Interview

Here's how to dress for the best possible outcome:

• Research the prospective employer - companies and even industries have definable corporate cultures. Find out what the corporate uniform is - and wear it.
• Select an outfit you have worn before and are comfortable wearing.
• Try on the outfit a few days before - enough time to have drying-cleaning and repairs completed.
• Everything must be clean, neat and ironed.
• No bulging pockets or sagging coat lining.
• Hair and nails must be clean and groomed.
• Scent should be low-key or absent.
• The favorite color of most is blue - it conveys trust, calm and confidence.

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1. Arriving late. Get directions from the interviewer - or a map. Wear a watch and leave home early. If the worst happens and you can't make it on time, call the interviewer and arrange to reschedule.
2. Dressing wrong. You make your greatest impact on the interviewer in the first 17 seconds - an impression you want to make powerfully positive. Dress right in a conservative suit, subdued colors, little jewelry (but real gold, or silver, or pearls), low heels (polished) and everything clean and neat. Hygiene includes combed hair, brushed teeth, deodorant and low-key scent. Check everything the night before, again before walking out the door and once again in the restroom just before the interview.
3. Play zombie. OK, you're nervous. But you can still smile, right? And make eye contact, yes? Sit up, focus on the interviewer, and start responding. Enthusiasm is what the interviewer wants to see.
4. No smoking, no gum, no drinking. This is all comfort stuff for you, and none of it helps you here. Employers are more likely to hire non-smokers. At a lunch or dinner interview, others may order drinks. You best not.
5. Research failure. The interview is not the time for research. Find out the company's products and services, annual sales, structure and other key information from the Internet, the public library, professional magazines or from former employees. Show that you are interested in working for the prospective employer by demonstrating knowledge about the company.
6. Can't articulate your own strengths and weaknesses. Only you can recognize your most valuable strengths and most hurtful weaknesses. Be able to specify your major strengths. Your weaknesses, if such must come up, should only be turned around to positives.
7. Winging the interview. Practice! Get a friend, a list of interview questions and a tape recorder and conduct an interview rehearsal. Include a presentation or demonstration if that will be part of the real interview. Start with introducing yourself and go all through an interview to saying good-bye. Write out any answers you have difficulty with, and practice until your delivery is smooth (but not slick).
8. Talk, Talk, Talk. Rambling, interrupting the interviewer and answering to a simple question with a fifteen-minute reply - all of these can be avoided if you've thought through and practiced what you want to communicate. Good answers are to the point and usually shorter.
9. Failure to connect yourself to the job offered. The job description details the company's needs - you connect your experiences, your talents and your strengths to the description. It answers the essential reasons for the interview - "How my education/experience/talents/strengths fit your needs and why I can do this job for you."
10. Not asking questions - and asking too many. Use your research to develop a set of questions that will tell you whether this is the job and the company for you. This will help you limit and focus your questions. But don't overpower the interviewer with questions about details that really won't count in the long run.
11. Bad-mouth anyone. Not just your present employer, or former employer, or the competition. You don't want to look like a complainer.
12. Asking about compensation and /or benefits too soon. Wait for the interviewer to bring up these issues - after the discussion of your qualifications and the company's needs and wants.
13. Failure to ask for the job. When the interviewer indicates the interview is over, convey your interest in the job and ask what the next step is.

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Job Interview Questions

Interviews are always stressful - even for job seekers who have gone on countless interviews. The best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared. Take the time to review the "standard" interview questions you will most likely be asked. Also review sample answers to these typical interview questions.

Then take the time to research the company. That way you'll be ready with knowledgeable answers for the job interview questions that specifically relate to the company you are interviewing with.

Interview Questions: Work History

• Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment.
• What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met?
• What were your starting and final levels of compensation? 
• What were your responsibilities? 
• What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
• Which was most / least rewarding?
• What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
• What was it like working for your supervisor? What were his strengths and shortcomings? 
• Why are you leaving your job? 
• What have you been doing since your last job?
• Why were you fired?

Job Interview Questions About You

• Describe a typical work week.
• How many hours do you normally work?
• How would you describe the pace at which you work?
• How do you handle stress and pressure?
• What motivates you?
• What are your salary expectations?
• What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
• Tell me about yourself.
• If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
• Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
• Give some examples of team work?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it?
• How do you evaluate success?

Job Interview Questions About the New Job and Company

• What interests you about this job?
• Why do you want this job?
• What applicable attributes / experience
• Are you overqualified for this job?
• What can you do for this company?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• What do you know about this company?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What challenges are you looking for in a position?
• What can you contribute to this company?
• Are you willing to travel?
• Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know?

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Phone Interview Tips & Techniques

Employers use telephone interviews as a way of identifying and recruiting candidates for employment. Phone interviews are often used to screen candidates in order to narrow the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews. They are also used as way to minimize the expenses involved in interviewing out-of-town candidates.

hile you're actively job searching, it's important to be prepared for a phone interview on a moment's notice. You never know when a recruiter or a networking contact might call and ask if you have a few minutes to talk. Prepare for a phone interview just as you would for a regular interview. Compile a list of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a list of answers to typical interview questions.

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Dressing for a Job Interview

Generally, it's a good idea to wear a suit for a job interview. Go with something simple, in a neutral tone. The more conservative your field is, the more conservative your suit should be. For example, if you're applying for a job in an investment firm, go with a navy blue or dark gray suit. In addition to following the general rules for dressing for work, heed this advice when you go on a job interview:

• Adhere to the employer's dress code: find out whether it's formal (suit and tie) or casual by asking around or by observing employees arriving for work.
  
  
• Dress slightly better than you would if you were an employee. For example, if the dress code is very casual, you should take it up a notch.
  
  
• Cover up tattoos and remove body jewelry until you know whether they are acceptable at that particular workplace

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