Winning Interview Tips

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	There's a lot of advice being doled out these days on how to prepare properly for interviews, how to behave during interviews, what to do and not to do after interviews, but you should adopt a plan that's right for you. You should choose a prepping strategy, that for the most part; you believe will deliver you positive results. While no one can actually guarantee you a job by strictly following their pre-interview advice, they can at least help you increase your odds of pulling off a successful interview and that's what I'm also shooting for here. When meeting with jobseekers that are looking for useful advice in preparing for interviews, I always recommend practicing the following techniques: 1) research the company, 2) anticipate possible questions, 3) understand the position you're applying for, 4) determine how to sell yourself, and 5) have questions prepared to ask the interviewer at the very end. These techniques collectively create what I call a successful A+ Prepping Routine. Research Company Before going out on an interview, you'll want to make sure to research the company first. You can get plenty of useful information from sources such as company literature, company website, your local library and informational interviews with existing employees at company. Some of the key areas you'll want to gather information about the company are in the following areas: number of employees, products and or services offered, whether company is privately held or publicly held, the year of incorporation and the company's corporate philosophy. Anticipate Questions One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make when preparing for interviews is regularly neglecting to anticipate possible interview questions. Most inexperienced jobseekers think that all they need to do is wear their best suit, arrive on time, extend a firm enough handshake and the interviewer will complacently evaluate them solely on their appearance and handshake alone. But, if you're amongst the many smart jobseekers out there that are not willing to leave anything up to chance, you'll definitely plan for this aspect of your meeting beforehand. You'll take the time to create a possible list of questions, hopefully develop concise, convincing responses during the interview and later undoubtedly come across as a candidate that was amply prepared for the interview. Understand the Position Make sure you understand the position you're applying for. You can acquire an accurate overview of the position by simply reviewing the company's current job description or by reviewing handouts outlining the company's training programs and/or existing career paths. Having a good understanding of the position beforehand will give you the poise and confidence you need to help sell your talents convincingly to the interviewer. Sell Yourself Effectively Make sure to match your strengths with the company's existing needs. Always have multiple examples to illustrate your skills and make sure to develop a plan for the interview. Don't just plan on walking in, shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries and then sitting down and winging it. Instead, write down beforehand what you want the interviewer to know about you. That way, you'll force yourself to create descriptive, convincing examples of your strengths and can smoothly incorporate them into your discussion with the interviewer. Have Questions To Ask Finally, you should always have a list of questions prepared to ask the hiring person at the end of your meeting. Never end an interview without any. Some interviewers might construe this as an unwelcome sign of your not preparing properly for the interview or even possibly interpret that you were secretly dispassionate about working at the company. Just the mere fact that you didn't create a short list of questions could signal unwanted traits about yourself and the worst assumption possibly being that you might prove to be the kind of employee that regularly shows an indifference towards his or her assignments. If you're not sure what types of questions to ask then refer to the company's job description, recruiting materials, or the company's website again. You can obtain plenty of useful information from these sources to construct intelligent questions. Just make sure you don't duplicate what's already noted in any of these sources. No interviewer ever wants to repeat information you should've already read. ________________________________________________ This article is © 2003-2005 by Tracy Miller and may not be reposted without written permission from the author and may not be reprinted for profit.