Seven Tips to Help With Interview Preparation

One: The Resume
Of course, bring a couple of copies, and be sure to read your resume before the interview, so you’re completely familiar with everything you’ve written. You might also bring materials which would be particularly good at illustrating an important aspect of your work, such as creative designs, writing samples, and so forth. Be careful though, not to overdo it with the props. When in doubt, just bring your resume and your business card – they’re the most important props you’ll ever need.

Two: Appropriate Dress and Appearance
Dress professionally for the interview. Remember that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Your appearance should be neat and clean, pressed and polished. Conservative business attire is appropriate for most settings.

Three: Directions to the Interview Location
Try to get directions at least a day before your interview, so you don’t get lost and arrive late. And here’s a tip: Always bring some cash to pay for parking. Never ask an employer to validate your parking stub, or reimburse you for parking. Not only is it not polite, you’ll create a negative impression, since it’s considered common courtesy to pay your own expenses for a local interview. The best time to arrive for an interview is precisely when you’re scheduled, not early or late. It can irk an employer to be told that the candidate for a 2 o’clock appointment is waiting in the lobby at one thirty-five. If your appointment is at two, then arrive at two.

Four: Name and Title of the Interviewer(s)
When you arrange the interview, find out who you’ll be talking to, and what their function is within the company. You might already know the person. If that’s the case, you’re ahead of the game. If not, send out feelers among your contacts within your industry, or look in your industry’s trade publications to see if the person you’re going to be meeting is distinguished in any way.

Five: Understanding the Company’s Hiring Procedure
To correctly gauge the sequence of events surrounding or following your first interview ask these questions:

A. Can you describe to me, step by step, the hiring procedure for this position?
B. Will I be asked to take any tests?
C. How long will it take before you reach a decision?
D. Who will be making the hiring decision?

Six: Background Information on the Company
While the amount of background information you can gather about a company is practically endless, it would be ludicrous to try to become a walking encyclopedia of corporate trivia. By arriving for your interview adequately briefed, you’ll make a strong impression on the interview. Best of all, you can spend your interviewing time discussing your background and the company’s needs, not the corporate biography, or company financial report.

Seven: A Complete List of Questions You Want to Ask
A. Company questions deal with the organization, direction, policies, stability, growth, market share, and new products or services of the prospective company or department;
B. Industry questions deal with the health, growth, change, technological advancement, and personnel of the industry as a whole;
C. Position questions deal with the scope, responsibilities, travel, compensation policies, and reporting structure of the position you’re interviewing for; and
D. Opportunity questions deal with your own potential for growth or advancement within the company or its divisions, and the likely timetable for promotion.