Three Steps to a Successful Job Interview

Much has been said and written about insuring a successful job interview. Speaking as someone who coaches people for interview, a careful analysis reveals that there are three basic components to success. They are appearance, practice and preparation. No doubt you are saying to yourself that practice and preparation are the same thing but I will demonstrate to you that they are not.

Appearance is not often discussed but is crucial to your success. It makes little difference as to the organization you are visiting but a smart appearance makes an impression, it is often said that you never have a second chance to make a first impression and the first interview is no exception. Unless you have skills and knowledge that are not available anywhere else then you are in a competitive environment and you need to treat it that way. A man can always take off a tie if it is inappropriate but it is very difficult to put it on if you do not have one.

Practice relates getting ready to answer questions, understanding how interviews work and making sure that you are at the peak of your performance. At a minimum you are practicing your pitch and exit reason. The pitch is the answer to the question So tell me about yourself or other similar questions that are designed to see how you best fit the needs of the organization. Practice is the key to answering those interview questions accurately but without appearing rehearsed.

Preparation on the other hand relates to getting all the other pieces of information ready beforehand. A few examples of this are as follows: Research, make sure that you have completed an extensive search about the organization, it does not matter how high or low on the food chain you are remember you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Insure that you have a number of great questions to ask. Many states have access to free research services that can be accessed through the Internet and their Library systems. Make sure that you know where you are going and how long it will take you to get there, leave plenty of time so you will not be rushed. Bring cleanly printed copies of your resume to hand out; you cannot be sure how it has printed out from an emailed copy.

To summarize, there are many moving parts to a successful interview and with the appropriate actions you can stay in control. Your appearance speaks for you before you open your mouth, when you do open your mouth make sure that you can answer questions succinctly and accurately and finally being prepared in advance with information, great questions and having the logistics nailed down will all help to put you on the short list.

Good Hunting

Barry Simpson - Your personal job-search assistant.

http://www.virtualjobcoach.com

Extensive experience of working with people at all levels in Fortune 500 companies and other organizations with the goal to help them land a new and rewarding position. I am, with my colleagues translating much of that expertise and knowledge into our offering at Virtual Job Coach

If you are looking for a new position or simply interested in managing your career come over, visit our site and try it out for free. Contact me if I can help at bsimpson@virtualjobcoach.com

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