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COnline - The Successful Job Interview: Know the Company, Know Yourself

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he Successful Job Interview: Know theompany, Know Yourself

he best phone call you'll receive when you're looking for

mployment is the one that offers you the job. The second-best phone call is the one that invites

ou for a job interview! Your resume did its job-it earned you an interview opportunity. What

ould you do to make sure you come across as the best candidate for the job?

b Choicesspoke with staffing professionals at major organizations to learn what they expectom job seekers in the interview. Here's theiradvice on how you can ensure a successful

terview and earn another phone call-this one offering you a second interview or the job!

ur Panel of Experts

lan Baker

tle: Manager, Worldwide University Relations

rganization: Dell Computer Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of portable desktop

d client server personal computer systems and other computer-related products.

ichard Beatty

tle: President

rganization: Brandywine Consulting Group, an outplacement consulting firm for major

rporations. Beatty worked in human resources for 30 years and has interviewed thousands of

b seekers. He is the author of several career books.

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ll Niebieszczanski

tle: College Recruiter

rganization: Comerica Inc., a multi-bank holding company with operations in Michigan,

inois, Texas, California, and Florida.

ary Slettum

tle: Employment Manager, Corporate Headquarters

rganization: Kemper National Insurance Company, provider of property and casualtysurance and risk management services.

ike Woginrich

tle: Campus Relations Representative

rganization: Mervyn's California, a department store with locations in 16 states that

ecializes in apparel for the family and decorative home fashions.

tudying for Your Interview

efore you walk into an interview, do your homework. The staffing professionals interviewed

re unanimously agree: The most important step you can take to make a good impression on

interviewer is to research the company and be knowledgeable about it and about the job

ou're seeking.

earn as much as possible about the organization's products and services, general business

rategies and values, target market(s), plans for growth, and key challenges.

lan Baker prefers that students learn about his company ahead of time-not just by looking at

annual report but by making a concerted effort to learn through on-campus activities

onsored by Dell.

ke many companies with active recruiting programs, Dell attends career fairs, sends

formation to the campus career services center, and holds recruiter and line manager

esentations with faculty and student groups the day before on-campus interviews take place.

ell also makes a video and computer diskette available to students to learn about the company

d its opportunities.

can't tell you how much it turns me off when I'm 20 minutes into an interview and a

ndidate asks me, 'What does your company do again?'," said Baker.

milarly, Gary Slettum considers knowledge about Kemper a big plus for candidates. "If they

now about us and they know what our business is, that shows they are serious about insurance

a career," he toldJob Choices.



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addition, obtain a copy of the job description, if possible, and review it prior to the interview.

hat will help you identify which skills are important to the job; consequently, you'll be better

le to relate your experiences and skills to the position.

When students don't know what they're interviewing for, it eliminates their chances at a second

terview. 'I like to shop' is not a good answer when I ask them about their interest in retail,"

id Mike Woginrich.

ervyn's also supplies company information on computer diskette, and Woginrich can spot

ght away those who have taken the time to look at the information.

aking a Good Impression

emember the television commercial with a line that went something like, "You never get a

cond chance to make a first impression"? Such is the case with a job interview. That's why

ou need to arrive early for your interview, dress appropriately, offer a firm handshake, and

ake good eye contact with the interviewer.

ypically, initial interviews are designed to help interviewers choose candidates to be

terviewed at a later date by the manager who will do the actual hiring.

With the first interview, we're mostly looking for how candidates will fit Comerica, and we're

oking to see if they should be considered further," Jill Niebieszczanski said.

iebieszczanski asks candidates about their previous work experience, even if it's limited to art-time job at a fast-food restaurant. "I want to know what they learned from working there. If

was their first job, I want to know if they learned to be on time, to be a team player, to be a

ader...I ask them about extracurricular activities. What was their most favorite and why?

bviously, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions," said Niebieszczanski.

ettum also questions students about their past experiences in work and extracurricular

tivities. "If people respond in such a fashion that it appears they have difficulty working in

am situations or if they mention issues of interpersonal conflict, that pretty much guarantees

ey won't be asked back," said Slettum.

aker and his campus interviewers start off their interviews by confirming details from the

ndidate's resume. Next, they ask students about their experiences. "We will typically ask

udents to give us examples of situations where they were allowed to exercise leadership. We'll

obe that information. We also ask for situations where they exhibited a strong degree of

oblem-solving ability in group situations," said Baker.

hat are they listening for in students' responses? Most often, Baker toldJob Choices,they



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ant to see if students' experiences reflect skills that Dell wants in its employees. Sometimes

formation comes out that is noteworthy and worth pursuing further. For Dell's nontechnical

ofessional hiring, the interviewer is looking at how trainable people will be based on their

st experiences and interpersonal skills.

aker also likes to hear direct answers to his interview questions. "Some people will wander all

ver because they don't have a good answer; others are just bad communicators," he said.

oginrich tries to assess candidates' flexibility, openness to learning, and ability to work in a

am environment by posing questions about their past experiences. "I may ask, 'Of all your

ommates you've had during school, who was the toughest to live with? What did you do to

ake the situation better?' or 'Tell me about a decision you made and how it affects you today,'"

explained.

all cases, you want to answer interviewers' questions as confidently and positively as

ossible. The key to performing better in interviews, according to Richard Beatty, is to think

out the questions you will be asked before you're in the interview.

