How to Nail Your Next Interview
If you've gotten an interview, congratulations! This is your foot in the door. It shows that an employer has pulled your resume off the pile and is interested in what you can bring to the company. Now, you just have to charm them in the interview and seal the deal. Here are some ways to do this.
Be prepared.
Research the company beforehand, and research the position as much as you are able to. The more you know about the industry and the particular niche the company is looking to fill, the more impressed your potential employer will be. Go to the company website, or consult Job Star Central to start your company research process.
Fit your expectations to the position.
If you are applying for an entry level position, expect that you will be at the bottom of the totem pole in your department and will be taking a lot of orders for a while. Emphasize that you are a team player. Also, don't have unrealistic expectations regarding salary. Consult a website such as Salary.com beforehand, so that you have a reasonable salary range in mind for your field and your geographic area.
Practice interview questions.
Have a friend, family member or career counselor run through a practice interview with you, prior to the big day. Have your answers to common, softball interview questions, like "What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?" ready to go. You want to be thinking about how to make a personal impression on the interviewer and show how well your experience fits the position, not about these basic questions that they are asking every applicant. Quint Careers has a list of 150 common interview questions to help you practice (though you don't have to memorize all 150!)
Don't forget to ask questions of them.
At the end of most interviews, the interviewer will ask the applicant if he or she has any questions about the position. Glad to get the stressful experience over with, the majority of applicants will answer "No." However, you should take employers at their word and try to find out if the work environment you are applying for will be ideal for you.
InterviewStrategies.com recommends four questions that all job applicants should ask hiring managers, including, "What's your ideal employee like?" and "How do you go about solving problems?" With all the nervousness that accompanies an interview for a job you really want, it's easy to forget that you are screening them as much as they are screening you.