Appropriate Interview Attire

Devise an Interview Strategy After the Resume is Ready
By Paul Freiberger

Source:
Shimmering Resumes
www.ShimmeringResumes.com

An impressive resume gets you into the office, where you meet the people who will make the hiring decision. What happens then? You will find out how well you prepared.

You know yourself, but no matter how good you are with people, don't walk into an interview cold. You'll automatically start far behind the better-grounded candidates in this race.

Preparation heightens your confidence, fills out interviews like wind in a sail, and gives solid evidence of your work caliber. If you are prepared, you will be more relaxed, because you will know the terrain. You will have anticipated the key inquiries, have your answers ready, and have plenty of questions of your own. You will know exactly how you can benefit the company and you can subtly guide the interview to these points. You will know that surprises are much less likely, and that you can deal with them when they come. You won't be walking into a maze.

Here are a few specific techniques:

If possible, arrange to be interviewed last. The last person seen tends to be the best remembered. If you interview early, you may also teach the company facts which can benefit later applicants.

Visualize your success. People who use this approach generally report that their interviews have gone better than they had hoped, and that they felt they were talking with old friends.

Think of someone you respect-a friend, a movie star, anyone you admire who would handle an interview deftly. Imagine that person throughout the whole process, from preparation through dressing and driving to the interview, to the initial greeting and the fielding of tough questions. Visualize the comfortable back-and-forth conversation of the interviewer and this person. See the person summarizing the interview, expressing thanks for the chance to learn more about the firm, and asking about the next step. Then imagine the person walking out of the building.

Now go through the whole process again, but with yourself instead. Imagine you have the chance to manage this interview as you want, and that you are easily coping with difficult questions. See the rapport between you and the interviewer, and the growing desire of the interviewer to hire you as soon as possible. Do this repeatedly and it will become a track for the procedure, almost like a memory.

Research the company. The Internet is right at your fingertips. Use it to learn about the firm and the advantages you can offer it. Check out the company's competition and the industry overall. For instance, be familiar with any looming legislation that might affect the firm. The more you know, the more you'll know the company's needs and how you can fill them. Other important sources of information:

Friends and acquaintances. They can give you crucial insights into the company culture, and sometimes individuals within the culture. Remember, fit is perhaps the key criterion interviewers look for. And if there is no fit, you probably don't want the job.
Company literature. Ask the interviewer to send you annual reports, newsletters, promotional brochures, anything relevant.
The library. You may find information here on the company's clients and investors.

Anticipate questions the employer will ask and develop answers. This is simply essential. Put yourself in the interviewer's place and develop questions based on the three issues employers most want answered:

Can you do the work?-The resume will largely answer this question, which involves your experience in similar positions, your education, and your other skills. But the interview will let the employer sense your capacities in a direct, personal way, and it can make the deepest impression. For instance, studies show that we think confident people are competent-more competent that they statistically are.
Will we enjoy working with you?-You can have all the ability in the world and fail on fit. Fit-and more broadly, interpersonal skills-relates to competence, since if you can't get along with the boss, the board, your peers, and your staff, you will have problems doing the job. The interview exists above all to answer questions on fit, personality, and character. Note that the more you know about the company, the more you already fit in.
How much do you want to succeed on the job?-An oft-repeated myth holds that employers care how much you want the job. Of course, if you're desperate for it, interviewers will be less likely to hire you. In fact, companies really want to know how much you want job success, that is, how vigorously you will perform. (Of course, if they sense you're not interested in the job, they will conclude you're not interested in success either.) Investor Warren Buffett hires on three main criteria-ability, character, and energy-and this is the third of them. You can show your commitment to success by your preparation. How much do you already know about the company? If you know a lot, employers will reasonably deduce that you will aggressively learn about other companies, customers, and techniques for improvement. Throw yourself into the job search and you imply you will throw yourself into the job as well. The job search is a kind of job.

Practice answering these questions. Prepare responses that are solid and support your case, and practice speaking them aloud. It's not enough simply to have them in mind. If you utter them often enough, you'll lay down the right neural circuits to spool them off easily and confidently in the interview.

Devise challenging questions to ask in your turn. Interviewers expect it, and you'll have a chance to show you've done your homework, highlighting your confidence and competence. You'll also engage the interviewer, creating a conversation rather than a one-way interrogation, so you'll establish better rapport. Make your questions penetrating (without, of course, being rude). If based on your research, they will get you deeper into the soul of the organization and make you a more serious candidate.

Have someone conduct a practice interview with you. You'll not only gain experience in a situation like the real one, with swift back-and-forth, but you'll benefit from comments on your performance.

Appear in the waiting room 10 minutes early. Your extra care will impress the interviewer. Moreover, surprise traffic won't cause you to lose your composure or, worse, show up late. In fact, you should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early, and sit in your car until 10 minutes before the interview.

Don't worry if you feel nervous. It's normal and usually helpful, since it can spur your quickness, memory, and resourcefulness. Worry more if you don't feel nervous.

Article by Paul Freiberger, President of Shimmering Resumes, a resume-writing and career counseling service. Paul is the author of several books and the winner of the Los Angeles Times book award. He can be reached at: Paul@shimmeringresumes.com, or, by phone at 877-796-9737. You can visit his website at http://www.shimmeringresumes.com.