You’ve been sending cover letters after cover letters and résumés after résumés and finally the telephone rings or you get an e-mail asking you to come in for an interview. Well pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself! But don’t start dreaming about how you are going to spend your new salary or about how you are going to show off your new job, because you’ve got a lot of work to do BEFORE all that. You still have to face the ‘Interview’!

 

So now let’s get onto figuring how you can market yourself to a prospective employer on this first meeting!

 

1. Homework to be done

 

Doing some research about the company before you go to the interview can help you show off your knowledge during the interview. This will make the interviewer feel good about you. 

 

2. Know the place

 

Make sure you know where you are heading and where the office is and how to get there. Get an idea of how long it will take to get there and don’t forget to get the name and phone number of the person you are supposed to meet. 

 

3. Look PROFESSIONAL

 

Look your absolute best on the day of the interview; neat clothing, well ironed and professional looking. Get a haircut if necessary and have clean well groomed nails too. 

 

4. Have pre-prepared answers

 

Have answers to common questions ready on hand. They could be for questions like: Tell me a bit about yourself? What do you think are your positives and negatives? Why did you choose us? Why do you think we should hire you? and so on…You could even ask a friend to come over and pretend to interview you. 

 

5. Ready up those references

 

Find at least two to three people who could be your former boss, colleagues, instructors or even teachers who would put in a good word to your prospective employer. Get their permission before hand and be SURE that they won’t speak ill of you. 

 

6. Come EARLY!

 

Come into the interview at least 15 minutes before your given time. Go to the restroom and do a double-check on your appearance. 

 

7. Bring in the needed papers

 

The night or day before the interview make a checklist of documents that you need to take with you and put them in a good looking file cover or in a small briefcase. Some hints - extra copies of your résumé, your driver’s license, educational certificates, certificates of professional experience.

 

8. Follow up!

 

As a post-interview procedure, it’d be great if you sent a handwritten note or a friendly email thanking the interviewer for the opportunity. If you don’t get any new news after a week, you can always ring up and politely ask when the final decision will come in. 

Just remember that every interview is a great learning experience and even if you don’t get the upcoming job, you’ll be a step ahead for the next interview…Good luck!