1. You must sell what you are capable of doing to an employer. This is best accomplished by giving examples of accomplishments you have done previously for companies that are relevant to the position you are interviewing for. The basic theme of any interviewing process is that behavior tends to repeat itself. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Whatever the interviewer finds, a pattern of the past will be assumed to repeat in the future. Like it or not, your past accomplishments are the manifestations of your corporate worth.
  2. You must approach the entire interview process with a positive attitude.
  3. Your objective should always be to get an offer. You can neither decline nor accept an offer you do not get. Uncertainty during the interview process invariably produces bad results.
  4. Before you get there, know what you can do for the company.
  5. Learn everything you can about the company from every available information source. It is critical that you use the Internet to find out if they have a web site. We have noticed that companies that have these sites have a very strong expectation that they will be used.
  6. Remember that the interviewer’s interest in you is purely selfish. It is no different than your selfish interest in the company. They want to hire the person who can do the most for them. All attention should be focused on what the company wants with your agenda temporarily taking a backseat. If you focus your attention on yourself, you will get in trouble in a hurry. When you have created a strong desire in the company to hire you, you can lay out the things you want; and if they are within the realm of reason, have an excellent chance of achieving them.
  7. Never bring up the subject of benefits, salary, and vacation policy or bonuses until the interviewer brings them up.
  8. It is in your self-interest to delay money discussions until the end of the interview process. Hopefully by the end, a strong desire to hire you will exist, and you will have a lot more information. From your perspective, these are ideal conditions to discuss money. If the interviewer asks salary expectations early in the interview, you should respond, “I want the best offer you can make based upon my education and experience.” If after this statement the interviewer still persists, try a somewhat vague response like, “I think we are in the same ballpark,” or “I was thinking of something higher.” Avoid under selling yourself but realize that excessive salary demands are one of the main causes of offers not being extended. Many people feel they should start high then negotiate. At best, this is an extremely risky strategy in today’s sophisticated environment. Most of the clients are very limited as to what they will negotiate unless they are in a very unusual situation. Rarely will you be forced to nail down exact asking price. In this case, I believe in adding a little cushion and stating, “I would like $”. The word like implies some flexibility.
  9. The people you interview with must like you to get hired. Basic human relations skills and proper packaging of you are absolutely critical. Next to no one, regardless of qualifications, gets hired who is not liked. Many less qualified people get hired because they are liked. Best interview skills often win over best qualifications. The following is strongly suggested:
    1. Never interrupt the interviewer. If you do interrupt, you will have all the charm and appeal of a leper. If the interviewer wants to talk, let him. Good listeners are universally liked. If possible ask additional prompting questions to keep the interviewer talking. You are getting potentially valuable information while the interviewer gets none.
    2. Do not force information on the interviewer. This is a major turn off. Know in advance the points, experience, traits, and accomplishments in your background that you hope to discuss. Look for natural feeling opportunities to bring them up. Remember the interviewer, for many possible reasons, may want to handle the interview differently than what you expect. If this happens, do not be disappointed. If your human relations skills are good, you are in good shape.
    3. Have a list of well thought out questions you plan to ask. The interviewer’s perception of how sharp you are is heavily influenced by the questions you ask.
    4. Arrive early for the interview.
    5. Dress in the appropriate manner. Over the past decade, customs regarding dress have changed dramatically. What is proper dress varies widely from organization to organization. The best approach is to ask the company official responsible for setting up the interview what their recommendation would be regarding optimum attire.
    6. Get a haircut, trim beards and mustaches.
    7. Get on a first name basis as quickly as possible.
    8. Smile! This really helps.
    9. Use a firm handshake.
    10. Maintain eye contact.
    11. Sit up straight and stay just a little tense. If you are totally relaxed, you may drift into contradictory body language which is something people read intuitively.
    12. Never make negative statements about former bosses, past companies, or your present company. If absolutely necessary, speak in terms of “problems” versus very specific damnation.
    13. Wait to be offered a chair before sitting.
    14. Do not smoke or chew gum.
    15. Do your homework. It will show in many ways.
    16. Thank the interviewer for his time.
    17. At every opportunity express gratitude for past employers and bosses.
    18. Carry a folding binder that holds a legal pad with you. It is a lot less cumbersome than a brief case. It looks professional and gives you something in which to carry cards, resumes, pens, etc. It can be very difficult to carry a brief case around during a day of interviewing.
