Secrets, Tricks and Tips in Face-to-Face Interviews

Here are some tips, tricks and secrets that may help:

Research the industry, the company and the players.

• Find out everything you can about the place, their business, their products, their position in their industry, their reputation, their competition, their financial stability and the key decision-makers who work there. 
• Study the company’s website, take notes and jot down questions related to their business that you can ask at the end of your interview. 

Research your interviewer

• Find out everything you can about the person that will be interviewing you. 
• Try to find a bio on the company’s website. 
• See if there is a bio of your interviewer in the personnel listed on the professional business databases mentioned above. 
• Do a Google Search on their name and see what comes up. Look their name up on LinkedIn and check out their profile there. 
• Prepare brief stories about your past accomplishments and experiences that illustrate how you provided value to your past employers and by inference, how you would bring similar value to a new company. 
• Be ready to tell your stories and demonstrate with details how you fit each and every requirement they listed. 
• Try to work those stories into your conversation in a natural way during your interview.
• Print out and bring a few copies of your résumé with you.

Dress for Success.

• Jacket & tie or a suit for men, conservative business suit for women, no flashy jewelry  & absolutely NO perfume or cologne!) 
• Pay attention to grooming and personal hygiene (hair, nails, breath, etc.) 

Be on time – not too early, and NEVER late!

• Make sure you know exactly where you are going. 
• Verify the exact address and location that you are to meet your interviewer. 
• NEVER be late! But, also do not show up more than 5-10 minutes early. (That is disrespectful to the interviewer, and actually shows desperation.) 
• If you do arrive too early, sit in your car and re-read the job description and gather your thoughts. Don’t go in until it’s close to your appointment time. 
• On the other hand, if you do find yourself running late due to unexpected circumstances (severe weather, traffic problems, etc.) make sure you have a phone number with you that you can call to alert your interviewer about your delay. 

Have a Firm Handshake.

• How you shake hands says volumes about your personality
• Practice on someone you trust if needed. You want it to be firm, but not so tight that it feels like you are trying to break bones! 

Smile!

• Remember to speak clearly, and try to convey enthusiasm and energy through your tone of voice. Smiling helps (really, it does!) Smile as much as possible during the conversation. 
• Try it, you actually sound very different when you talk through a smile.

Make Eye Contact.

• Make sure you make eye contact with your interviewer. 
• It’s OK if you have to refer to notes, or read something 
• Be conscious of where your eyes are focusing, and meet your interviewers eyes as much as possible (without going overboard by staring!)

Pay attention to your posture.

• Sit up straight in your chair
• Do not slouch or lean back. From time to time, a good trick is to lean forward towards the interviewer. 
• When speaking, leaning forward transmits the message that you want to emphasize your point. 
• When listening, leaning forward transmits the message that you are fully engaged in active listening. Also, don’t chew gum!
• Mirroring the vocal cadence and body language of the interviewer.

Use the “Nuggets” technique to establish rapport.
“Nuggets” are all those little things that you can pick out about a person or a company that you can make a positive comment about, compliment a person on, and use to connect on a personal level with the person you are talking with.

Projecting a Positive Attitude is a critical key.
Concentrate on projecting positive energy and enthusiasm.
Try to express passion for your work, a sense of humor, and a genuine aura of optimism.

Questions: Tell me about yourself.”

•  Answering that is pretty basic, and also fairly critical, not the message you want to give! Also, don’t give an autobiography of your entire life 
•  Keep your answer focused on your professional profile as it relates to this job and this company. 
• Be prepared to give an expanded version of your “Elevator Pitch” in which you give an overview of your most recent and most relevant career experiences, and your professional goals. 
•  Remember to use your prepared stories if you can. 
• However, don’t let this answer go on too long (under 5 minutes)

Be a good listener, and never interrupt.

• Any good interview is a 2-way exchange of information.
• Let the interviewer talk and lead the discussion without interrupting. 
• Listen carefully, and then give thoughtful answers. 
• Answer questions directly and completely, but try not to go off on tangents or “over-talk” your answers. 
• It’s better to give a brief answer, a
• While talking, pay attention to the body language of your interviewer and watch for signs of boredom – fidgeting, looking at their watch, etc. – and cut yourself off if you see them. 
• Don’t bring up salary or benefits

Prepare a list of questions you can ask.

•  Some suggested ideas for general questions are: “How long have you been with the company, and what do you like about it?”
•  “How would you describe the company culture here?” 
• “What characteristics have made your best employees successful here?” 

At the end of the interview, clarify the next steps.

• If you are interested in this job, make sure to say so! (“I just want to let you know that I am very interested in this opportunity, and hope we can move forward. What is the next step?”)
•  Don’t leave without determining what the expectations are for the next steps, and how and when YOU should follow-up. 
• Ask what their timetable is for hiring, and how their hiring process works. 
• Also make sure you get a business card with the email address and phone number of your interviewer, and send them a thank-you email that same day.
•  If you met with more than one person, get everyone’s cards and do the same with them. 
• Then immediately make a note on your calendar of when your pro-active follow-up call will be if you don’t hear back from them first. 
• If you really want this job, don’t just sit back wait for them to make the next move. You have to go after it!