f you were the employer, what would you look for in a candidate? What are the key functions

r which you would be responsible in this job? What are the key problems you are going to

ve to solve in order to carry those functions out? About 80 to 90 percent of any interview is

cused on whether candidates have certain knowledge, whether they can apply it, and whether

ey have applied it to similar problems in the past," said Beatty.

urn Negatives Into Positives

hroughout the interview, the employer is typically on the lookout for your flaws or reasons not

hire you. How will you respond if a hiring manager or interviewer asks, "What are your

eaknesses?" or "What would you like to be better at?" As you think about how to answer

terview questions, keep in mind you should always accentuate the positive or practice

amage control." You want to avoid creating a negative impression of your ability to do the

b or fit in with the company.

eatty's suggestion: "Never make an absolute negative statement about yourself. Don't say, 'Ind to be overly detailed.' Instead, say, 'Some people might describe me as being overly

tailed.' Then, hang a positive anchor on that statement. 'Some people might describe me as

ing overly detailed, however others would tell you that I'm unusually thorough, and when I

ll them something they know they can bank on it.'"

ther techniques you can use to answer questions that seek negative information include citing

weakness that is not related to the job you're interviewing for or discussing one that the

terviewer is aware of because it's apparent from the information appearing on (or not



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pearing on) your resume-such as a less-than-stellar GPA. These aren't easy questions to

swer cold, so practice for them ahead of time.

sten to This Advice

hink the interview is a forum for you to talk about yourself nonstop for an hour or so? Wrong.

ou'll score points, said our staffing professionals, by demonstrating good listening skills in the

terview.

tudents should remember that an interview is both getting and giving information. In addition

their verbal communication skills, they should work on their listening skills," advised

ettum.

e added, "Silence in an interview is not bad. Sometimes less experienced people hurry to get

answer back to the interviewers. I want students to make sure they think about the question

d take their time in giving a good answer."

stening is also an extremely important skill to Baker. "If I have something I want to tell

ndidates about the job, the position, the company, and all they want to do is tell me about

emselves, it's clear they do not have the listening skills," said Baker.

ring Your Own Questions

Do you have any questions for me?," asks the interviewer of the job candidate. "Um, no, I

uess not," the candidate responds.

ound familiar? If you've ever given such a response, then you, like this candidate, lost the

pportunity to impress the interviewer.

lways be prepared to ask thoughtful questions. It demonstrates that you have a genuine

terest in the company; moreover, you need to ask relevant questions to learn whether or not

e organization is one you really want to work for.

Candidates should ask as many questions as they can. [Taking a job] is a big life decision andey need to know as much as possible about the organization, just as the organization wants to

arn about them during the interview," said Woginrich.

eep in mind, however, that some kinds of questions just aren't appropriate, especially in the

itial interview. "Students should be wary of asking questions about certain aspects of the

mpany's compensation program-salary, vacation, retirement benefits. When they ask about

oney right off the bat, it makes me wonder what is more important to them, the money or the



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pportunity?," said Baker.

the organization uses second interviews as part of its hiring process and you're called back for

ne, plan on asking questions there, too. It's likely that, at the second interview, you'll meet with

whole new cast of people, including the hiring manager and higher-level staff members. They

ill probably ask you more-detailed questions; this is your opportunity to direct more-detailed

uestions at your prospective employer.

on't Let the Door Hit You...

ost job candidates are intent on making a "lasting impression," on making themselves

emorable to the interviewer, on setting themselves apart from the rest of the candidate pool.

affing professionals discussed incidents that made lasting impressions on them-the wrong

nes.

ne student brought an agent with him to negotiate with the interviewer. Too bad there wasn't

ything to negotiate after that move!

ther candidates, recruiters report, have started crying, making themselves and the interviewer

etty uncomfortable.

hen there are those candidates who used profane language during interviews. That behavior

akes the wrongkind of statement.

et another way candidates can make the wrong impression is in their appearance. Indeed, blueir and nose rings will be memorable, especially when the interviewer is deciding who will not

asked back for a second interview.

here are better ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd: You can be sure to make a good

mpression on an interviewer by following up promptly after the interview. "Students who have

llowed up with a typewritten note expressing interest in the position and thanking the

terviewer have always made a good impression. Thorough follow up, when it's requested-if I

k for transcripts, for example-is a necessity," said Baker.

Few Words Before Showtime

s you prepare for a job interview, learn about the company you're interested in and be

epared to explain why you want to work for that company.

ecruiters look for enthusiasm and motivation when they speak with you. In most instances,

ts of people can do the job you're interviewing for-it's your responsibility to convince the



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terviewer thatyou'rethe person who is more motivated, more capable, and more committed

the job and the overall goals of the organization.

he best way to be convincing is to know yourself. How can the skills you've learned from your

ork, classroom, and extracurricular experiences benefit the employer?

hen you have the answer to that question, you'll be better prepared to handle your interviews

ith ease.

ditor's note: This article originally appeared in Planning Job Choices: 1997.

More Articles on Interviewing

Tips on Handling Behavior-Based Interview Questions

Dress For Success At Your Next Interview

Interview Tips for the Experienced Job Seeker

Facts to Gather Before Interviewing

9 Sure-Fire Ways to Blow the Interview

Tough Questions Interviewers Like to Ask

10 Steps to a Successful Interview

Handling Illegal Questions

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