Would you come to class without your homework done? No. And you shouldn’t come into a job interview without doing your homework either.
There are three very important questions that I ask during an interview with a candidate – the first is why you want to work for my company. It goes a long way with a recruiter when you can demonstrate some knowledge about the company you’re interviewing with. With some research, you can tell me that it was my company’s presence within our industry that attracted your attention or our commitment to feeding the hungry that you admire, or the diverse and inclusive work environment, or the commitment to developing our employees through training and mentoring programs.
Take some time to thoroughly research a company before your interview. Look at their website, Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn groups or any other site that offers information about the company, and find out how they match up with your goals, ideals and values. Conveying excitement and energy about being part of the organization will set you apart from other job seekers who haven’t ever read the company’s vision statement or taken the time to understand the company’s role in its industry.
The second question is a two-parter: What are your salary expectations and is the location of the job a geography that you are open to? Salary expectations are not only crucial for you to know, they are for me as well. The last thing I want is to find a great candidate and get down to an offer, only to lose them because we could not offer the salary they expected or wanted. Unsure about what salary to request? Check out the salary calculators at salary.com.
If you’re local to the job then chances are you already know what the commute will be like and the region’s cost of living. There are plenty of tools out there to find out about areas of the country you’re not familiar with and the impact relocating will make on your life:
- Individual town and city websites
And third, and perhaps most important, don’t forget to review the job description ahead of the interview so that you are prepared to talk about how your experience qualifies you for the job. As a recruiter, I’ll ask questions about your experience to see if you’re a good fit for the job. To prepare, try to think of questions I might ask and practice answering those questions out loud – maybe get a friend to help you practice. Make a list of examples that you can use to talk about and show why you’re the best qualified candidate for the job. And, if you’ve done your research, it’s likely that you will have some questions for me, too. A good interview includes some dialogue back and forth about you, the job and our company.
The whole interview process may seem overwhelming, and a lot like getting ready for exams. But, all the work you do prior to an interview will only benefit you, both as an interviewee and, hopefully, when fielding multiple offers. Remember, you have that one chance to make a first impression with a recruiter – make it count and make them remember you.
1 comments:
Good post. Thanks for the useful information.
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