Interviewing 8 ways to prepare ahead of time - Sterling Career Concepts

Interviewing 8 ways to prepare ahead of time Interviewing? 8 ways to prepare ahead of time The following are eight ways to  ensure youre at your best for that all-important interview: Practice your interview answers out loud.  I recommend clients write out answers to commonly asked questions and then practice answering the questions out loud. During the interview should not be the first time youre answering the questions out loud.  Its one thing to read through notes and a completely other to formulate the answers verbally. Dont dismiss the importance of both. Practice the route to the company. Double-check the closest subway stop.  Know which exit it is off the highway.  Dont rely on your GPS for this print out MapQuest directions as a back up. The point is know where youre going, how long its going to take, and add on 5-10 minutes buffer time. Rushing to an interview will throw you off your A-game before you even walk in the door. Why risk a poor start like that? Prepare 4-6 intelligent questions to ask the interviewer.   Topics can include the company, the department or group, the position, and the process. Avoid asking about benefits, salary or anything else that shouts whats in it for me?   (More on this in my next post.) Call or email to confirm the interview date and time if the appointment was made longer than one week ago.   Keep the call or email short and professional. Read through your resume.   Think about it you may not have read it recently. Anything on your resume is fair game for questions. Read the resume top to bottom and bottom to top youll notice different items as you scan it from a different perspective. If you havent read through your resume recently, you risk being caught off guard when an interviewer asks about something from a past position. Pack pen and paper in your briefcase or purse to jot notes and names down. There are two schools of thought on this topic. I dont typically recommend clients pull pen and paper out during the actual interview. My advice is to remain focused on the conversation,  rapport, and eye contact and not jotting down what your interviewer is saying. Remember  its an interview, not a college lecture!  I recommend saving the notetaking for when you have a few minutes alone in the conference room or for immediately after leaving the building.     Print 3-4 extra copies of your resume on bond paper for that busy interviewer who cant seem to quickly locate your resume on his or her desk.  You also never know when your interview schedule may be amended and youll be asked to meet with someone who  has not already  received a copy of your resume. Read through the companys website and marketing materials so youll  be knowledgeable  about the company and its recent news releases and financial performance. Sounds obvious, but youd be surprised how many candidates dont always take the time to do this. The candidate who is knowledgeable about the company and its current events can have a definite leg up against  the competition. Interviewing need not be a stressful experience. Adequate preparation will have a positive impact on your performance. Good luck!