Just how do you prepare for interviews? It’s similar to getting to Carnegie Hall – practice, practice, practice. Develop and know your stuff cold and you’re well on your way.

Tip 1.  Timing Is Everything

Arrive about 10 minutes before your interview – no earlier. Be friendly to the receptionist when you give your name and who you’re waiting to see. Use this time, too, to note any awards or company history plastered on the walls. Did the company athletes take third place in the Metro Sand Volleyball competition – perfect for small talk.

Tip 2.  What in the World Will They Ask Me?

Worried about what questions they’ll ask? The good news is that most interviews follow a pattern of questioning that’s as predictable as there being salt in the ocean. Most job interviews start with introduction questions that lead to questions involving work experience, education, activities and interests.

Tip 3.  Where Do I Even Begin?

There’s a marketing saying that encourages marketers to mention features but focus on benefits. In other words, what can your product do for them? It’s the same when marketing yourself during a job interview. Give specific and concrete examples about how you can benefit the company and/or add profit to its bottom line.

Tip 4.  Have Any Weaknesses?

“What is your worst quality?” “What do you hate doing?” “What bores you?” Gulp – those aren’t very nice questions! Nope, they’re not – they’re tricky questions that reveal how you handle the negative. What are the “right” answers? Keep to your game plan and sandwich any perceived weaknesses with two positives.

Tip 5.  A Showdown of Patience

The most common tactic interviewers use to get you to babble is to follow one a question like “What do you hate doing?” with a long, long silence. Use the first part of that silence to answer the question succinctly with your prepared reply and then simply shut up! Try not to let your eyes dart around the room and don’t have a stare down with the interviewer, just sit calmly and wait for the next question.

Tip 6.  Thank You, Thank You Very Much

Here’s a neat trick: have a blank “Thank You” card in the car all ready for your handwritten note. Write a few short sentences thanking the interviewer. Then stamp it, throw into the nearest mailbox on your way back home and sit back knowing you’ll leave a final and lasting impression of having your thanks there promptly the next day!

For more free job-hunting tips, visit www.GetAJobBook.com

Written by award-winning authors Tara Maras & Donna Kozik, Get A Job! Put Your Degree To Work is a job manual for recent or soon-to-be college graduates. It educates students about the realities of today’s job market, revealing everything from the secrets of interview success to the art of the perfect handshake. Advice from the book has been featured in 130 newspapers including the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun.

Donna Kozik & Tara Maras are also the authors of www.29DaystoaSmoothMove.com,a complete household moving manual.

©2004 Tara Maras & Donna Kozik

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