Preparing for an interview is a critical component to securing a position. The following information will hopefully assist you in the process. It is important to divide the interview into three different areas:

1) making a strong first impression,
2) the main structure which consists of the questions and answers, and
3) how to close.

Making a strong first impression:

This is very important. The first 30 seconds can mean a successful or unsuccessful interview depending on the amount of focus and attention you pay to this area. The following suggestions will assist you in making a positive first impression:
- Have a nice firm handshake when greeting your interviewer.
- Have a nice warm smile and look them directly in the eyes when answering questions.
- Thank them for their time both before the interview and after the interview (most individuals do one or the other).
- Wear a dark business suit preferably black, navy blue or gray - if you are a male and wearing a necktie, stick with subtle reds if possible.
- Make sure your shirt is white, starched, pressed and clean. Make sure your shoes are polished. Even if the company is business casual it is important to realize you are dressing for success, and you should always wear a suit on the first interview. At least they will know you have one if needed.

The main structure:

Make sure you do your homework! Find out as much as you can about the company before the interview. Look at their website, go to the library, etc. Make sure you have a thorough job description of the position that you are interviewing for.

Spend 30 minutes the night before your interview and list all of your strengths and what you feel you are going to bring to the table with your next position. We typically are not great at selling ourselves. This exercise creates focus and awareness of what you do really well and allows this to be in the forefront of your mind so you can integrate those strengths into the interview when it is appropriate and necessary. Examples: I am loyal, hardworking, detail-oriented; I am a quick learner; I get along well with co-workers as well as supervisors and sr. management; I am reliable, flexible with change, and I work well under pressure and deadlines.

Never bring up compensation, hours or benefits on the first interview.
Oftentimes, individuals that are conducting an interview start off with an open-ended question like "Tell me something about you." You want to keep your answer focused on your work experience, education and the succession of your career, highlighting promotions and companies that have recruited you because of your work performance. Make sure you practice this and make sure it is short and too the point. Do not go into to much detail and lose the person's interest.

Here are some suggestions on how to handle those hard-to-answer questions that often surface during an interview:

Where do you see yourself in five years?
You should stay away from titles as part of your answer. That title may not exist in the infrastructure at their company. And don't give what is sometimes perceived as a funny or cute answer, "I want your job in five years." You want to come across opportunity-oriented. Example: "I want to be at a company where I am making an impact and a difference in five years. I have hopefully taken on additional responsibility by that time, and I am continuing to learn new things and be challenged."

What is something that you need to work on? What are your weaknesses? Try to turn this answer into a positive. "I oftentimes push myself too hard and tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to get it done right the first time. I probably from time to time need to give myself a break."

What salary or compensation are you looking for?
Avoid giving a number when answering this question. You never want to get knocked out of the running because of money. Hopefully, the salary range that you desire has been communicated to the company before you meet. You want to come across opportunity oriented vs. money motivated. "Money is not my motivating factor in looking at this position. What is most important to me is the long-term opportunity, the reputation of the company I am going to be working for, and the people I am going to be working with."

What was the reason for leaving your position?
You need to make sure you have gone through this completely and have a solid reason, especially if you have some turnover in your career. Never speak negatively about your previous employer or the people you worked with. Come up with a professional answer that is crisp and focused. "I am leaving [or have left] my position because at this point in time, my learning curve has flattened out. I feel it is critical to continue learning and face new challenges in order to continue to further my career. I appreciate the experience that I have had with this organization, but also feel it is time to move on."

The close:

Many people do not know how to do this and are not aware that they should "close" on an interview just as they should on a sale. There is a subtle professional way to go about this, so that you do not come across as too pushy. You must make sure that you integrate your own personality and style into all of the following, otherwise, you won't come across as comfortable with your answers:

- Make sure you have a handful of questions written down the night before, related to the technical specifics of the job description as well as to the company culture. Examples: "What are your expectations of the individual that will step into this role?" "What sort of individual do you work with best?" "Where do you see the company and how it impacts this particular position in five years?" "Why did you join the organization?" "How would you describe the culture and environment of the company?"
- Once Q&A's have come to a close, you want to ask a very important question. "Based on our conversation up to this point, do you have any questions or concerns regarding my background?" This allows you to gauge how the interview went as well as overcome any concerns they may have. Maybe something was miscommunicated or misinterpreted. This allows you to clarify in person.
- Once that is done, thank them for their time and let them know that you are very interested and excited about the position. Then ask "What do you feel the next step should be, and what sort of timeline have you developed to fill this position?"
- Get a business card from each person who interviews you, and as soon as you get to a compute,r e-mail them a thank-you note. Then handwrite a personal thank-you note and mail it to them. Check for typos and make sure you spell their name correctly. Personal thank-you notes add a nice touch over a form letter. Make sure each note personalized.
- Once you are done, call your recruiter right away to give them feedback.

Good luck!

PESMC - Scottsdale
14350 North 87th Street, Suite 165, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
Phone (480) 368-0880 Fax (480) 315-8601