If you're like most of us, your initial euphoria over that coup is followed by major panic. What will you wear? What will you say? What if you blow it? What if you never get another chance like this in your life?
It's natural for you to be anxious. The outcome of the interview could very well change your life. But you need to get that anxiety under control so that the best you can shine through.
The secret to interview confidence-and success-is preparation. This article looks at some things you can do before, during, and after the interview that will help you make a more effective marketing presentation.
Do Your Research
As any salesperson will tell you, the first step in making a sale is getting to know the customer. The same is true when you want to sell yourself in a job interview. You must learn everything you can about the company so you can address issues that are important to the employer. The more you focus on those issues, the better your chance of convincing the interviewer into believing that you're the ideal solution to the company's problems.
Taking the time to research the company gives you another important advantage, too. It tells the employer that you're serious about the job and your career—a message that's more crucial than you might expect. Employers say that one of their biggest gripes about job applicants today is that too many arrive at the interview without any knowledge of the company's products, problems, or competition.
You can't hope to convince an interviewer that you can meet the company's needs until you know what those needs are. So before your interview, do a little detective work and track down the answers to the following questions:
- What are the company's major products and services?
- Who are the company's customers?
- How do competitors and customers view the company? (Do they think the company's service is excellent or poor, that products are reasonably priced or a little too expensive?)
- What is the company's standing in the marketplace? Is it a profitable business, or is it teetering on the brink of bankruptcy?
- Who are the company's major competitors?
- What are some of the company's recent success stories?
- What are some potential problems the company may need to solve?
- Is the company privately or publicly owned? Is it an independent organization or part of a larger conglomerate?
- How big is the company? Has it grown or declined over the past five years? (Is it hiring or is it laying off people?)
In addition, you need to get a general idea of the company's corporate culture—a fancy term for "work environment." Is the environment casual? Steeped in tradition? Do people work under rigid rules and procedures, or are they encouraged to be more creative and independent? Do employees work together in project teams, or does each person work alone?
Why are these issues important? They are important because it's difficult to accomplish much on the job when your approach to business clashes with the corporate norm. Your chances of moving up through the ranks aren't great, either. Employers today make a lot of noise about how much they value diversity in the workplace, but the reality is that those who conform to the company's ideas about work style, dress and professional ideology are the ones who get ahead.
To make sure that the corporate culture into which you could assimilate and thrive, seek out the following information:
- Is the company "female-friendly?" (A good clue is the number of women in upper management.)
- Is it a relaxed, casual place to work or a very conservative, traditional office?
- Do employees work alone or in groups?
- Is the employee turnover rate high, average or low? What factors contribute to that turnover rate? (For example, do people leave the company because of low wages?)
- What type of employee is most valued? For example, do you need a certain college degree to move up the ranks or is on- the-job experience considered adequate training? Does the company smile upon risk-takers or prefer those who always follow company procedures to the letter?
- What is the overall corporate management philosophy?
Of course, you also need to find out as much as you can about the job itself. Some of the questions you'll want to research include:
- Why is the job available? Is it a new position? If not, why did the person who had the job leave?
- What are some of the problems you would be expected to solve if you were hired?
- What is the career path for people in this position? Do they usually move up the ladder or stay put?
Where to Look
To find the answers you need, you have several possible sources, and you should explore them all.
1. Call the company.
First, call the company directly. Say that you're interested in learning more about the company and its products, and you'd like to see any annual reports, brochures, or other materials that are available.
2. Visit the library.
Next, head for the public library or the placement office at the nearest college or university. Read everything you can find about the company and the industry in general. Search through business magazines, newspapers, and corporate reference books such as Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives and Dun and Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory. If you're not familiar with these resources, ask the librarian for help.
3. Call your networking contacts.
Ask your friends and other networking contacts if they know anyone who works for or does business with the company. When you turn up a good lead, call that person, introduce yourself, and ask for a few minutes to chat about the company. This personal research is invaluable because you often learn things about the company that you'd never find in a published article or annual report.
