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Be
professional, confident and look your best.
The first impression is a lasting impression.
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Bring a pen and notebook, and several
copies of your updated resume.
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Research
the company, its group, and subsidiaries. Make full
use of the web, financial rating companies, and current events.
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Always
be positive regarding your current employer
and prior companies and the people to whom you reported. These
are positive building blocks that helped to prepare you for the
current opportunity.
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Get
the interviewer to describe the position and responsibilities
early in
the conversation so you can relate your skills and background
to the position throughout the interview.
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Prepare
a list of probing questions pertaining to the job responsibilities
of the position, division and company goals, company culture,
etc.
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Energy,
Drive, Initiative. The key to personal success is to
do more than you have to. Give the interviewer several examples
of your initiative and personal successes and extra efforts.
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Management
and Organization. Let the interviewer know that you
have the ability to persuade and motivate others. Team leadership
is a component of both management and personality. Share management
ability and style, and organizational skills.
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Character:
Values, Commitment and Goals - Summarize your integrity,
honesty, responsibility, openness and fairness in dealing with
others.
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Watch
your body language. Maintain good posture, leaning
slightly forward indicates interest. Maintain eye contact.
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Prepare
a list of your strengths and why you are perfect for the position.
One of the toughest interview questions that you can be asked
is "Tell me about yourself". Rather than guess where
the interviewer wants you to begin, use this very simple response:
"I'd be happy to. Where would you like me to begin?"
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Do
you bring value beyond the technical job description?
Demonstrate your ownership of the company's strategic goals. Provide
everyday examples of your commitment to delivering peak performance
and team building. Communicate your success in solving problems,
seeking out new products and services that will benefit clients.
Demonstrate your abilities to help foster collaborative decision-making.
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Make
sure you answer the following two questions: "Why
are you interested in the company?" and "What can you
offer?".
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If
you are interested in the position - tell the client!
At the conclusion of the interview, state that you are very interested
in pursuing this position, and then ask, "Where do we go
from here?" or "What is the next step?"
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Do
not discuss salary on the first interview. Complete the application
and answer all of the questions, including current base salary, and bonus
pool, if applicable. If the application or interviewer asks you for salary
expectations, leave the application blank. Responding to a direct question,
tell the interviewer that you are relatively open and negotiable. Explain
that money is not driving your decision to interview for a new job. The reason for
interviewing is to explore the company's culture, career path, training,
opportunities to advance, exposure to decision makers, travel time up the ladder
to become a senior manager / decision maker, quality of managers / mentors,
cutting edge technology, etc. (pick a few or mix in your own questions). If
you are pressed for an answer, respond in the form of a range (i.e., $60K to $65K) or
a percentage (i.e., 10% to 15%). Alternatively, you could respond by asking
the interviewer: "What is the position's salary grade or midpoint?"; "What have you
paid the other employees who have performed this role?".
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Call
your recruiter as soon as possible right after the interview
to advise of how things went. We will then call our client for
their feedback and advise you of their impression.
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Ask
for the interviewer's business card so you can send a thank you
letter pointing out your strong points that were brought
out in the interview, and to let the interviewer know that you
are indeed very interested in pursuing the opportunity.
