The thought of interviewing can be very overwhelming for even the most experience job seeker. Being questioned (interrogated) by a panel of sharply dressed managers is enough to throw anyone for a loop. The good news is, the more you prepare yourself for an interview, the easier it just may be.
While planning for an interview it is important to define a goal-make it as clear as possible. You should also have a clear purpose, i.e. persuade the interviewer I am the best candidate for the position. Another good tip for the interviewee is to consider possible questions that may be asked in the interview. A good way to prepare for answering interview questions is to have an acquaintance or a business professional put you through a mock interview.
Once it is time for an interview, the interviewee should arrive well groomed and well dressed. As a rule of thumb, dress for the job a step above the job you are interviewing for. Be confident and start the interview with a strong handshake and follow it up with a solid opening. During the interview, it is okay to collect your thoughts and ask for a question to be repeated. It is important to give the interviewer the answers they want to hear (again, this is where preparing comes in). Give clear, detailed answers, answer the actual question the interviewer asked, correct misunderstandings, and cover your own agenda. It is also a good idea to have a few questions ready for the interviewer. Finally, conclude the interview with appreciation.
The interviewee is not the only party that has work to do in an interview. The interviewer also has many things to prepare for. The interviewer needs to choose the interview structure: structured, unstructured, or moderately structured. Interview questions need to be developed: primary, secondary, closed, open, factual, opinion, direct, indirect, hypothetical, or critical incident questions can all be utilized. The interviewer then conducts the interview.
There are three stages to an interview: the opening, body, and closing. During the opening, the interviewer should begin with a greeting, explain the reason for the interview, explain what information is needed and how it will be used, clarify any ground rules, and finally, give the interviewee an approximate time for the length of the interview.
The body of the interview consists of the question and answer session. The interviewer needs to control the focus of the conversation, listen actively, and use secondary questions to probe for more information (if needed).
During the closing, the interviewer should review the interview, establish future actions, and close with appreciation and talk about what comes next.
There are a few different types of interviews that can be utilized by potential job seekers or by individuals looking to get a foot up on the competition: information gathering interview and the career research interview.
No matter if you are just researching possible future options or interviewing for an actual job, it is important to follow-up with the interviewer to thank them for taking the time to conduct the interview or participating in the information gathering interview/career research interview.
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