4. Talk to your recruiter.
If a search firm or employment agency arranged the interview for you, the recruiter should be able to answer many of your pre-interview questions. But don't depend on the recruiter as your sole source of information. It's possible that the employer wasn't entirely forthcoming in providing information to the recruiting firm, and it's also possible that the recruiting firm hasn't been entirely forthcoming with you.
5. Collect references.
Most employers today require job candidates to provide professional and/or personal references. Although most companies wait until the final phase of the hiring process to ask for references, some request them at the time of the first interview. The next step in your interview preparation, then, is to prepare a list of five or six people who might agree to provide you with references.
Your list could include former supervisors, teachers, or volunteer committee heads—anyone whose opinion employers will consider credible and objective. (This does not include a family member, however far removed!) Ideally, you should obtain references from people who are likely to be known as well as respected professionally by your potential employers. A word of warning: If you don't want your present employer to know about your job search, do not list fellow employees as references. However trustworthy, they may slip and let the cat out of the bag.
After you compile your list, ask people you've named if you can use them as references. You don't want them to be taken by surprise when a prospective employer calls.
Interview Day: The Basics
What to wear:
Although it's true that appearances can be deceiving, you'll have a hard time convincing a prospective employer that you are a winner if you show up for your interview looking anything less than professional. So play it safe. Wear a fashionable business suit in a low-key color, a minimum of jewelry, simple accessories and low-heeled pumps. No low-cut or sheer blouses. No spike heels or sandals. No little-girlish jumpers and no mini-skirts or stretch pants.
Always dress as if you're interviewing for the CEO's job, no matter what position you're seeking. If you don't own an appropriate outfit, borrow or buy one. Yes, it's that important. Your appearance is the first thing an interviewer will notice-and that first impression is a lasting one.
If you work in one of the "creative" fields—advertising, art, and the like—don't make the mistake of wearing your most avant-garde garb in an effort to show your creative genius. Let your portfolio do the talking in that regard. Your appearance should tell the interviewer that you also have a head for business.
Here's one more easy way to make points with an interviewer: don't wear any cologne, perfume, or other scent. When we asked hiring managers and HR specialists to name the biggest mistakes made by job applicants, about 90 percent ranked perfume-overkill high on the list. It's nearly impossible to tell how much is too much when it comes to perfume; what seems like a pleasant whiff of scent to you may overpower someone else. So why risk it?
What to take:
Pack a pencil and pen; your business cards, if you have any; the names, phone numbers and titles of your personal and professional references; and several copies of your resume. You may be interviewing with more than one contact at the company, and you want each one to have your resume. Your resume will also guide you through the interview process and fill out an employment application, if you are asked to do so.
Employment Applications
Speaking of employment applications be sure to fill them out completely, neatly and honestly. Make sure the information you put on your application matches that on your resume.
There is one section you should skip; requests for salary information. You don't want to disclose this information yet. Simply write "open" or "negotiable" or something similar.
Be On Time
Allow plenty of extra time to get to your interview; you never know when a traffic jam or other transportation catastrophe is going to occur. (Arriving early also gives you a chance to calm your nerves a bit before the interview begins.) If you run late because of some unavoidable problem, call ahead to let the interviewer know. Apologize profusely and ask whether the interviewer would prefer to reschedule.
Remember That You’re a Guest
Interview etiquette says that you are the guest and the interviewer is the host. So don't sit down till the interviewer invites you to do so. Don't plop your briefcase down on the interviewer's desk, and don't start fingering any office knickknacks, even if it's one of those inviting little stress-relief gizmos. And if you think the wallpaper is trash or the view of the parking lot is less than attractive, for heaven's sake, don't say so.
Don't Smoke, Chew Gum, or Eat
Never light up a cigarette during an interview, even if the interviewer indulges in chain-smoking. Employers are very concerned about employee health today, and most people—even smokers—consider smoking to be a sign of poor health habits.
Don't have anything else in your mouth during the interview, either. That includes mints, gum, and the rest of your soft drink from lunch. If the interviewer offers you a cup of coffee or other beverage, of course, feel free to accept if you're so inclined. But if you tend to be a klutz, it might be wise to reduce the risk of a mishap and turn down the offer.
