Face to Face Interviews
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Think of an interview as a highly focused professional conversation. Use the limited amount of time you have to learn about the employer's needs and discuss the ways you can contribute to meeting them. In many cases you will interview at least twice before being hired for a position, once in a brief screening interview and at least once again in a visit in which you speak with many of the people you will be working with.
Be prepared
Know as much about the position, organization, and interview as you can.
Ask for a copy of the annual report and job description prior to the interview. This is an entirely appropriate request; so don't hesitate to make it. Ask colleagues, friends, and faculty about the organization. Use library resources, both at Career Planning and Placement and in SVSU's library system. Look at the organization's home page. The more you know, the more focused your answers will be. When the interview is scheduled, find out what to expect during it. How long will you be there? Will you talk to just one person or to several? If the employer has offered to reimburse travel expenses, this is the time to clarify the arrangements.
Be prepared to make life easy for your interviewer by volunteering relevant information about yourself. Know yourself and think about how you want to present what you know. Think about how you want to present your strengths, experience, education, work style, skills, and goals. Be prepared to give honest answers, and to make them memorable by giving examples which support the general statements you make. Review your resume critically and try to identify the areas that an employer might view as limitations without apologizing for deficiencies. Think about how you can answer difficult questions accurately, positively, and briefly.
Be prompt and professional
Arrive early. If you don't know where the organization is located, call for directions ahead of time. Anticipate traffic, parking problems and general unforeseen difficulties. If you know you are going to be late be sure to call and let someone know. To be more comfortable, you should arrive approximately 10 minutes early. Allow yourself the time to read your resume one more time, to catch your breath, to hang up your coat and get into the right mind set for the interview.
Dress appropriately in clothes in which you are comfortable and feel you look your best. A suit is standard attire for interviewing in a business environment. For a very informal environment, you might substitute a jacket and slacks/skirt. Do a little research before selecting your outfit for an interview. Know the dress code and expectations of the specific industry and company, if possible. (It is acceptable to ask someone in personnel for this information.) Ask someone who will give you an honest opinion to give your attire a once-over before the interview, to be sure you haven’t missed something.
Be honest
Let an employer get to know you. Avoid dissembling. You want to be sure that you and the employer know what each of you are getting into if you are hired.
Be positive
Never say anything negative about past experiences, employers, or courses and professors. Employers may tend to generalize; for instance they may assume that if you didn't like "x", you are a negative person and won't like them or their company. Figure out what was positive about an experience and talk about that.
Demonstrate interest and be enthusiastic
If you are genuinely interested in the job, let the interviewer know that.You can achieve that by doing research on the organization prior to the interview. It can also come across by asking questions during the interview about the job, the organization and its services and products. When asking questions, be sure that the answers will give you information that you don't already have (or should have) and that the questions are genuinely of interest to you. Be responsive to what has gone on in the interview. If you have listened well, you should be able to come up with thoughtful questions that impress the interviewer. You may want to prepare a few questions in advance, but an insightful comment based on your conversation can make an even stronger statement.
Save discussion of salary for later
Learn as much as you can before the interview about prevailing salary levels for the type of position you are seeking. Don't bring up the issue of salary during the first interview. If the interviewer brings it up, ask what is the anticipated salary range for the position, then give only a general answer, such as that your expectations seem to be within their range, or close to their range.
At the end of an interview, it is appropriate for you to ask when you may expect to hear from the employer if that information isn't volunteered to you. If, for example, you are told the employer hopes to make a decision within two weeks, it's entirely appropriate for you to call after 3 to reiterate your interest in the position.
Follow up
Always write a thank-you letter within 48 hours after an interview. Even if you did not enjoy the interview (or the interviewer), and/or you are not interested in the position, it is important to say thank you for the time the interviewer spent with you. The letter can certainly be brief. What is important is that you write it promptly.
Practice
Interviewing well is a skill that, like any other, improves with practice. Practice can make a huge difference in your confidence and ease in fielding difficult questions. Career Planning and Placement staff can provide you with a "mock interview" to sharpen your skills and provide you with feedback.