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Strategies
Arrive ten minutes early to the interview.
Fill out the application neatly and completely. Do not write “see resume” in any of the categories.
Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and a smile.
Wait to be seated.
Do not answer questions with a simple yes or no; add examples from your prior experience, but maintain relevancy to the question asked.
Do not make derogatory remarks about previous or current employers and/or managers.
Show interest in the industry you are interviewing in!
Make sure your long-term goals are compatible with the position or industry you are interviewing in; if they aren’t, then say you aren’t sure what your long-term goals are.
Think about your answers—for example, do not tell the interviewer your long-term goal is to be the office manager if the interviewer is the current office manager.
Use plenty of examples. Instead of “ I know Powerpoint,” say, “I have used Powerpoint extensively. For example, I have created presentations on Powerpoint using pie charts and graphs at ABC Company.”
Be positive! Employers really do listen to how positive your attitude is. If you say something negative, follow it up with two positive comments.
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Beware of the Right Attitude
Remember that you are interviewing for a position that has not been offered to you (yet), and you should not ask about the following subjects:
Salary—you are “open to a fair offer”. Do not give a range or a figure—it can backfire on you. You wouldn’t be interviewing with the firm if you weren’t in the correct salary range.
Benefits—do not ask the interviewer what benefits they offer. Ask your Stearns & Harris recruiter for details on the company’s benefits.
Promotability—a position is not promotable, only an employee is. It depends on what kind of employee you will be, and if you ask about a promotion before you have the job, the employer may be concerned that you are overqualified for the position you are interviewing for.
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Prepare Questions for your Interviewer
You will present yourself as a better candidate if you prepare some questions for your interviewer. Tailor your questions based on the company and the position as well as your background. Be sure you do not ask questions the interviewer has already addressed during the course of the interview. The following are examples:
What is your management style? (only if you are interviewing with the supervisor of the open position)
Why is this position open?
What qualities did the person last in this position have that made them successful/unsuccessful?
What are some of the future goals of the company or department?
Why did you decide to work for this company?
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Prepare Answers to Typical Interviewing Questions
It’s wise to be prepared to answer the following questions:
What do you wish to be doing in three years? Five years?
Why did you leave your last job?
What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
What do you think determines success? Why?
What tasks are you responsible for doing and how do you insure that they get done?
Describe a problem for which your usual solutions did not work. What did you do?
How do you handle customer complaints?
How does work get assigned to you? What is your role in the process?
When you have a conflict with someone, how do you handle the situation?
Tell me about a time when the boss was absent and you had to make a decision.
What most discourages or frustrates you on the job? How do you combat your frustration?
Describe your most effective time management techniques.
What did you most like about your last position? What did you dislike most?
Your Stearns & Harris recruiter is also available to help you prepare for these and other typical interview questions.
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