American Staffing Association
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Getting Their Attention
Before, During and After Interview Strategies | back to tip sheets
Most interviews are performance-based—they focus on your past work experience to gauge how well you might function and excel in the current job opening. An interviewer will look to see how well your skills match the
position requirements, as well as if you fit into the corporate culture. Questions will often focus on the actions you took related to a specific challenge or job function, so it is important that your answers be thoughtful and an accurate reflection of your capabilities and talents.
Before the Interview
When you see an opening that interests you, take time
to do a little detective work about the company and the position. Find out what their products and services are . . . their customers, vendors, and business history. Although it takes some time, this type of information will help you to decide whether the job is really right for you. If possible, try to determine the daily tasks you’ll be asked to perform. Do they appeal to you? Find out how your performance will be measured. Have you had past accomplishments or experiences that are similar and transferable?
The Resume
Think of your resume as if it is your first introduction to the “person of your dreams” at a crowded cocktail party. How you present yourself and how well you use the limited time you have will make all the difference. Appearance counts. Resumes that are sloppy, disorganized and riddled with misspellings should (and usually will) go straight into the circular file.
Less is more. A resume is simply a summary of your accomplishments. It should be brief, concise and action-oriented. No matter how extensive your experience, your resume should be limited to one or two pages. Remember, the average time spent on perusing a resume is 20 to 30 seconds. Today, many resumes are scanned or sent to an employer electronically, so in those cases formatting or funky fonts are not important and even to be avoided. However, the traditional resume is still used, and can often be sent as a PDF file, capturing your original formatting. A nice awareness of white space, and how to use bold type, capitalization, underlining, italics, and bullets to emphasize key points will make your resume welcoming, attractive and easy to read. Remember to use high-quality, bonded paper that matches the cover letter.
Cover Letter
The cover letter that accompanies your resume is very important. Most hiring managers will not interview you if you send a resume alone. The cover letter gives you a unique opportunity to highlight your work experience and why you are applying for the job. Unlike the resume, the cover letter can be a little less formal and more personal in tone . . . you can let more of your personality show through. It’s always a nice touch to customize your cover letter with some specific information regarding the company, the opening, and why you think you are a solid candidate. Most employers can spot a form letter where the writer has simply changed the address and salutation. Take the time to show that you’ve thought about this specific job. Highlight any recent distinctions or experiences, such as an award or what you are currently working on, and point out any accomplishments or experiences that parallel the current job requirements. Be prepared to discuss these accomplishments in detail during subsequent interviews.
Also, a note to the wise: Be sure to abide by the response device that is indicated . . . e-mail, mail, fax, or phone call, and provide ALL of the information requested, such as salary requirements or your current job status. Don’t phone if the company specifically asks that you don’t. And a word to the wise: If you are sending a resume and cover letter electronically, you might want to imbed the electronic resume in the body of the emailed cover letter. People are often reluctant to open an e-mail attachment from an unknown sender, due to the threat of viruses. Seeing it within the cover letter makes it less of a risk.
Follow-Up to the Resume
Follow up with a phone call within a few days after you send your resume to make sure the proper party received it. When speaking to the receptionist, ask him or her for some details. Who is doing the interviewing? Is the person conducting the interview the same person you’ll be working for? Is this a new position? How long was the last employee there, and how long has the position been open? If you get the opportunity to speak to the interviewer directly, keep the conversation short. Introduce yourself, confirm receipt of the resume, and ask if your resume and cover letter answered all of the important questions. If you can, try to get a sense of when the employer hopes to fill the position and when he or she may be calling to set up an interview. Always be polite and recognize that this person’s time is at a premium.
The Phone Screen
The initial phone conversation, if initiated by the interviewer, will often determine whether you’ll be invited for a face-to-face meeting. Be sure to LISTEN carefully and ANSWER clearly and with ease. Often the initial call will be to simply set up a time to meet in person, but sometimes the initial call is a way a prospective employer uses to further screen out inappropriate candidates. If the timing of the call is not good for you, reschedule for a later date. By rescheduling, you give yourself time to review your research and formulate your own questions. Keep pen and paper handy to write down questions as they are asked. This will allow you to focus on the question at hand without verbally “wandering” into other subjects. It also will give you some information to refer to later in a follow-up letter or at the interview itself.
Goal-Setting
Too often, job candidates have not determined exactly what they want from a job. Once hired, they are disappointed with their daily tasks, ultimately leading them to under-perform and seek new employment. The typical answer that hiring managers often hear from job candidates is that they want to “be challenged.” But when they get to the interview, they aren’t able to articulate why they want to work for a company, what would challenge them, and what has challenged them in the past.
As a job candidate seeking emotionally and financially promising employment, only you can determine whether
a particular job is right for you. And this can only be accomplished if you make an effort to clearly understand what you need to be happy, successful, and productive. Start by listing all of your past accomplishments, large and small. Next to each accomplishment, indicate all of the obstacles you had to overcome, the measurable results, and the tasks you enjoyed the most. Then proceed to list all of your biggest failures and frustrations, along with what you learned and might have done differently, as well as the tasks you enjoyed the least. This exercise will help you to understand what you excel at, take pleasure in, and would like to continue to do in the future.
The Face-to-Face Interview
Once you fully understand your goals, the challenge will be to articulate them in short, meaningful sound bites to the interviewer. Call these your “30-second commercials”. . . quick, concise, verbal snapshots of your skills and talents and how they match the job requirements. It will be your job to find out what those job requirements are, as well as the overall objectives of the position.
The interviewer’s primary goal is to determine whether you have the appropriate skills, education, motivation, and character to perform successfully. In our experience, all employers are looking for the same thing—the most qualified candidate at the most reasonable pay rate who will be highly motivated to contribute to the success of the company, department or project. Something about you has piqued their interest. And that’s all it takes to open doors. Here are a few helpful tips once you’re inside:
- Arrive at least 5 minutes early.
- “Dress for success” business attire is always appropriate
- Be well groomed, clean and modest in your appearance.
- Shake hands firmly and make immediate eye contact with a smile.
- Be articulate, but don’t try too hard to impress . . . be yourself.
- Look the person in the eye and show interest, even if you’re bored.
- Try to get the employer to talk about himself/herself. The best interviews follow the 50-50 Rule . . . half the time you talk, the other half they talk.
- Bring at least three clean copies of your resume, a list of your references, and a business card if you have one. More and more of today’s job candidates are also leaving behind professional portfolios containing artifacts of their achievements.
- Bring a pad of paper to take notes.
- Ask for business cards from each of the people with whom you interviewed.
After the Interview
Always send a thank you note within 24 hours to all of your interviewers. The thank you note shows that you are considerate. It also helps the employer to remember you, gives you an opportunity to reiterate your interest in the position, and to add anything you forgot to tell them that you want them to know.
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