5 Interview Tips

Interviewing for jobs can be a job in itself. I haven’t had many job interviews throughout my career but as the chief executive I have done a lot of interviewing. Below are some of my tips:

1)      Really want to work at that organization. Even if this is not your forever job, you spend too many hours at work for it not to give you some meaning or satisfaction. And the current employees don’t want to work with people that don’t care about where they work.

2)      Do your research ahead of time and be able to talk somewhat intelligently about the organization and their work. You don’t have to be an expert but you do need to look at their website.

3)      This is your opportunity to interview them as well. Come prepared with questions to ask more than about salary and benefits. Think about what really matters to you about the job, the culture, the office setting, your professional development, or even environmental practices.

4)      First impressions are important. Dress professionally.

5)      Try to relax.  Smile.

 Bottom line: Take the time to prepare before the interview.

And for the fun of it, here are some things not to do. Or that I found weird or annoying.

1)      Don’t bring snacks to the interview committee.

2)      If you know you aren’t going to take the job, don’t wait until when your second interview to share the news and then ask for referrals for other jobs in the area. You just wasted the interviewers’ time.

3)      Make sure you know the job and the company you are interviewing for. Yes, we had someone show up to the interview and halfway through the interview realized she was interviewing for the wrong job. She thought she was at a totally different organization (that paid a higher salary) to interview for a similar job. How she didn’t notice the sign on our door when she walked in, I have no idea. But needless to say, I was extremely frustrated.