Interview Preparation is a critical part of the Process. The more comfortable you are with your interview strategy, the procedures to follow, and the information you wish to convey, the more you can concentrate on listening instead of speaking. Getting the other person to do most of the talking is very important because:
v You will learn what motivates them and what is currently important to them;
v You will be able to determine what specific information you have that will be of greatest interest to them;
v You will avoid the possibility of disclosing a liability that may eliminate you from consideration;
v They will see you as sincerely interested in their efforts instead of being there to brag about your own accomplishments;
v Good questions imply knowledge – whether it actually exists or not!
Conducting the kind of interview that gets you offers requires focus. Nothing is more unimpressive than a person who takes up time and seems to have no direction or purpose in mind. The following steps should be taken in preparing for ANY interview, whether for purposes of gathering information, or for landing the position of your dreams.
1 – What does the company do? Research its background enough to have a good handle on the business and the industry it represents.
2 – How will you position yourself for this interview (i.e., operations management, marketing and sales, production, etc. – pick your primary focus based on what you know… you can’t be all things to all people!)? __________________________________________________________________________________________
3 – Who will you / should you be speaking with in the organization by title / name (in the case of an information meeting – you have no choice in a job interview but can still anticipate who the people will be)? __________________________________________________________________________________________
4 – What skills/strengths will be important to emphasize based on the positioning, as you understand it? __________________________________________________________________________________________
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5 – Based on the above skills and strengths, what are the SHARE stories you will be using in your conversation to improve their sense of you value to them (note key words only)?
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6 – Based on the above, what will you give as your one-minute commercial (elevator speech) to break the ice and take soft control of the interview?
7 – Based on the stories you think will apply, what are the questions you want to ask that will lead to discussion of your skills and strengths? Write them out on a separate page, review them with your CD and take them with you to your interview.
For job interviews specifically, include questions that cover the following points (see Ready, Aim, Hired – Chapter 4 for additional information:
A. Situational questions (personal, general questions for all job types) that deal with why the position is open.
B. Job specific questions that deal with how the job functions and relates to others in the company.
C. Performance measurement questions that help you to understand how the position operates and will be evaluated.
D. Support questions that deal with the people and resources that will make your job possible.
E. Career path questions that will provide a sense of where the position might lead.
F. Personal and growth questions related to how the company will support your development over time.