How to Prepare for an Interview

When you sit down with an interviewer they are trying to ascertain whether you are a good fit for the position they are trying to fill. A skilled interviewer will know what criteria they are looking for and be able, through their questioning, to gather the information that they need to determine if the candidate meets their desired profile. Your job is to anticipate what criteria the interviewer is looking for and position yourself as the best available candidate. To accomplish this you must learn how to prepare for an interview.

Let’s look at the key areas an interviewer will look at and how you can prepare for them:

1. Your professional experience. Or, are you who you say you are? The experience, skills and accomplishments presented on your resume have identified you as a viable candidate for the position. The interviewer will try to validate if the candidate is indeed the person who the resume has profiled. A skilled interviewer will probe with multiple questions, often at different times in the interview, to determine to what extent the candidate meets the criteria they have identified. You need to prepare in a number of ways. First, you must know your resume inside and out. There should be nothing on your resume that you can’t explain in detail and back up with success stories. Also you must be prepared to relate significant experience and accomplishments that are not on your resume. You do this by preparing success stories and anticipating questions that you may receive.
2. Proficiency in a job’s “technical” skills. All jobs have certain skills requirements that are essential for that job to be performed at a high level. So whether you are a software engineer, accountant, salesperson, administrative person, etc, you need to know what “technical” skills are required and prepare to demonstrate that you possess these skills at the highest level possible. The interviewer will ask how to questions in order to gauge your level of expertise. For example, if the use of Microsoft Powerpoint is important for the job you are applying for you may be asked a how to question around its use. How well you answer this will determine the skill level that the interviewer believes you possess. In certain cases, you may want to have a sample of your work that you can show if appropriate during the interview.




3. Creativity in job performance. The hiring manager will attempt to determine the extent a candidate will bring creative and individual skills that will add to the expertise of the team. You don’t want to be perceived as someone who will only bring supportive skills and not be able to contribute new ideas. If you are prepared with success stories that highlight your creative talents you can relate them as the opportunity arises. Just by being prepared for the interview will demonstrate your leadership abilities. Don’t miss this opportunity to shine.
4. Are you a fine person? A hiring manager wants to find someone who is 1) a fine person, and 2) capable of performing the job. The important tip for job interview success is to understand that unless you pass the fine person test your capabilities on job performance will be greatly diminished. Most job applicants understand that they must present their capabilities and skills, but many do no interview preparation on how to present the image of a fine person. Briefly a fine person is someone who; is optimistic, a good communicator, honest, has compassion for others but is not egotistical, and appears healthy, attractive and tasteful in dress. This is about your image, and a poor image can overshadow your real abilities to get the job done.
5. Does the attitude you convey fit in? The interviewer will try to determine your attitude in regards to important issues such as team work, communication style, how you handle stressful situations and interpersonal relationships. They want to know if you will fit in with the team. Your interview preparation should include trying to understand the dynamics of the current team and how you might fit in. This can be learned through talking with existing and former employees, clients and or suppliers.

By being prepared to address these key criteria you will be perceived as head and shoulders above your competition. It is not always the best candidate in terms of capabilities that gets the offer, it is usually the candidate who best presents their overall combination of experience, skills and attitude that wins.

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