Passion and Purpose: Interview Preparation

Betsy Cerulo

Welcome to a new month and a new opportunity for forward movement towards your dreams. If you followed my roadmap last month, you are beginning or in the middle of your interview process.  This is where a great deal of the work begins since this is your first time to be face-to-face with a potential employer.

INTERVIEWING IS SELLING

• In order to sell you have to know what the customer wants to buy.
• Be clear on the job description and probe further during the interview.
• Take notes during the interview where it does not distract your ability to converse freely and listen to the interviewer.
• Prior to the interview, jot down questions to ask the interviewer.
• Ask open-ended questions – who, what, where, when, why?
• The idea is to get a feel for the interviewer’s key points or hot buttons and that way you can address those areas in your background that pertain without missing anything important.
• Keep in mind that if you interview with more than one person, each person can have totally different ideas of the key points.
• The questions I am about to give you will get you started and get you through the initial nervousness.  You will probably think of other questions as your natural curiosity takes over, or as the interviewer answers some of the questions that you may ask.

THE QUESTIONS

• How do you see this person spending most of their time?
• What are the critical problems that need to be solved immediately?
• Who will I be interfacing with –  in and outside of the department?
• What are the long and short-range objectives for this position?
• How is success measured for this role?
• What are the common traits for successful employees?
• What type of person are you seeking to fill this position?
• On what basis will I be evaluated?  Who will evaluate my performance?  What is the frequency of performance evaluations?
• What are some of the more difficult aspect and challenges of this job?
• If possible… can you describe a typical day?
• Who will make the final decision on hiring for this position?

CONCERNS & HESITATIONS

• During the interview, if you come up with any areas of concern or hesitations you might have about the company or the position, write them down for future reference during the next phase of the interview process.  Sometimes if you bring up a concern immediately to the interviewer, it could be perceived as negative.  If this opportunity is of interest, address the concern during the second interview.  It is better to get a job offer and turn it down, than not get an offer at all.

KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THE “DANGER AREA” QUESTIONS

• Why are you leaving your current position?  – You do not want to say anything negative about your current employer. Make sure what you say is brief and to the point.
• What are you currently earning?  – Be honest; if you are not honest it will come back to haunt you.
• What are you looking for in terms of $’s?   – Tell them that you are currently earning $……and you are interested in increasing your salary, and you would entertain a reasonable offer, given the opportunities available.  You are aware of the range they are looking to hire.

BE PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT ANY MAJOR PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE WORKED ON

• What was the problem?
• What was the solution?
• What was the time spent on the solutions?
• What was your role in the solution?
• What was the benefit in terms of $’s and/or time saved for your company?

BE PREPARED TO ANSWER THE “OLD STANDARD QUESTIONS”

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Be careful not to see yourself growing faster than the company.
• What are your strengths?  Chose adjectives that are empowering and speak to who you are.
• What are your weaknesses?  Make sure the weaknesses can be turned around to a strength.
• Most significant accomplishments (professional and personal)
• What can you do for us?

MASTER THE SUBJECTIVE

• A lot of things, I am about to tell you, you probably already know, but I am going to go over them anyway just so they are fresh in your mind before you go into the interview.
• The subjective side of the hire is 80%.
• Once they know you can do the job technically, the other 80% is chemistry.
• Dress as if you already work there.
• Dark suits, white shirts, conservative ties are best.
• Being conservative in any aspect of how you physically present yourself is best.
• Get there early, so you are not flustered, and it will give you time to review these notes before you going into the interview.
• Firm handshakes – do not hold back!
• Maintain eye contact.
• Keep the volume of your voice up because a low voice can be interpreted as weakness.
• Smile!

Good luck, have confidence and make this process enjoyable for yourself.  Next month will be how to prepare for the next phase of the interview process.
Can I help you?  Call or email me!

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Betsy Cerulo is the founder and CEO of AdNet AccountNet, Inc., an integrative business solutions company offering recruiting and placement of accounting, financial, administrative, healthcare, human resources and information technology professionals and staff in the private and government sectors.  Her company and employees were recently honored as a 2013 SmartCEO Future 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Baltimore area. Check it out on YouTube to know more about AdNet’s successful path during turbulent economic times.

Betsy can be contacted directly at 410.715.4035 or by email at [email protected] for Business Advisory Services.

Contact the AdNet team at 410.715.4040 for guidance on your next career change, interim/contractual opportunities while you are between jobs, and/or for strategic solutions to adding to your workforce team.