Job Interview Skills

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Job Interview Skills

• Wheaton North High School

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Preparation for the Interview
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Be Physically and Mentally Prepared

• Decide what to wear a few days before the
  interview
• Being well groomed is essential to make a good
  first impression
• Have a good nights sleep the night before the
  interview and eat a healthy meal the day of the
  interview
• Have answers to the most difficult common
  questions

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What to Wear?

• For Men

• For Women

• Conservative Two Piece Suit (Blue or Grey are
  best)
• Clean and Polished Shoes
• Minimal cologne
• Empty pockets
• Clean fingernails

• Conservative Blouse or shirt (White or Pastel)
• Conservative Shoes
• Minimal perfume
• If you have nails done, conservative

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Presentation

• Avoid eating food with strong odors, like raw
  onions
• Do not smoke before the interview
• Make sure you are not chewing gum or candy
  beforehand-but check your breath!
• Depending on where you are interviewing, conceal
  any tattoos and take out any body piercings
  (Nose, eyebrow rings)

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Presentation for Men

• Necktie
• Dark shoes and socks
• Get a haircut-short hair always fares better
• Try to avoid beards and mustaches-if you have one
  make sure they are cleaned up
• No rings other than wedding ring or college ring
• No earrings

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Presentation for Women

• No dresses
• Shoes with conservative heels
• No purses, if needed a briefcase
• Minimal make up
• No more than one ring on each hand
• One set of earrings

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Be on time!
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Be on time!

• Make sure you plan to be at the interview 15
  minutes before the interview starts-this should
  give you enough time to park and navigate any
  elevators
• Know the directions to the interview a few days
  ahead of time and make sure you plan on traffic
• If you are late, make sure you phone ahead and do
  not give an excuse-just take responsiblity

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Be Your Best Self
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Be Yourself-Your Best Self

• Know yourself and your past experiences
• Review your resume and accomplishments-know them
  back and forth
• Companies love to hear specifics, if you have
  data to back up your accomplishments share those
• It is not a time to be bashful, you need to own
  your accomplishments
• Try not to brag
• Know your strengths and weaknesses and how you
  will help the company

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Be Prepared

• You need to know about the company you are
  interviewing with
• You should have an idea on how you fit into the
  company and what the day to day tasks of your job
  entails
• Have questions prepared-THIS IS A MUST

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Be Positive

• When you are prepared, the nervousness fades
  away, so just relax and have fun
• Be enthusiastic and confident in your answers
• It is ok not to know an answer
• Never lie!

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The Interview
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The Interview

• Greet the interview as Mr., Mrs., Dr. and the
  last name
• Wait until you are asked to sit before taking a
  seat
• Pay attention to body language and posture sit
  upright and look alert
• Dont tell jokes during the interview
• TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE

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The Interview

• Relax and be yourself
• Handshakes are extremely important-must be firm
  but dont break the interviewers hand
• Think about your answers before you give an
  answer-count to two in your head
• Ask questions if you need clarification

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The Interview

• Never use slang or foul language
• Try to highlight your good points-its not
  bragging. Own it!
• Show interest in the interview by balancing
  speaking with listening

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The Interview

• Be confident in your answers, not soft spoken
• Never say anything negative about your
  supervisors and other employees-its a small
  world
• Its ok to talk about your failures, but make
  sure to talk about the lessons you learned from
  your failure
• If you feel like you have not had the opportunity
  to discuss something important bring it up at the
  end of the interview
• Before you leave ask about the next steps in the
  process

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The Nevers

• During the first interview NEVER ask about
• The Salary for the position-there will be a time
  and place for that but be prepared to ask for
  your salary demands
• Vacation time-you havent gotten the job, so
  dont talk about your vacations already
• Benefits-again there will be a time and place for
  that

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After the Interview
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After the Interview

• Thank the interviewer for the time spent
• Make notes about things you have learned from the
  company so you can use those notes for the second
  interview
• Try to get business cards so you can remember
  names and correct spellings
• Send a thank you email or card within 24 hours of
  the interview

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Good Luck

• Remember-Practice makes perfect
• RELAX!