    19. It is strongly recommended that you take some notes whether you need them or not.
    20. To each of us our name is our identity. It is very important to remember the interviewers’ names and to use them. Some things to make it easier are:
      1. Request that the company provide a list of the interviewers’ names and titles in advance of the interview.
      2. Ask the interviewer for a business card. Then put the card in a side pocket of your binder with most of the name showing.
      3. Write the name down in your notes several times.
      4. Use the name in the conversation as quickly as possible. If you are addressing someone it is a good strategy to start any statement with his or her name. This can be done repeatedly. Instead of being awkward, people very much enjoy the repetitive use of their name in conversation.
    21. Pay attention to the people that support the people you are interviewing with. Doing well with them gives the impression you fit into the organization easily. Also, in certain circumstances, they can provide a wealth of unfiltered information.
  10. Always try to answer questions and make statements in a direct and concise manner. Failure to do so will get you “tuned out” very quickly. Avoid answering questions with only “Yes” or “No”. Give explanations whenever possible. State things about yourself that relate to the situation. Do not brag.
  11. Make sure you understand the question before answering. Answering the wrong question is a real “turn off”. It gives the impression you were not paying attention, which is insulting. If necessary ask to have the question repeated or clarified.
  12. During the interview, you should concentrate on only two things:Making the interviewers like you and gathering as much information as possible. Being liked gets you an offer. Information gathering helps you assess the interview when you get back home. Trying to process information during the interview causes mistakes. The best strategy is to try your best to be in a position to get an offer. It can always be turned down; or upon reflection, you may be withdrawn from consideration.
  13. Very seldom is it possible to get all the information you want during the interview. Once an offer is extended, you can easily get any reasonable information you request.
  14. Preparing questions lists are important:
    1. The questions you ask, including the words you select to express them, will strongly influence the interviewer’s assessment of you.
    2. They prevent you from overlooking needed information. After the interview, you can easily determine the information you still need to get.
    3. Preparing the lists will make you much more organized and efficient. The interviewers will notice. Questions list preparation is strongly advised.
  15. The first list should be carried in your binder. Make a list of all data you need to gather. Out of that data you need to make up 10 – 15 of the best questions. Be sure some are questions like “Why do you feel this position would be attractive to someone like me?” or “What things make it attractive to be an employee or your company?” or “What qualities do you appreciate most in a member of your staff?” (often followed by “What do you appreciate least?”). Having 10 – 15 questions is very important because most of the data you want will be given to you in various ways throughout the interview. At one or several points in the interview, the interviewers will ask if you have any other questions. At this point a very shrewd thing to do is to pull out your questions list, scan it and ask a couple of questions. This will make it crystal clear to the interviewers that you took the interviewer seriously and were prepared.
  16. You must know and be prepared to discuss why you want to change employers including reasonably detailed explanations for each past job change and your accomplishments for every employer ideally expressed in dollar values. Interview processes are usually characterized by suspicion on all sides. Both sides fear mistakes. Not giving specific enough information about the above areas usually leads to negative inferences on the interviewers’ part.
  17. In trying to work up your accomplishments, focus on the problems you have dealt with, the solutions to those problems, the results of the solutions and the value of having the problems fixed preferably expressed in dollar values. The more you are given credit for being able to do, the more you are worth.
  18. Never lie or be dishonest. Many catastrophic things can occur if you do this, especially if you get the job. Exaggerating is lying.
  19. Do not get drawn into even a low-key argument, if a statement you have made is challenged, quietly stick to your position. If possible, hedge with statements like “In the environment I have been in, this is how it was handled. If there are better ways to do it, I would be very interested in learning them.” Even if the interviewer disagrees, you are exhibiting reasonableness and flexibility. Remember, the interviewer may be testing you by playing the devil’s advocate. If you argue, you cannot win even if you are right.
  20. As early as possible in the interview, you need to ascertain what the company and the interviewer is looking for. This will help you calibrate throughout the interview. One approach to accomplish this is to say, “The headhunter gave me enough information to get me excited but I still have a fuzzy picture of your needs. Could you describe the position and what kind of problems need to be solved?” Put this way, it is very difficult for the interviewer to duck your question. If a phone interview has taken place, the question needs to be repackaged to get the information you lack.
  21. If by the end of the interview you are interested in the position, ask for the job. This does not commit you to anything. It will positively effect compensation. It may be the difference between getting an offer or a rejection letter.
  22. As soon as possible after the interview, write or E-mail a brief thank you note to everyone you interviewed with. If you asked for business cards, this should be no problem. A format I like that would be sent to your prospective new boss is as follows:
    1. The first sentence thanks the receiver and his or her staff for their time and courtesy. This is a basic courtesy.
    2. The second sentence pays sincere compliment. Something along the lines “I was very impressed with…” Remember, you want them to like you.
