Top 10 Interview Tips

Great interviews arise from careful groundwork. You can ace your next interview if you:

1. Enter into a state of relaxed concentration. This is the state from which great basketball players or Olympic skaters operate. You'll need to quiet the negative self chatter in your head through meditation or visualization prior to sitting down in the meeting. You'll focus on the present moment and will be less apt to experience lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.

2. Act spontaneous, but be well prepared. Be your authentic self, professional yet real. Engage in true conversation with your interviewer, resting on the preparation you did prior to coming to the meeting. Conduct several trial runs with another person simulating the interview before it actually occurs. It's the same as anticipating the questions you'll be asked on a final exam.

3. Set goals for the interview. It is your job to leave the meeting feeling secure that the interviewer knows as much as he or she possibly can about your skills, abilities, experience and achievements. If you sense there are misconceptions, clear them up before leaving. If the interviewer doesn't get around to asking you important questions, pose them yourself (diplomatically) and answer them. Don't leave the meeting without getting your own questions answered so that you have a clear idea of what you would be getting yourself into. If possible, try to get further interviews, especially with other key players.

4. Know the question behind the question. Ultimately, every question boils down to, "Why should we hire you?" Be sure you answer that completely. If there is a question about your meeting deadlines, consider whether the interviewer is probing delicately about your personal life, careful not to ask you whether your family responsibilities will interfere with your work. Find away to address fears if you sense they are present.

5. Follow up with an effective "thank you" letter. Don't write this letter lightly. It is another opportunity to market yourself. Find some areas discussed in the meeting and expand upon them in your letter. Writing a letter after a meeting is a very minimum. Standing out among the other candidates will occur if you thoughtfully consider this follow up letter as an additional interview in which you get to do all the talking. Propose useful ideas that demonstrate your added value to the team.

6. Consider the interviewer's agenda. Much is on the shoulders of the interviewer. He or she has the responsibility of hiring the right candidate. Your ability to do the job will need to be justified. "Are there additional pluses here?" "Will this person fit the culture of this organization?" These as well as other questions will be heavily on the interviewer's mind. Find ways to demonstrate your qualities above and beyond just doing the job.

7. Expect to answer the question, "Tell me about yourself." This is a pet question of prepared and even unprepared interviewers. Everything you include should answer the question, "Why should we hire you?" Carefully prepare your answer to include examples of achievements from your work life that closely match the elements of the job before you. Obviously, you'll want to know as much about the job description as you can before you respond to the question.

8. Watch those nonverbal clues. Experts estimate that words express only 30% to 35% of what people actually communicate; facial expressions and body movements and actions convey the rest. Make and keep eye contact. Walk and sit with a confident air. Lean toward an interviewer to show interest and enthusiasm. Speak with a well-modulated voice that supports appropriate excitement for the opportunity before you.

9. Be smart about money questions. Don't fall into the trap of telling the interviewer your financial expectations. You may be asking for too little or too much money and in each case ruin your chances of being offered the job. Instead, ask what salary range the job falls in. Attempt to postpone a money discussion until you have a better understanding of the scope of responsibilities of the job.

10. Don't hang out your dirty laundry. Be careful not to bare your soul and tell tales that are inappropriate or beyond the scope of the interview. State your previous experience in the most positive terms. Even if you disagreed with a former employer, express your enthusiasm for earlier situations as much as you can. Whenever you speak negatively about another person or situation in which you were directly involved, you run the risk (early in the relationship) of appearing like a troubled person who may have difficulty working with others.

Job Fair Tips from A—Z

A. Attend career workshops of interest to you at the Capital Career Center.

B. Be at your best in marketing your self. Be prepared by being well dressed and communicating your enthusiasm and professionalism. Employers will take you more seriously and will probably spend more time with you if you are well groomed and well prepared.

C. Communicate your skills in a clear, concise manner. Take time to self-assess and focus on your skills, values, and interests. Interests are those areas that energize you. Create a capsule biography that reflects your unique skills as they relate to your career field.  Practice your handshake, a friendly smile and presenting your capsule biography.

D. Develop a targeted resume. If you are seriously interested in more than one career field, you may develop two or three targeted resumes. When taking resumes to the event, make sure they do not become wrinkled. Bring more resumes than you think you will need.

E. Emphasis is placed on developing STAR statements: Situation, Task or role, Action you performed, and Results, how you made a difference either qualitatively or quantitatively. Use these in your oral communication and in your resume.

F. Focus on job specific, adaptive and transferable skills and the language of the career field in your resume and when communicating with employers.

G. Grooming includes well pressed, appropriate clothing as well as clean fingernails, and hair that is clean and neat. The more professional the attire, the more employers will take you seriously.

H. Haphazard preparation will get you no where. Keep yourself organized and focused!

I. Investigate and identify employers who will be attending the job fair by using their web sites. Research them to know which organizations are of most interest to you.

J. Job titles are obsolete. There are over 12,000 job titles and they vary by industry and organization. Focus on skills required and job related functions (i.e. managing, organizing, communication skills), not job titles in evaluating who is of most interest to you.

K. Knowing which organizations are of most interest to you will help you rank them according to the order of importance to you.

L. Learn more about those companies by researching. This will help you develop your marketing strategies.

M. Manage your time at the job fair by highlighting those companies of most interest to you in one color and highlighting those of secondary importance to you in another color. Start with those of most importance to you and then with those of secondary interest to you.

N. Noise will be an issue for you unless you remain focused.

O. Organization is essential if you are taking more than one targeted resume. Place targeted resumes in folders labeled for easy retrieval. If you spend time "digging around" for them, the employer will lose interest.

P. Prepare and plan to meet with employers who are not on your primary or secondary list. You may be pleasantly surprised regarding opportunities for you with these organizations.

Q. Questions you prepare and ask employers should be developed to also inform the employer of your knowledge about the organization and industry.

R. Rejection - If rejected, ask yourself what you can do to prevent rejection from other employers. Do not allow it to distract you or become less confident. Self-confidence is essential. Always reflect on what you can do better by evaluating your experiences.

S. Seek further information regarding the appropriate person in the organization to contact if an employer seems uninterested in you.

T. Time is of essence, so arrive early in the day when the recruiters are the most refreshed and may not be as busy as they will be later in the day. You will also have time to meet with more employers.

U. Utilize the opportunity to collect business cards from everyone you meet. Make brief notes on the back regarding important points you want to remember about the employers. This will be helpful in your thank you letters and future follow-up. Do follow up with thank you letters! Most employers will expect you to express your interest by following up with them.

V. Value your skills and experience if you want others to value them.

W. Win at the job fair by following the tips provided.

X. Xpect to be a winner by having a positive attitude, enthusiasm and communicating in a clear, concise manner.

Y. You are the only one who can successfully market you!

Z. Zoo Time! You can prevent the event from becoming a zoo by preparation, communication and follow-up!