Ace the Job Interview

How to Ace the Interview

Introduction
The most important thing about going to a job interview is advance
preparation. If you prepare well, you may well be miles ahead of your competition.

Preparation
Research the company you are interviewing. Learn about:

Their history
Their chances of future success
Who their officers are
What products they make and sell
Who their competitors are and how they stack up against them

This knowledge will help you show your interest in their
business and will give you the confidence to ask intelligent
questions about them. Showing your interest will also help
establish a positive attitude in the mind of the interviewer(s)
Information about most major companies as well as local
companies is available at a library near you. Some of them are
listed below:

Annual Financial Report for the company
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
McRae’s Blue Book
Standard & Poor’s Register
Moody’s Industrial Manual
Dun & Bradstreet’s Million Dollar Directory
Encyclopedia of Associations
Federal Yellow Book
Taylor’s Encyclopedia of Government Officials
Facts on File Directory of Major Public Companies

For more go to your local phone book, chamber of commerce, city
and county directories, and of course the internet.(several
of the above also have internet sites.>
Review your resume’ and all the other aspects of your
background so you know it backwards and forwards.

Do practice interviews using the 100 tough questions
in my manual now available as a free ebook at

GetaJobAnytime.com

Use a friend or family member to “role play” acting as
the interviewer to give you practice. Also check out the
virtual interview site referenced at my website
. Another technique that you can do yourself if you
have a videocam. Set it up and either have a friend
do the camera work or set it up on “autorun” and do
your practice interviews on camera, then review and
“critique” the results. Several such practice sessions
will boost your confidence when you get to the “real”
interview. This confidence will show through and increase
the chance of your getting the job offer.

What to Do on the Day of the Interview

A – Prepare to make a good first impression. Some
of the elements of doing this are:

Neat and clean personal appearance
Clothing style should be up-to-date
No V-necks, slacks, or ultra short skirts for the ladies
Men should wear a conservative dark suit,
white shirt, and tie (preferably w/diagonal stripes)
Do not wear excessive jewelry
Do not wear jeans or shorts
Hair should be neat and clean and cut or styled
No bizarre “punk rock” or mohawk haircuts
Fingernails clean and manicured
Shoes shined
Conservative socks and/or hose

B – What to bring with you

Four or five copies of your resume’
Any supporting material such as letters of
recommendation, social security number, names,
addresses & phone numbers of references, grade
transcripts, birth certificate(original), etc.

At least 2 good writing pens
p>A clean handkerchief or tissues

C – What NOT to bring with you
Another person
Chewing gum or snuff
Alcohol breath
Cigarettes, pipes, cigars, etc.
Nervous habits such as drumming fingers,
chewing fingernails, or other.

D – During the interview – Sell Yourself
…Your poise and posture should be relaxed
and friendly, not uptight and aloof.
…You should have an ‘air of confidence’
in the way you walk and talk.
…You should try to fit in with the company group.
…Give a firm dry handshake but don’t overdo it.
…Be assertive but not too pushy (no hard sell)
…Be as well prepared as you can for all the
questions you may be asked. You should have
studied the list of 100 questions so you know
them backwards and forwards along with your
answers to them.

You should have a good “preknowledge” of the company
so you can demonstrate that you have done your
homework and that you are truly interested in
their company.

Reduced to its simplest terms, to sell yourself you must

1 – Determine the requirements of the position
2 – Tell the interviewer how you can fulfill these requirements

Although many of the questions on the “likely questions”
list give you opportunities to sell yourself, you need
to fill in any gaps in the conversation. Make sure you
use every minute of the interview to your advantage by
continuing to sell yourself. Be assertive and confident
but don’t be too aggressive, or come across as a “braggart”.
On the other hand this is also no time to be silent
or close-mouthed.
Once the interview is concluded, be sure to thank those