By Barbara Poole

Your New Year’s resolution was to find a new job that would be exciting and rewarding. You’ve been diligently working your strategy, sending out resumes and networking at every opportunity.

Lo and behold, you’ve just received a call to interview with the No. 1 company on your list. Do you know how to prepare for the interview so that you’ll feel confident, have a positive experience and set yourself apart from others? Try following the steps below and you’ll be well prepared and you’ll present yourself as a true professional.

1. Research the organization. It’s important to do your homework on what the company is all about. Interviewers often ask, “What do you know about us?” It’s not a question you want to struggle with. Go to the company’s Web site and read about the organization’s mission, its products, size, locations, financial information and news stories. If they don’t have a Web presence, try looking them up at the library, or call the Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce to see if you can gather some basic information before showing up for the interview.

2. Prepare your introductory statement. Many interviews begin with, “Tell me about you.” This is an opportunity for you to provide a brief summary of your background by drawing on those aspects of your personal history that are job relevant. It is not an invitation to talk about your hobbies, your likes and dislikes, or other information of a more personal nature. Think in terms of what you can share that begins to present you as the kind of person they want for the job in question. Connect the dots between your background and what matters for the job.

3. Be prepared to discuss both your strengths and your weaknesses. For most of us, it’s fairly comfortable to talk about the things we enjoy and at which we excel. It’s far more challenging to discuss weaknesses. And yet, most employers want to know that you’ve given objective consideration to identifying those skills or traits that are not your strong suit and to devising strategies to compensate for them. Answer this question honestly, but make sure that your responses paint you in a favorable light.

4. Identify measurable results, innovations and process improvements you made in your most recent job. It’s far more impressive to talk about what outcomes you actually produced for your past employers than it is to recite a long list of responsibilities associated with your job descriptions. Interviewers want to know what you have accomplished, not just how you spent your time.

5. Dress for success. The way you dress makes a statement about yourself. When choosing your interviewing apparel, err on the side of more conservative, and try to position your outfit so that it will be one level above what people normally wear on the job you are applying for.

6. Arrive 15 minutes early for your appointment. Besides ensuring you aren’t rushed, you can learn a lot by using this strategy. Observe the company’s employees as you sit in the lobby. Do they greet one another and say hello to you? Are they smiling and happy or frazzled and frustrated?

7. Engage in a dialogue with the interviewer. A conversation is a two-way exchange. Be curious and ask appropriate questions to gain a good understanding of how the company, department and management operate. Ask about things beyond just job responsibilities, like company culture, opportunities for personal and professional development, current and future challenges of the position, etc.

8. Tell the truth. When responding to the employer’s questions, tell the truth! Many people feel compelled to “dress up” previous positions or experience. Make sure everything you say to the interviewer is accurate and factual. A professional organization will check references, and you want to make sure that the information you have presented is consistent with what they will hear.

9. Don’t talk salary or benefits in the first interview. The goal is to get as many options going as possible so don’t talk about compensation too early in the game, as it can be a knockout factor and reduce your bargaining position. Sell the employer on all that you can do for them. If they’re interested they’ll make an offer and then you can start negotiating the specifics.

10. Remember that 50% of the responsibility for the right job match is yours. You should be interviewing the employer just as they are interviewing you. That means it’s important to gain the information that you need and view the experience as a sample of how this company does business.

With a little practice and preparation, you will shine in your interviews. Just make sure to do your part before, during and after the experience!

Barbara Poole is a leadership and career development coach with Charleston-based Success Builders Inc. She can be reached at coachbarbara@successbuildersinc.com.

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