    3. The third sentence says you feel you can do the job. You might say, “I feel I can meet or exceed your expectations in the position we discussed.” The interviewer wants someone who can do the job.
    4. The fourth sentence tells your prospective supervisor that you are interested in the position. It is often in your self-interest for the hiring manager to have tangible evidence of your interest.
    5. The last sentence hints at being anxious. “I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience”.
    6. This letter tells your prospective boss everything he or she wants to be told, and yet tells them nothing. You have not said you will accept an offer. No price has been established. You have executed the last step in creating the desire to hire you.
  23. For thank you notes to the other members of the interview team, I like the following format:
    1. The first sentence thanks the interviewer for his or her time and courtesy.
    2. The second sentence says you enjoyed something specific about the interview. Again, good notes help. An example would be, “I really enjoyed our discussion of…”
    3. The last sentence says something like this, “I really hope we get the opportunity to work together.” Again, taking notes is useful. The main feature about this thank you note is its brevity.
  24. Avoid having bad breath.
  25. If you are asked to fill out an employment application observe the following:
    1. If possible ask for a second application or make a photocopy of it. Make your final application copy as neat, accurate, and complete as possible.
    2. Complete all items on the application except expected salary, which should be left blank. If challenged as to why you left it blank say, “I have a salary range I am looking in. I will not know where in my range this position will fall until the end of the interview. I did not want to give you false or misleading information.”
    3. On the education section, include all education relevant to the prospective job including seminars and other training. If possible, all of your education should go on the application.
    4. Very completely fill out the work history section including accomplishments and jobs to finance your education. Do not try to substitute a resume for this section. Only attach the resume if it includes information not on the application.
    5. Provide business and personal references. You should have spoken to these people in advance and know what they will say.
    6. Be neat and avoid errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  26. If you have high seniority with your present employer, or have been recently divorced or have been terminated or are being squeezed out or are a first time job changer, you need to know that despite being calm on the outside there is a strong possibility you are in great turmoil at a deep down emotional level. This will usually, if unchecked, lead to self-destructive behavior in the interview. Making a career move is as unsettling and scary an experience as there is. Most people that have not moved a lot have, at the subconscious level, deep concerns about being able to please a new boss and fit into a new organization. They fear the other guy will not recognize their worth. After all, how can the other guy know in an hour or two? These feelings are seldom consciously acknowledged. Instead these subconscious feelings manifest themselves during the interview in destructive behaviors, such as measuring out loud everything against your current employer, forcing information at the interviewer or dwelling on oneself. These same people will often upon getting an offer will rationalize every reason in the world not to take it. If you spend most of your time trying to make them like you and the rest of it using your perceptions to gather information, many potential problems will not occur. Save the judgements for when you get home.
  27. You should be prepared to answer all of the following questions:
    1. Why should I hire you?
    2. What training or qualifications do you have for the job?
    3. Why do you want to change jobs?
    4. How have you helped the company’s bottom-line?
    5. What kind of experience do you have for this job?
    6. Why are you successful?
    7. How many and what type of people have you supervised?
    8. Have you ever hired or fired anyone?
  28. There are some very sophisticated behavioral interviewing techniques in use today. The idea is to examine your past behavior patterns in specific situations. Sometimes it only takes one situation to establish the pattern. Sometimes it takes several situations. The interviewer assumes that behavior repeats itself. A couple of examples:
    1. One example is “Have you ever made a mistake at work?’ The answer better be yes since anybody that tries to do anything makes mistakes. Next the interviewer asks probing follow-up questions about the mistake. His real agenda is to find out if this individual learns from mistakes.
    2. Another example is “Tell me about a time when you were frustrated”. Follow-up question is “What happened?” This one usually goes through several instances to establish the pattern. The interviewer is looking for the following data:
      1. Is this person a quitter?
      2. How aggressive is this person?
      3. How determined is this person?
      4. Did this person come up with creative solutions?
      5. What are this person’s human relations skills on the job?
  29. If you are asked “tell me about a time”, philosophical; open ended or simulated situation questions, consider yourself on thin ice. Take a moment or two to think about the question, refocus all of your attention back on the interviewer before you speak. Answer the question as directly and concisely as possible. Do not try and give the finer details. If the interviewer wants elaboration, he or she will ask. By having to ask he or she will probably give clues as to the information really sought.