Application Guidelines
When you are interviewed off of your resume, rather than an application, you have a better idea of, and are more likely to play a part in, the direction the interview might take. Therefore, you'd rather not fill out an application before the interview. However, if you do have to complete an application, read it over before putting erasable pen to paper.
Yes, erasable pen. How many times have you completed any form without making some sort of mistake? It says to print, you start in writing. It asks for last name first, you write in your first name first. Become the world's first job search candidate to complete an application without visibly goofing up. Use an erasable pen. Here are some more guidelines to follow:
- Read the directions carefully before printing your answers.
- Complete the form exactly as instructed. Example: Please Print: Last Name, First Name, And Middle Initial.
- Never falsify an answer or response. Never leave a blank space if a response is called for. If there is a question you feel will jeopardize your chances for the position, you have three choices:
- Fill it in truthfully and pray.
- Draw a line (-) in the space. Be prepared to address this question later, if given the chance.
- Write in "NA" (not applicable) if you feel the question is really out of bounds. Once again, be prepared to answer for your response or to be rejected without comment.
Interview Checklist
The items included on this list are self-explanatory. Before an interview, spend a few minutes reviewing each one so you can incorporate as many as possible, logically, into the interview process. A weakness in any one of these areas could be enough to ruin your chances. If, for example, you do not know very much about the company you are interviewing with, you are definitely not ready for the interview. Your chances for success will be minimal.
Constructive self-criticism is the key to improved interviews. Be prepared. Review the following checklist before each and every interview. Immediately following each interview, as soon as you can, review it again.
If you own a small cassette recorder, now, when you get back to your car, is the time to use it. Review the interview in your mind. Did you meet the criteria? Could you have done better? How? During the ride back home, keep mulling the interview over in your mind looking for places where you could have been stronger, or where you think you really scored points. Think about the thank-you note you will send and what you can say in it to further advance your cause.
Vow right now that you will mail a thank-you note immediately after every interview.
The Checklist
- Be on time.
- Dress appropriately.
- Bring a folio.
- Know the interviewer's name, pronunciation, spelling-know the interviewer's title-Dr., Mr., Miss, Mrs., or Ms.
- Extend a warm greeting and handshake-smile!
- Wait to be asked to be seated.
- Maintain good eye contact.
- Be enthusiastic.
- Have a good knowledge of the company, industry, position, interviewer, and job location.
- Be ready to answer questions.
- Be ready to ask questions.
If you're prepared on all of the above points, you're ready to have a good interview. You'll also find it's a lot easier to get a good night's sleep the night before an interview when you've done your homework.
The Interview
You're called into the interviewer's office. You greet him or her with a smile and a warm, firm, handshake. You wait to be asked to be seated. If you have a choice between a seat directly opposite the interviewer and one diagonal to him, choose the latter. It helps physically and psychologically to reduce the "space" between the two of you. Offer him a resume, even if he already received one. You want to be interviewed off of the document you created and not off of the application, if possible. Look him squarely in the eye. Act enthusiastic, motivated, and intense.
Your responses to questions are positive, considered, and concise. When you don't understand the question, you ask to have it rephrased. Sometimes, when you do know what the question means, you still ask to have it rephrased. This gives you time to come up with a good answer. You ask insightful, pertinent questions about the job, the employer, and your prospective boss. You judiciously dispense knowledge obtained through research conducted prior to the interview.
Whenever possible and relevant, you back up your answers with brief, specific examples. After answering a question, you might ask: "Is that the type of information you are looking for?" You're not afraid to pause to take the time to think before answering tough questions. If you don't know the answer to a question, just admit it.
Through it all, no matter how well you and the interviewer are getting along, one thought remains foremost in your thoughts and directs your answers, "Sell. Sell. Sell. Show why I should be hired." In fact, the better you and the interviewer hit it off, the more likely you may be to start to confess and complain. If an interviewer asks you to sit around a coffee table, "because it's more comfortable," you'll know that you're about to interact with a skilled interviewer.
Finally, be aware of your body language and eye contact. Do not slouch back in the chair. Instead, sit comfortably upright, slightly on the edge of the seat. Lean forward slightly when receiving or imparting particularly important or interesting information. Do not gesticulate wildly with your hands. Do use them to punctuate points you wish to make. Finally, look the interviewer in the eye without attempting to hypnotize him.