Be Friendly to Everyone
Be at your professional best with everyone you meet, from the receptionist at the front door to the interviewer's secretary. There's a good chance that all of these people will be asked to offer an opinion about you. So treat every encounter as a "silent interview."
Focus on Accomplishments
Just as you did in your resume, tell the interviewer about specific accomplishments, not just your responsibilities. Whenever possible, provide qualitative information about the benefits your accomplishments brought. For example, say, "This increased company profits by 10 percent over a one-year period," rather than, "This increased company profits."
Don’t Be So Modest
Suppose an interviewer compliments you on a particular accomplishment—graduating cum laude, for example. Don't say:
"Oh, thank you, but it was really nothing. The course work was fairly simple for me."
Instead, say:
"Thank you. It was a challenge, because I was working part-time while carrying a full course load. But the experience helped me learn how to manage my time effectively."
Such a statement not only confirms the interviewer's positive impression of you, it also points out that you succeeded in the face of challenge and defines the advantages of your experience.
My Manager Says…
A great way to point up your skills without sounding too full of yourself is to say, "My supervisors have told me that I am very good at..." or "My clients will tell you that I..." This technique actually gives your statement added punch because you're telling the interviewer what other people think of you, not what you think of yourself.
Be Diplomatic and Discreet
Never badmouth another employer, no matter how much you feel the urge. You'll only be viewed as a complainer or as someone who can't get along with others.
In addition, don't attempt to win favor with an interviewer by spilling the beans about your present employer's financial situation or offering up other confidential information, especially if you're interviewing with a competitor to your current employer. Interviewers will wonder if you'd be just as indiscreet with information their companies consider proprietary.
If you need to talk about financial accomplishments, you can do so without giving away company secrets. Instead of saying, "I brought in $3.5 million of the $49 million the company earned last year," you can just say, "I was responsible for 7 percent of the company's total sales last year."
Help Steer the Conversation
When you're the one being interviewed, you may feel nervous, at the interviewer's mercy. You need to realize that the interviewer may feel just as anxious.
Unless they do it on a daily basis, most people do not feel comfortable in the role of interviewer. In fact, if left to their own devices, many interviewers will spend the entire interview telling you about the job and never ask you any questions at all. Others get sidetracked on non-job issues, spending your allotted interview time talking about hobbies, the weather, favorite restaurants, and so forth. Although such interviews can feel more relaxed and enjoyable, they can really hurt your chances of getting the position. Why? Because the interviewer never learns a thing about why you're the right person for the job.
If you find yourself in an interview that seems to be going nowhere, take the initiative to refocus the conversation on how your skills can solve the company's needs. Of course, you don't want to be so brash as to say something like, "Hey, don't you want to hear about my qualifications?" But you can give the interviewer a subtle push in the right direction. One good option is to open with a question, such as:
"I'd like to hear more about the quality control responsibilities that I'll be handling."
After the interviewer describes those duties, you can then respond by explaining how you handled such tasks in past jobs:
"That sounds a lot like what I've done in my current position. Last fall, for example, I was responsible for developing a new quality-control system that helped us reduce customer complaints by 10 percent."
Evaluate the Inteview
Replay the interview in your mind. What went well? What could you have done better? The point is not to berate yourself for what you did or didn't say; you did the best job you knew how. The point is to determine which things worked and which didn't, and to use that knowledge in your next interview.
Study Your Resume Again
Did the interviewer have any questions about information on your resume-questions that could be clarified by a slight rewrite? Did you find yourself mentioning important accomplishments or skills that you neglected to put on your resume? If so, you should revise your resume accordingly.
When to Call Back
Especially in corporate America, the hiring process moves at an amazingly slow pace. Don’t panic if a week or two passes and you don't hear anything from your interviewer. No news may indeed be good news.
During your interview, make it a point to ask when the hiring decision will be made. If you don't get word about the job by that time, it's perfectly acceptable to call the employer to inquire about the status of the position. If the job has not yet been filled, you can use the opportunity to remind the employer of your interest and your qualifications.
Don't, however, be a pest. If they're not ready to make a decision, they're not ready to make a decision.
