INTERVIEWING SKILLS

“Finding a job is a job”

PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW

1. STUDY THE JOB DESCRIPTION

Know the meaning of all of the technical terms and acronyms in the job description. Look them
up, if necessary. Find out as much as you can about which technologies they are using.
2. RESEARCH
Go online and find out everything you can about the company. Try to find out who will be
conducting the interview.
a. Know what the company does. What are their products? Who are their competitors?
What makes them unique? What do they pride themselves on?
b. Know what’s currently going on at the company: new products and/or press releases.
3. REHEARSE
a. Visualize your interview and prepare answers for common interview questions.
b. Be prepared to talk about your strengths and weaknesses.
c. PRACTICE! The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be. A mock interview
is best if you can arrange to participate in one.
4. REVIEW
Review the knowledge or skills you have listed on your resume. Some interviewers will
concentrate on the items that you have listed, so be prepared.
5. APPEARANCE
a. A suit is best for both males and females. Wear a tailored shirt (men wear a tie.)
Females can wear a skirt (not too short or tight) or tailored pants. All clothing should be
professional business attire—not revealing or tight.
b. Get a haircut. Take out nose rings or other piercings. Women may wear one set of small
professional earrings.
c. Watch your breath. (Brush your teeth—avoid spicy foods, coffee, etc.)
d. Go light on perfume/cologne (or don’t wear any).
e. Good posture.
f. Shoes should be clean, polished, and in good condition. No sandals or extremely high
heels. Keep it conservative and make sure that you have worn new shoes a few times to
break them in.
6. BE EARLY!!!! (Early is “on time” and “on time” is late.)
a. There is NO excuse for being late, except a legitimate emergency. Allow time for traffic
—“caught in traffic” is not an excuse for being late.
b. The same goes for being too early. If you arrive a half hour early to an interview, great,
but don’t check in or announce your presence until about fifteen minutes prior to your
scheduled time (unless the employer asked you otherwise).
7. PREPARE YOUR PORTFOLIO
a. Obtain a professional-looking binder or attaché (no backpack) and bring an ink pen.
b. Print multiple copies of your resume, to be ready to hand to the interviewers. Say “I
know you probably have this, but here is an extra copy of my resume.”
c. Print out important items about the company from their web page, and put them in the
attaché. It doesn’t hurt for the interviewer(s) too see that you have done your
homework.
d. Put business cards that are handed to you in your binder. DO NOT LOSE THEM!
e. If you have a frivolous email address (such as topdoggie@gmail.com, or
studmuffin@comcast.net) create a new email that contains your name, e.g.
JohnHarper@gmail.com. Use this email for your professional correspondence.
f. Remove any potentially embarrassing content from Facebook and other social media
sites. Google yourself and see if there are other items you need to remove.
g. Join Linked In, an online network for professionals and business people, and set up a
profile.
h. Most potential employers will run a credit check before they hire you, so try not to run
up your credit cards if possible.
8. ATTITUDE
a. Do your favorite activity the day before your interview. If you like to fish, try to go
fishing. It will put you in a happy mood for the interview.

DURING THE INTERVIEW

1. SHOW ENTHUSIASM
a. Enthusiasm is extremely important. Enthusiasm about the company, about the
possibility of being hired, and enthusiasm concerning technologies that the company is
using. (It can be subtle enthusiasm—doesn’t have to be bubbly or over-the-top.)
b. Be confident but not cocky.
c. Don’t be silly or a jokester, but try to be pleasant.
2. GIVE IT 100%
a. Always perform your best at an interview; even if you aren’t sure you want the job. This
may be the job that you end up getting.
b. You can rarely overcome a poor first impression.
3. INTRODUCE YOURSELF
a. Good firm handshake. Look interviewer in the eye (but don’t stare.)
b. Smile and introduce yourself.
c. Call the interviewer however s/he introduced him or herself.
d. Say “You probably already have this, but I brought an extra copy for you” and then hand
each interviewer a copy of your resume.
4. OTHER
a. Always be honest. You can try to phrase something in a better light, but do NOT tell a
lie. If you are asked about something you have never heard of, be honest about it.
However, you could offer to look it up tonight and get back to them tomorrow with an
answer.
b. Talk to the interviewer. Don’t look at your hands or look around the room.
c. LISTEN!!! LISTEN!!!
 d. It’s OK to jot down a few notes. But don’t continually write.
e. Turn off your cell phone during the interview.

POSSIBLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Tell me about yourself.
You use this opportunity to really sell yourself. Make sure you mention the following 4
things, in any order:
(1) Your education
(2) Your experience that is related to the job for which you are interviewing. If you do
not have work experience, tell about club, organization or community work
(3) Accomplishments
(4) Any other relevant information
2. Why do you want this job? Why should we hire you?
3. What are your strengths?
4. What is your weakness? (This one is always good: “I don’t have a lot of experience in the ITEC
field, it’s mostly academic preparation (book learning)”)
5. What interests you most about this position?
6. Tell me about a difficult situation or something you failed at, and how you handled it.
7. Describe a leadership experience.
8. Tell me what you know about our company.
9. What kind of person would you like to work for?
10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A good answer is: “I can see myself at this company, in a more senior position. I would like to
have opportunity to advance within this company.” Nobody wants to hear that you are only
going to stay at this job a few years and then move on.

Another note: Never answer a question just “yes” or “no”. Always explain or elaborate just a
little, but don’t go ON AND ON.

Be prepared for some technical questions: You might be asked about something mentioned in
the job description. If the job description mentions SQL, brush up on writing a few SQL queries,
for example.

STORIES
Prepare 3 to 5 stories so when you are asked a question by interviewer, you can give examples. (Story
related to (STAR) as below done by any experience like class work, at job, or in your life)

S: Situation: The situation arise and we did plan

T: Task: Design the task to finish goal

A: Action: Took action to achieve goal.

R: Result: The result get good or bad describe it

SALARY AND BENEFITS
1. You should not bring up the discussion about salary and benefits. The interview is one step
in the employment process and you don’t have the job yet.
2. If in a subsequent interview, if an interviewer asks you about what salary you would require,
your answer can be:
a. If you have researched the salary for this particular job, you can say “I believe that
the industry standard for this job is between $___ and $____.” This
b. If you don’t know the salary range, you can say “If I am offered this position, I’m sure
you will make a fair and competitive offer.” If they ask again, repeat “I’m open to
discuss it, but I’m sure that you will make a fair and competitive offer.” Try not give a
number because you do not want to give a number that is too low.

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ASK

1. What will make a person successful at this job?

(NOTE: Listen to the answer VERY CAREFULLY. Write down the key words and phrases that
the interviewer tells you. This is valuable information you will use later.)
2. What would a typical day be like for me at this company?
3. What technologies/platforms/languages would I be using in this job?
4. How would you describe the company culture?
5. What are the next steps in this interview process? In other words, what do I need to do in
order to secure this position? You want to get a clear idea of what you have to provide or
deliver, and what they will provide or deliver, and a definite timeline for this.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before leaving the interview, make sure you have the interviewer’s contact
information, and the NEXT STEPS.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

1. Thank the interviewer(s) for their time, and say it was a pleasure to talk to them today. SMILE and
shake hands again.
2. After you leave the interview room, take a few minutes to jot down notes and your impression of the
company.
 Write down the names and titles of all the interviewers.
 Record your impressions, both positive and negative. You’re evaluating the company
just as much as they are evaluating you. Did the job description match your abilities and
interests? Did it seem like a good place to work?
 Write down the next steps and timelines. DO THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. (Before
drinking a beer or glass of wine.)
3. Write an individual thank-you note(or email) to every interviewer(s). Try to tailor the thank you
note to the individual. Use the information you received by LISTENING during the interview. Speedy
follow-up is necessary to make a good impression. Some hiring decisions are made quickly, so it is
 smart to send thank-you’s right away. (within 24 hours is best, but at least by 2 business days.) The
thank you should include:
 Thank you for giving an opportunity for interview.
 If you forget to tell something on interview and related to job mention it.
 Please continue to consider me…
 Sincerely put your name and contact information.

4. If you haven’t heard from the company within the timeline that the interviewer specified, contact
the interviewer(s) with a friendly email to check on the status.