Interview Tips to Help You Land a Job | Monster.com https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/job-interview-pointers-fo...

Interview tips to help you land a job

Get Advice and Insight from Waggener Edstrom's Staf ng Partner

Thad Peterson, Monster Staff Writer

Like many career advice experts, Steve Fogarty,

staf ng partner at Waggener Edstrom, says
candidates should research acompany
(https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article
/interview-company-research) thoroughly before an
interview. Learning as much as possible about its
services, products, customers and competition will
give you an edge in understanding and addressing
the company's needs. The more you know about the
company and what it stands for, the better chance
you have ofselling yourself in the interview
(https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article Job Interview Tips
/sell-yourself-job-interview-hot-jobs). You also should
nd out about thecompany's culture (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/assess-company-
culture-best- t)to gain insight into your potential happiness on the job. If the company is a private rm,
that's not an excuse to skip doing your homework.

Where there's a will, there's a way, and nding a way to gather information on a company "distinguishes
the great candidates from the good candidates," says Fogarty.

Consider Fogarty's company, a large independent public relations agency. He says that if someone were
trying to nd out about Waggener Edstrom, the candidate could take a number of steps. In addition to
simply visiting the company's Web site, joining a trade organization like the Public Relations Society of
America would almost certainly give someone interested in his company exposure to people who work
there.

Fogarty offers a less conventional method as well: "People might be able to nd a press release that one
of our PR people has written and contact that person and say, I saw your press release. It looks really
good. Would you be open to me asking a few questions? I'm doing research on your company.' That's a
way to get information."

Fogarty elaborates on the following ways you canimprove your chances at the interview:

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1. Be concise
2. Provide examples
3. Be honest
4. Keep your guard up
5. Ask great questions

Be Concise

Not only should you always be on time for an interview, you should also always mind your time during an
interview.Interviewees rambling on is one of the most common interview blunders Fogarty sees. "You
really have to listen to the question, and answer the question, and answer it concisely," he says. "So many
people can't get this basic thing down. You ask them a question, and they go off on a tangent. They might
think you want to hear what they're saying, but they didn't answer your question."

Provide Examples

It's one thing to say you can do something; it's another to give examples (https://www.monster.com
/career-advice/article/give-examples-during-job-interviews) of things you have donethat highlight your
successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance.Bring along a folder
containing extra copies of your resume anda copy of yourreferences (https://www.monster.com/career-
advice/article/prepare-your-references)."Come with a toolbox of examples of the work you've done,"
advises Fogarty. "You should come and anticipate the questions a recruiter's going to ask based on the
requirement of the role. Think of recent strong strategic examples of work you've done, then when the
question is asked, answer with speci cs, not in generalities. You should say, Yes, I've done that before.
Here's an example of a time I did that,' and then come back and ask the recruiter, Did that answer your
question?'"

Be Honest

Somehow, candidates get the impression that a good technique is to dance around dif cult interview
questions (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/dif cult-interview-questions). Candidates often
don't think about whether they are actually answering the questions their interviewers ask. Make sure you
understand what is being asked, and get further clari cation if you are unsure."If you don't have a skill
(//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/assessing-your-skills), just state it. Don't try to cover it up by
talking and giving examples that aren't relevant. You're much better off saying you don't have that skill but
perhaps you do have some related skills, and you're happy to tell them about that if they like," says
Fogarty.

Keep Your Guard Up

One of the most neglectedinterview skills (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/boost-

your-interview-iq)islistening (https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/the-listener-wins). Make
sure you are not only listening, but also reading between the lines. Sometimes what is not said is just as
important as what is said.According to Fogarty, you can split recruiters into two schools. There are those
who are very straight-laced and serious, and candidates had better take the process seriously as well

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when dealing with them.

"Then you have recruiters like me," he says, chuckling. "I'm going to be that candidate's best friend when
they call me. My technique is to put them at ease, because I want them to tell me everything, and a lot of
candidates mess up in this area. They start to think, Oh, this guy is cool. I can tell him anything.' And then
they cross the line." And that can take a candidate out of contention. Remember: Always maintain your
professionalism.For extra assurance, print a copy of Monster's handyinterview take-along checklist
(https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/interview-take-along-checklist).

Ask Great Questions

Another of Fogarty's interview tips is to come ready with good questions to ask (//www.monster.com
/career-advice/article/nine-questions-to-ask-interview). Thequestions you ask
(https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/your-turn-to-ask-questions)indicate your interest in the
company or job.He says nothing impresses him more than a really good question that not only shows
you've researched the company in general, but also the speci c job you're hoping to land in particular.
"That makes me go, Wow, this person has really done their homework. They not only know the company,
but they know the role.'"

For more tips, stories and job interview info, check out the Monster blog. (http://www.monster.com
/blog/?WT.mc_n=SM_PR_blog)

Articles in This Feature:

Make a Great First Impression home (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/make-a-great- rst-

impression)
Last-Minute Interview Preparation (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/What-If-Your-
Interview-Is-Tomorrow)
Six Key Interview Answers Employers Need to Hear (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article
/Six-Answers-Interviewers-Need)
100 Potential Interview Questions (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/100-Potential-
Interview-Questions)
Nonverbal Communications: Escape the Pitfalls (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article
/Nonverbal-Communications-Interview)
Steer Clear of Interviewers' Pet Peeves (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/interviewers-
pet-peeves)
Do Your Homework Before the Big Interview (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/Do-Your-
Homework-Before-Interview)
Assessing Your Skills (//www.monster.com/career-advice/article/Assessing-Your-Skills)

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Related Articles
Response Strategies for Interview Questions (/career-advice/article/Response-Strategies-Interview-Questions)
Interview tips: 10 tips to improve interview performance (/career-advice/article/Boost-Your-Interview-IQ)
Behavioral interview question and answer tips (/career-advice/article/You-Can-Survive-the-Behavioral-Interview)
Keep Your Guard Up at the Interview (/career-advice/article/Keep-Your-Guard-Up-at-the-Interview)
Your Turn to Ask Questions (/career-advice/article/Your-Turn-to-Ask-Questions)

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