Interviewing for your Dream Job

There are a variety of reasons people find themselves in the job market. Companies are sold. Downsizing happens. A career change may be in your future, or perhaps you just graduated from a degree program. Whatever the reason, when you are in the market for a new job, you need to prepare yourself to be the most desirable candidate interviewed.

 

Start with a good Resume

Let’s assume you have an excellent resume. You know it is targeted to the job or industry in question, you have scrupulously edited it for spelling, grammar, subject and verb agreement, and it looks like a model from the best resume book you’ve ever seen. Seriously, this article focuses on having an excellent interview with a hiring organization, not on constructing the perfect resume, as important as that is. So we’re going to make the assumption that you have the resume that will get you in the door. Let’s concentrate on what happens next.

 

Preparing for the Interview

Most people going to an appointment to be interviewed are nervous and even apprehensive. But did you know that most people doing the interviewing are also feeling that way? Not many people are skilled interviewers, but they know they will make hiring decisions based at least in part on those interviews. They don’t want to hire the wrong person. They don’t want to hire a problem, and they don’t want to be going through the time-consuming process of locating qualified candidates and interviewing them in a short period of time---because the first hiring decision they made was a flawed one. So the people sitting across the table from you are just as anxious as you are for you to be the right person to hire. Your job is to help them understand that you are that right person.

 

Understand the Company and Job Position Background

Most companies address work-place or job competencies when they write a position description for a job they need to fill. Competencies are the characteristics and skill-sets the ideal candidate possesses. And this is great news for you, the job candidate! Carefully read the job posting. Then do your homework. Is this a company just moving to a new area of the country or entering a new market segment? Is it the most established firm of its type in the state? Is it expanding, pulling in, outsourcing, downsizing, or selling off assets? I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to do your research and really know the background and potential future of this company. Write out several questions you want to know the answers to before you commit to putting your livelihood into the hands of that company’s management team.

 

Demonstrate your Company Knowledge

This kind of research does two equally important things for you as a job candidate. First, it lets you know if there is a reasonable fit between what you are looking for and what this company has to offer. It’s not likely they will change for you. You need to determine how well you fit with them.

 

Secondly, you need to convince your interviewers you are the candidate they seek. You do this by showing them how you can meet all their expectations as expressed in their job posting. You have the knowledge to ask intelligent questions about their business. You are aware of how the price of raw materials is squeezing their bottom line. You know about the pending labor situation in their largest plant. In other words, you convince them that you are a credible, responsible person who has taken the time to research their company because you seriously want to demonstrate your potential value to them as a new employee.

 

Go to Part 2: Interviewing for your Dream Job

 

 

 

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