Spending
solid
time
preparing
for
interviews
can
make
the
difference
between
getting
a
job
or
not.
Whether
you
are
having
a
first
interview
with
a
recruiter
or
staffing
professional
or
an
interview
at
one
of
our client
locations,
preparation
is
very
important.
Here are some suggestions that will hopefully give you the edge for any
meeting:
Internet: Review the internet and conduct research prior to your meeting.
First you want to thoroughly review the website of the company you are
meeting with. Look for topics to introduce in your meeting.
For instance: if their website proudly announces a new product or
service asking about that product or service shows your level of
interest. Also knowing about a company's competitors also can show
you as a sophisticated and serious applicant. It is so simple to
write down jargon from a company's website and then punch those terms in
google.com or wikipedia.com. With a few clicks of the mouse you
can learn many things about the industry for your upcoming interview.
Plan
Route: Time your arrival to the interview. Nothing is more off
putting to an interviewer, as an applicant arriving more than 15
minutes early or 15 minutes late for an interview. The 15 minute
rule is very important. In order to meet this critical window of
time you will need to carefully plan your arrival. This should
take into account driving directions, anticipated traffic, mass transit
or even finding a department in a large institution like a hospital or
university.
Follow
Up: Before you arrive to an interview you should plan your follow up.
If you are going to follow up with an emailed thank you note or follow
up call you will need to acquire the contact information of your
interviewer. Plan to ask for these before you leave the interview.
Resume
Review: Know your own resume and application.
Interviewers routinely look for
discrepancies between the resume and application. While
these discrepancies are often the product of simple mistakes they also
sometimes indicate areas of concern or areas that are being hidden.
Make sure you know your dates of employment and know the order of your
last few jobs. If you need assistance developing or analyzing your
resume
we
have
a
FREE
online
tool
that
you
may
find
very
helpful...
www.myemploymentstorenow.com.
References: Come prepared with professional references. While some
companies have interest in personal references, we expect that your
friends and family members will have good things to say about you.
Professional
references
should
be your past supervisors and customers. Arrive
at your interview prepared with names and contact information for your
references. If you are a recent student who is entering the job
market, having names and number for professors and advisors can also
help.