| My nephew-in-law is going for a job interview | | | | room. Right now you can probably name some of |
| for a position in his current company but in | | | | your greatest strengths but when you walk in |
| a different part of the US. In my previous | | | | the room you may be so nervous you will |
| position as Director of Customer Services, I | | | | forget them. Write them down and read and |
| conducted several interviews and also exit | | | | re-read them. |
| interviews. Having experienced some good | | | | |
| interviewees' and not so good, I offered to | | | | 7. Know your weaknesses and describe them as |
| give him some suggestions from my experiences | | | | strengths. Pick a weakness that is really a |
| that will help him to be aware of some areas | | | | strength. For example, you might say, "One of |
| of importance when interviewing. | | | | my weaknesses is that I tend to be impatient |
| | | | with people who are not willing to pull their |
| Here are some areas to be aware for a | | | | full weight and give 110%." In this case, |
| memorable and successful interview: | | | | your "weakness" may help you get the job. |
| | | | |
| | | | 8. Ask questions. Write down questions you |
| | | | need answered and take them with you. |
| 1. Dress to impress. How you appear to the | | | | |
| person interviewing you is very important. I | | | | 9. Follow up. Very important to send a follow |
| have interviewed people and told them to | | | | up email thanking them for the time and |
| dress casual and they still wore a suit. What | | | | interview. One time I did interviews in |
| this action indicated to me is that the | | | | Columbia, MD, and the person I interviewed |
| person recognized how important the interview | | | | bought me a t-shirt and a thank you card to |
| was and dressed to impress me. | | | | the interview. I was so impressed with the |
| | | | creativeness of this action that I hired this |
| 2. At introduction shake hands firmly (no | | | | person. Follow up allows you to stand out in |
| limp-handed shake), smile, speak clearly, and | | | | a sea of applicants. Be creative in how you |
| look each person in the eye. Do not come | | | | do it. |
| across as shy--be confident. | | | | |
| | | | 10. Never talk salary unless requested by the |
| 3. Be prepared with several copies of your | | | | interviewer. If they ask what your salary |
| resume, along with references. Do not use the | | | | range is, speak more of your experience and |
| standard resume from MS Office. Be creative | | | | what you have to offer. Let them make the |
| and make yours stand out. | | | | first offer. Know the range of compensation |
| | | | for the job you are seeking, make your own |
| 4. During questioning about some of your | | | | realistic determination of what you are |
| co-workers or supervisor, always speak | | | | worth, and then be prepared to stand your |
| truthfully but never negatively. Do not tell | | | | ground. |
| stories on them but you can say things like | | | | |
| "their work ethic was not the same as mine" | | | | The most successful interviews are those that |
| or "I prefer to perform my duties in a | | | | the person comes in prepared and shows |
| different manner". | | | | confidence. A job interview is an important |
| | | | step in the process of winning the career you |
| 5. The same goes for questions about your | | | | want so act on it accordingly. No matter if |
| previous employment. Never speak negatively | | | | you have interviewed one time or ten times, |
| about a past employer. | | | | each time is just as important as the other. |
| | | | Learn from your experiences and make each one |
| 6. Know your strengths before you walk in the | | | | better than the other. |