask you, “Do you have any questions?” Be prepared with three to five questions that are most important to you. Here is a list of key questions to ask the employer.
Often, during the interview, you will be asked salary questions.
Learn the secrets to answering salary questions like a pro and negotiate the salary you deserve.
Concluding the Interview
Ask, “Can you tell me when you’ll be making a decision?” or “Can you tell me what the decision-making process will be for this position?”
Ask about salary, benefits, or vacation only if you have been offered the job or after they have mentioned these areas. If you ask about these areas before that time, it may give the impression that you are more interested in what you will receive than in your passion for meeting their needs.
Remember that the interview stops after you have left the organization. You never know who may observe and evaluate you when you are on the company grounds.
Following Up After the Interview
VERY IMPORTANT: Send a thank you letter within 24 hours.
Here is an example. Sending a thank you letter is a simple yet powerful way of standing out from other candidates applying for the same position. A thank you letter also allows you to add information you neglected to share during the interview. In most cases, you can send your thank you letter by email. If you want to go a step further, send a thank you letter by “snail mail,” in addition to your emailed thank you.
If you don’t hear when expected, take the initiative!
Be “gently persistent”; “that is, “bug” them, but do it politely! For example, when you call back, you can say, “I was in to interview with you [one week, two weeks] ago for the ____________ position. I’m calling to check in regarding where you are in the decision-making process.” We have had clients who got the job because they took the initiative to follow up.
If you are not selected for the job, ask if they can provide feedback on why you were not selected. While it can be challenging to hear feedback, the information you obtain can help you interview more effectively.
Remember that you can say no to a position if it is not right for you.
Interviewing Mindset
Remember that before, during, and after the interview, you should be focused on the employer’s needs and how your skills (transferable, personal, and content skills) can help you meet those needs. Following the advice above will maximize your chances of receiving job offers for work that you would love.