You can have the greatest resume ever written and still not get the job. Not if you don’t interview well. If you’re lucky enough to get an interview, make sure you make an outstanding impression. It may be the difference between getting the job and not.

OK, I admit it. The first time I was interviewed by a ‘panel’ of people (3 or more people conducting the interview at the same time), I was so nervous, I leaked (just a little bit) from almost every opening in my body. But after a few more panel interviews, I got good at it. I realized that if you know how, it’s not that difficult. If you want to nail your interview, there are 3 things that make it easier: Prepare, Know how to answer questions, and Practice.

PREPARE:

Treat “getting a job” as a job. Work at it 8 hours a day: do your homework and study.

• Research the company. Find out what you can: What do they do? Who do they do it for? How well do they do it? Who is their competition? Do they have a website? If so, read it. Become an expert on their accomplishments and goals. (It shows initiative and may set you apart from other candidates.)
• Drive to the location so you know exactly where you’ll be going on the day of the interview. (The worst first impression you can make is to be late for an interview.)
• Jot down your answers to the potential interview questions and learn them. (At our age, things we “know” aren’t always easily accessible by our brains! We’ll cover how you should answer questions just below).
• Take care of your appearance. Select an appropriate outfit and have it ready at all times. When he was a teenager, my son couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t getting jobs. When I suggested that the baggy pants with chains, 26 earrings, doo-rag and unkempt beard (which was curly and reminded me of a pubic bush) might possibly have something to do with it, he said “If they want me, they must take me as I am!” Apparently, they didn’t. When hiring, books are often judged by their covers (there’s little else to go on), so unless you’re applying for a job in the theatre, tone it down.
  

ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

During the interview, keep these hints in mind:

• Pause. After a question is asked, pause (for just a minute) and collect your thoughts. You don’t want to appear ‘rehearsed’ but you don’t want to stumble over your words or say something inappropriate either.

• Know the potential interview questions and your answers. Keep in mind, the same answer can apply to multiple questions, especially the Behavioral Questions (questions that require an example of a time you encountered a specific situation). Monster.com has a good list of 100 Potential Interview Questions. (I told you it was a full time job looking for a job!)
• Answer Behavioral Questions using 3 parts: (1) State the situation, (2) describe what action YOU took, and, all too often omitted, (3) explain what the end result was. (Don’t use words like “we”. They’re only interested in what you did. They’re not hiring your “team” or your coworkers.)

• Be selective about your answers. Just because it happened, doesn’t mean you should share it in an interview. If the subject generally makes people squirm, don’t use it as an example. Once, a coworker went on an interview and when asked to describe a difficult situation, she described a time she had to ask a male employee not to masturbate at his desk. Although she had handled the situation admirably, it wasn’t the best example to use during an interview. She didn’t get the job.
• Be honest. Don’t lie or try to fudge an answer to a question. If you can’t think of an answer quickly, ask if you can come back to it later. If you don’t know the answer, say so.
• If you’re given a brainteaser question, feel free to open your notebook (you brought one, didn’t you?) and calculate the answer. The logic you use is more important than having the correct answer (but the correct answer doesn’t hurt).

PRACTICE:

Practice. Then practice some more. Practice with a friend, with your pet, with a mirror. Practice answering interview questions while doing dishes, and practice out loud. Everything sounds great in our heads; not so much when we say it out loud. The more you practice, the more comfortable (and as a result, more natural) you will be.

I suppose carrying a rabbit’s foot couldn’t hurt, either. Good luck!

Read Re-Entering the Work Force: Writing a Resume to create the best resume for the job.