How to Interview... And Get The Job!

By Jane Lovas on March 25, 2010

Guest Blogger Jane Lovas' weekly series called "What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Life and Career" runs each Thursday

You've sent out a ton of resumes, gone to every career fair and you finally got the call to come in for an interview!

Now what do you do? This is your chance to sell yourself. Remember, a company wants to hire someone to solve problems. They are not hiring you because you're smart, which no doubt you are. If they just wanted smart employees, they wouldn't have to interview, they could get the list of GPA's and hire from that. The good news is that being smart is not the only quality companies are looking for when they hire new employees.

The secret to getting hired is demonstrating that you are the one that can solve their problem. There are two simple ways to do this. The first one is to show up at the interview prepared answer questions and to ask a few questions.

Some questions you should be prepared to answer are:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Do you have any questions about our company?
• What skills do you have that will benefit our company?

Some questions you might want to consider asking are:

• What are some of the specific tasks and responsibilities you'll have?
• What is the size of the team and how you will interact with team members?
• Ask about the person you're replacing or if it's a new position.
• Is there specific training available that will help you quickly get up to speed on the companies procedures?

The second way to prove that you can meet a company's needs is to show up for the interview in a professional manner that builds confidence in you as a responsible employee. This means:

• Showing up 5 - 10 minutes early.
• Talking respectfully to the receptionist or admin.
• Dressing professionally (even if they say it's a casual dress environment, dress like you're taking this seriously.)
• Brushing your teeth and spiting out your gum.
• Turning off your cell phone or taking out your Bluetooth earpiece.
• Remembering and using your interviewer's name. (People like to hear their own name.)

Now that you know what to do, go do it. Interview with ease (practice interviewing if you don't feel comfortable yet). Have fun and go get a job, and let me know how it goes!

Jane Lovas is a career specialist who is the creator of the life changing 12 week tele-seminar "Creating the Life of Your Dreams". She is also our guest blogger, whose column will run every Thursday. If you would like to contact Jane, you can reach her here, here or here.

"Little Case" courtesy Banalities via Flickr Creative Commons