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Check… Check…Check. You’re ready for the interview.

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Unemployed? Don't celebrate your interview. You need to prepare to get the job.Finally it happened.  The results all unemployed people long for. A recruiter answered what seemed like your 100th resume.   You passed the phone screen with flying colors and they have invited you in for an interview.  You may be thinking it’s time to go out and celebrate. Your charm and charisma almost guarantee the job is yours.   Getting in the door was the hard part. This could be the end to your unemployment. Your job search is over.
 
Not so fast…   
 
You are correct that getting in the door was the hard part. Your resume obviously worked.   Now it’s time for you to take over and finish the job but you need to be prepared. The more prepared you are for the interview the better chance you have of landing the job and ending your unemployment. The goal of every unemployed person is to turn an interview into a discussion instead of a Q&A session.   The more you understand about the company, the industry and the competition, the more equipped you are to discuss relevant topics with the interviewer. Do you want to be back on the job search next week? If not, you need to prepare.
 
Let’s start easy…
 
1)      Have your resumes ready to go. You should be tailoring your resume for each company so make sure it’s the right version.  Bring 10 copies just in case.
 
2)      Make sure you know the interview location. Don’t get lost and don’t be late. You may even want to drive to the location a few days prior to the interview. Drive around the interview time to make sure you are familiar with the traffic at that time of the day.
 
Now we’re getting warmed up…
 
3)      Review your interview answers. You know a lot of the standard interview questions. You don’t want to memorize answers but you should be prepared by reviewing your answers prior to the interview.
  • You can get a resource to help you study answers. Here is one sample e-book series which can help.
  •  I’m Unemployed also have a list of interview questions and answers. It’s a rough draft and work in progress so please give us your feedback.
 
4)      Closely analyze the job requirements and how you meet it.  
  • Write down each job requirement and an example of how you meet that requirement. List specifics which demonstrate your excellence in this area.
  • Brainstorm additional interview questions based on the job requirements.
 
These will take a little time (luckily since you are unemployed you have the time)…
 
5)       Study the company.   You would be shocked at how many candidates show up at an interview with only a superficial understanding of the company. When that happens they leave the interview as unemployed as when they arrive.
  • Thoroughly go through the company’s website. 
  • Read the press releases. 
  • Read their most recent annual report. 
 
6)      Learn about how the company operates. You want to gain an understanding of the Unemployed? A simple interview preparation checklist can help end your unemployment.company culture. This can give you a leg up when compared to other candidates who are surprised in the interview.
  • A membership at Vault.com can be very useful for learning about how a company works. With a membership you can get insider information on thousands of companies. What it’s like to work for those companies, salary information, and what type of people they are looking for.
  • Search LinkedIn for people who are current or former employees of the company. If they are in your direct or extended network you might be able to garner some useful information.
 
7)      Identify industry trends and competitors. You should understand any trends occurring within the company’s industry. Is the industry growing or shrinking? Do they have a lot of competition? Is the competition aggressively marketing and selling?   
  • Identify industry specific websites or trade journals. These industry journals typically contain articles, advertisements, and marketing which can be every insightful.
  • Use your favorite search engine to look for products of the competition. The competitors should be immediately visible. Study their offers and marketing messages.
  • Take time to review the competitors’ websites. How do their products and service offerings compare to the company you are targeting?
8)      Study the interview team. If you are given an interview schedule you will have the names of the interview team. This is a great advantage because you will be able to research the team members. How long have they been with the company? Have they spent their entire careers in this industry?
  • Research them on LinkedIn. Look at their profile, their former jobs, their career progression.  
  • Do a general web search on them. Can you find a personal blog or website? A twitter profile? What does that tell you about them?
 
9)      Write down a set of questions you have for the company. They will ask you if you have questions and you don’t want to draw a blank.   At this point all of your research should reveal countless questions.
 
Did I miss something?  Can you add something to the list?

Tags: HowTo | Interviewing | PersonalBrand

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Comments (9)

If it's an all-day interview, don't forget to bring water and snacks. If you're hungry or thirsty, you might not perform as well! And if you're scheduled for a lunch interview, don't expect to eat. You're trying to get a job offer, so you'll probably do more talking than eating.
Seattle Interview Coach , June 18, 2009 | url
Don't forget your Thank You letter.
Joyce , June 19, 2009
hey, experienced this thrill number of times already.. LOL!
i can relate but don't you think 10 resumes is too much? smilies/cheesy.gif
John26 , June 21, 2009
yeah Thank You Letter works best for most people who get the job or even those who didn't.. this is just a way to express your gratitude to the company for giving you chances..
Peter , June 21, 2009
what if i can't find any means to know the interview team? how will i know those are the people who will interview me? how well i apply this tip then.. just curious.. but thanks for the post though..
James S. , June 21, 2009
@Joyce: Excellent point. We didn't cover post interview activities. We should have.

@John26: Interesting point. We thought a little about this one. It's better to have too many than not enough. Also, I used to conduct a series of panel interviews. The candidate would meet at least 10 people.

@James S: You are correct. If you don't know the interview team you can't do much to prepare for them. If the company doesn't expose a schedule you might be able to get one from the recruiter (if one is involved).
LarryD , June 21, 2009 | url
Congratulations! You have an interview. First impressions are VERY important.
lil'kim , July 02, 2009
if I could answer the question 'tell me about yourself' then I could say I am definitely ready for the final interview
Mike , July 05, 2009
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