Interview Process

Your future career may depend on it.

Tell me about yourself.

Your answer should contain much more about your job skills than your personal life. Talk about the growth of your career, what you learned from previous employment or even things like how your volunteer work helped you develop your organizational, time management and leadership skills.

What are your strengths?

If you really enjoy new challenges and tackle them in organized manner, this would be a useful strength in almost any situation. You can talk about your ability to find unique solutions to problems. Be prepared with some concrete examples, since that may be the follow-up question.

What are your weaknesses?

A good weakness might be that you have trouble leaving the office behind when you go home in the evenings. This is  a very difficult question that is not asked often, but it’s one you should prepare for anyway. If you talk about your temper, your tendency to gossip or the fact that you’re lazy, you may as well pack up and go home right then. If you mention a weakness such as your lack of patience with people who don’t do their share of the work, you should also mention that you keep this impatience to yourself and try very hard not to express it toward others.

Do you have any questions about our company?

If you have paid attention during the interview and if you have done your homework, this would be a good time to ask for more details about some aspect of the company’s organizational structure or products. You could also ask questions about the local community, the training program or details about the work environment.

Where do you expect to be in 10 years?

Be careful here. You do not want to give the impression that you’re simply using this company as a stepping stone to another career. Think of a related managerial position within the company that would interest you. There is a story about a young accountant who was asked this question by a CPA firm during an interview. The young accountant replied that he saw himself as the comptroller of a large corporation. In other words “I’m just using your firm to teach me and then after you spend your resources training me, I will leave to go work for someone else.” Needless to say, he was not offered a position with the CPA firm. They know that 75% of the people they hire will leave within 10 years, but they do not want to hire someone who comes in with that plan.

What skills do you have that would benefit our company?

If your skills are not exactly those that the company may have requested, you can point out the skills that you have that would be valuable to any company. Examples of these skills are: your ability to plan and execute long-term projects, your ability to organize information into usable data, your ability to research complicated issues, or your ability to work well with a team. You can mention how quickly you were able to learn in other situations. Again, be prepared with specific examples in case you are asked to elaborate.

What are you leaving your current company?

This is not an opening to speak badly of your current (or former) employer. There is almost always a way of wording the explanation so that you do not sound like a “problem employee” and your former employer does not sound like an undesirable company. As unfair as it may seem, there is almost no time when you should say something bad about your current employer. You can talk about the lack of potential for upward mobility, the fact that your job responsibilities changed to the point that it no longer fit into your career plan, the need to reduce travel time, your need for a more challenging job, or anything else that does not get into personalities or other conflicts. Practice your answers to this question with someone who has interview experience. However, don’t lie. If you can’t say anything positive about your former employer, don’t say anything. It could come back to haunt you.

Along with these questions, you will likely be asked industry-specific questions relating to your knowledge of a specific software or process.  If you’ve been in the industry a while, these should be much more straight forward to answer, but just remember that all responses should highlight specific work-related examples showing how they will benefit from you.

Important Interview Tips

1. How to Dress

You can’t go wrong wearing a suit to any personal interview. The second choice is dressy casual attire. Pressed khakis or slacks, a clean, ironed button-down shirt, a belt and a leather loafer will serve you well. Match the belt to the color of your shoes. Choose black if your outfit consists of dark grays, navys, browns or black. Opt for dark brown if you’ll be wearing tans, muted pastels or medium toned colors. Polish or clean your shoes the night before your interview. Scuff marks on your shoes reveal a lack of forethought and attention to detail. Keep interview makeup and accessories professional and at a minimum. Women should remember to wear a conservatively cut shirt that is not low-cut or sheer and keep skirt length at the knee or mid-calf. If you carry a purse or bag with you to the interview, ensure it is clean and in good condition. Take a nice leather- or vinyl-bound portfolio to carry your resume, references or other pertinent documents. Leave tattered manila folders or college logo folders at home. Avoid cologne, perfume or aftershave that may overpower the interviewer. Place your watch in you purse or pocket once you make it to the front door so that  you’re not tempted to look at it during the interview and be sure to turn your off your phone.

