Career Placement Part 4 - Interviewing

Earlier I talked about resumes (part 1) being your first marketing tool - your paper introduction of yourself to a potential employer. You now have snagged an interview because you have a great resume. That face-to-face meeting is the second way you sell yourself . This is your time to persuade an employer that you have the needed qualifications, background and ability to be a successful employee. The interviewer also wants to ensure that your personality will be an appropriate fit for the organization. While you must be qualified for the position, the interviewer is also measuring your interpersonal and communication skills and confidence. Preparation is key. Listed are a few tips about interviewing styles, what to expect, how to prepare. You have one chance to make an impression so you want to be at your best.

Most Common Interview Types

Phone Interview - Common. Companies may attract many applicants and will use the phone to screen to determine face-to-face interview candidates. Treat phone interviews seriously. Make sure there are no distractions and have your resume in front of you. Usually the phone interview will be pre-scheduled so make sure that you set a date and time that allows you to be at your best.

Tip: If you receive a call to do the phone interview now and it is not a good time for you, tell the interviewer it is not and schedule a time. Don't end the call without it.

Behavioral Interview - Most common type of interviewing. This is a technique that focuses on demonstrated behaviors as the best evidence of future performance. The questions are open-ended and are asked to see how you have acted in previous situations. Example, "tell me about a time that you had a difficult customer and how did you handle the situation?"

Tag-Team Interview - You are interviewed by a group of individuals from the company. They usually alternate in asking questions. This interviewing method is often attractive for companies that rely on team cooperation.