Business

Interview Prep

Research

Doing your research is important. For your interview & for yourself. I like to do a Gap Analysis. This compares your skills and experience to the job you’re applying for.

  • The company. What is their mission? How long have they been in business? What benefits does the company provide? Has the company been in the news lately? What are they known for?
  • The position. Know the job description & the skills listed on the website and job posting with a Gap Analysis.
  • Glassdoor. Glassdoor is a good tool to keep in mind. Be objective when you look at the reviews. Remember that most of the “Cons” reviews are from angry employees & you don’t know their work ethic. BUT do keep in mind that this is how employees do feel & if you see a repetitive negative trend then you may want to bring it up in the interview when they ask for questions or keep in mind when you are deciding to take the position.
  • LinkedIn. Look up reviews and posts on the company you are looking for. See what the employees are saying and doing with the company. Also look to see how long they have been with the company and if they have had other positions to see if you can gauge turnover and growth.

Job Analysis

  • Mission. The company’s mission is what the company does.
  • Vision. The company’s vision is what the company aspires to be or do.
  • Values. The company’s values reflect their mission, how they conduct business, and what the company values.
  • Needed Skills & Abilities. This is where I copy and paste the job description from the job posting. It’s good to have the job description to refer back to when you’re preparing for your interview. It’s also good to have just in case the job posting is closed/un-viewable during the interview process.
  • Gap Analysis.
  • Action Plan. This is where you discuss how you plan to bridge the gap (if any).
  • Artifacts Represented By My Portfolio of Skills & Abilities. This is where you highlight skills that reflect and are important to the position.
  • Summary. This is the summary that you put on your resume. Highlight your skills/abilities and the job description competencies that you have experience in (the “none” in the gap analysis).

What to Bring

  • Resume Bring a copy of your resume (even if they have it) and at least two back ups. If your interview is with 3 people then bring 5 resumes. Your resume should have reflect the position your applying for.
  • Portfolio: Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, Awards, Artifacts, etc. I have a full blog post on compiling a Portfolio here.
  • Professional Notebook & Pen. Bring something to take notes during your interview. You can also write down questions about the company that you found in your research as well as key points of your research that you found about the company/position.

Before the Interview

  • Arrive early. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. If the recruiter/interviewer who schedules the interview tells you to be early by a certain amount of minutes then view THAT as your interview time & be 5 minutes early to that. I had a Manager who always said “if you’re not early, you’re late.” If the interview was at 1:00 & they showed up at 1:00 then she would cancel the interview. At an interview, you’re trying to empress & to her that meant that the best the applicant could do was show up when they’re supposed to start working. Its common interview practice to show up early and is well known. Applicants that are early show they care about the position, respect the interviewer’s time, & shows their commitment.
  • Know your research. Know about the company. Ensure that you can demonstrate your knowledge of the company & position during your interview.
  • Practice interview questions. Research questions that the company asks (Glassdoor & Google).
  • Know your resume. In a lot of interviews, interviewers generally want to elaborate and clarify your resume so make sure you know it. Re-read it before the interview and make sure there is absolutely NO ERRORS.
  • Be prepared & plan for the worst. Make sure you have everything prepared the night before. Your outfit, your resumes printed, your portfolio prepared, & questions/research prepared for the interviewer. Ensure that you have bobby pins, back up make up, and a stain stick just in case. Also make sure you know where you are going EXACTLY & HOW you are going to get there. Make sure to check traffic before you leave.

Shop the Post