2. Arrive a little early.

If you arrive about fifteen minutes before the scheduled interview time, you will have time to collect your thoughts, wipe the perspiration from your hands and scan the lobby for current company information. You will also show the interviewer that you value his or her time.

3. Do your homework.

Know the interviewer’s name and how to pronounce it (including proper title: Mr. Mrs., etc.). Know the company’s major products or services, the organization of the company (divisions, parent company, etc.), current business news about the company and the company’s major customers and competitors. You can learn most or all the information from the company’s website, annual report or company literature.

4. Bring a spare copy of your Resume in a briefcase or folder.

This demonstrates you are prepared. It also gives the interviewer something to take notes on.

5. Expect to spend some time developing rapport.

Personal chemistry is a main ingredient in the hiring process. Try to relax and become comfortable with the interviewer.

6. Body language is powerful!

Maintain an open body posture an appropriate eye contact. Seat yourself at a reasonable distance from the other person. Good eye contact, a warm, natural smile and firm handshake can help you overcome nervousness, develop a personal rapport and present a confident image.

7. Don’t be embarrassed by nervousness.

Interviewers are human, and they often become nervous too. In fact, nervousness is a good sign – it shows that you are taking the interview seriously. Avoid nervous mannerisms such as tapping your fingers, feet, playing with pens, etc.

8. Don’t play comedian or try to entertain the interviewer.

It is important to be personable, but don’t overdo it.

9. Don’t exaggerate or lie.

You might be tempted to embellish your achievements in the interview, but it will come back to haunt you on the job!

10. Follow the interviewer’s lead.

Don’t try to take over the interview. Stick to the main subject at hand, but do not dwell too long on one point. It is better to deal with many questions rather than just one or two in-depth questions, unless that’s where the interviewer leads you.

11. Be prepared for personal questions, even some inappropriate ones.

Anticipate how you will handle personal questions without blowing your cool. Some interviewers may not be aware of what they can and cannot legally ask you. Be sure you understand the question. It is okay to ask for clarification.

12. Emphasize the positive.

Be frank and honest, but never apologize for lack of experience or weaknesses. You can be self-confident without being overconfident or flippant. If you are new to the job market, your lack of experience has one very positive feature: you do not have to “unlearn’ bad habits or different practices learned from previous employers. Many employers like the idea that you can be taught their individual company procedures without needing to get rid of other training first.

13. Wait for an offer to bring up salary.

Let the interviewer bring up this subject. Often, salary and benefits are not discussed at all on the first interview. Even though everyone knows that salary is important, you do not want to give the impression that it is the only consideration. If it is, you can easily be lured away by a competitor offering a slightly higher salary. The interviewer needs to see that you are interested in the other aspects of the job like the potential for growth, learning or the challenge of the position. Offers usually follow the interview a few days later and are channeled through the Haskel Thompson & Associates. If by chance, you are offered the position on the spot, it is appropriate for you to ask for one or two days to think about the offer before responding.

14. Don’t be afraid to think before you speak.

Use silence and intentional pause  to your advantage. Time is occasionally needed to think and to reflect. The interviewer will respect you for taking a consideration before answering.

15. Watch your grammar and your manners.

Employers are interested in candidates who can express themselves properly. Even if you have to slow down to correct yourself–do it! Use slang expressions very sparingly. If your knowledge of rules and etiquette are rusty, take a “refresher course” from a knowledgeable friend.

16. Be prepared to ask questions.

Almost all interviewers will ask if you have any questions. You should have some ready and should have at least one that is related to the conversation you have just completed. This demonstrates that you are prepared and interested. Your questions should be related to details about the company and should be based on the information you learned from the homework you have done (see Tip #2). You should not ask questions like “How long do I have to wait before I can take a vacation?” Save those what’s-in-it-for-me questions for later.

17. Be careful with the closing.

Do not linger. End quickly and courteously. Thank your interviewer for the interview. Smile.

18. Be yourself!

You do not want to get hired on the basis of something you are not. You want to be hired for who you are!

19. Follow up.

Immediately after the interview process, jot down notes for your reference and to share with your Senior Recruiter.