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rhe Spelman Spotlight 2
Lifestyle
Twenty Pointers to a Better Interview
Chaz Kyser
Contributing Writer
You only get one chance to convince an
employer to hire you. Avoid playing the
“woulda, coulda, shoulda” game by following
these 20 interviewing rules on all of your
interviews.
1. Arrive Ahead of Time: Get good
directions and plan to arrive at the place you’re
being interviewed at least 20 minutes early so
you won’t be 20 minutes late.
2. Give Your Appearance a Double Check:
Take time to straighten yourself up before
greeting the interviewer. Check your clothes,
hair, make-up, breath and odor.
3. Be Cordial to Everyone You Meet at
the Company: Briefly greet and be nice to
everyone at the company because you never
know just who has a say in your hiring.
4. Make a Good First Impression: Consider
it showtime when employers first spot you.
From that very moment they are sizing you up.
Try to feel their vibe so you can make them feel
at ease with you before the interview begins.
5. Be Respectful of the Employer: Don’t
forget whom you’re talking to. Greet the
people interviewing you with their last name
until they tell you otherwise. Leave the slang
at home and turn the cell phone or pager off—
not on vibrate.
6. Watch Your Body Language: Your
demeanor should exude confidence and
enthusiasm, which can be shown in various
ways, including a firm handshake, eye-to-eye
contact, good posture, and a sincere smile.
Definite don’ts include excessive note-taking,
watching the clock, fiddling your hands or feet,
and looking at everything else in the room but
the interviewer while talking.
7. Have Extra Copies of Your Resume: You
may be required to interview with more than
one person. Being able to hand them a crisp
resume demonstrates your professionalism
and thoughtfulness.
8. Listen Thoughtfully to All Questions
and Think Before You Speak: Always make
sure you understand a question before you
go about answering it. People can tell when
you’re running off at the mouth while trying
to remember what you were asked. Ask for
clarification if you don’t completely understand
a question.
9. Answer Questions Completely: Try not
to give simple yes or no answers. One of your
goals is to show how well you communicate
with others.
10. Stress the Skills You Can Offer the
Company: Know the exact skills an employer
is looking for and stress that you have these
skills and enjoy using them. Also talk about
any other skills you have that are not required
for your position, but that you feel will make
you more attractive to an employer.
11. Stress Your Ability To Learn New Skills
Fast: If there’s a skill you lack that an employer
asks about then stress your ability to quickly
learn that skill, possibly giving examples of
how you’ve learned fast in other situations.
12. Stress Your Positive Personality:
Communicate with the interviewer how easy
you are to work with, how positive you are, and
how you’re so very flexible, ect. The employer
is looking for someone who current employees
will get along with.
13. Talk With Pride About Your
Accomplishments: Most employers believe
that past performance is the best indicator
of future performance. Make them realize
how valuable you are by talking about
accomplishments you’re proud of.
14. Be Prepared for Tough Questions:
While most interview questions are to be
expected, some interviewers may surprise you
with a curve ball. An employer knows when
they’ve asked a hard question and probably
just wants to see how you’ll react. Impress
them. When asked a question that makes you
say “hmmmm,” stay calm, take time to think
of a good response, and try your best to answer
the question as if it didn’t faze you.
15. Tell Them Why You Want The
Job: Don’t let the interview come to an end
without telling the person interviewing you
why you want the job and what it is that you
like so much about the position. This further
demonstrates your enthusiasm and that you
aren’t just applying for the paycheck.
16. Have Any Work Samples Ready To
Show: Be ready to whip out work samples
you’ve brought for the employer to review.
Don’t let the interview end without showing
the employer your work samples, even if he or
she didn’t ask to see them.
17. Give Examples of How You’ve Handled
Tough or Sticky Situations: Show the
employer that you can handle any job and how
resourceful you are by relating stories of how
you’ve handled sticky situations very well.
18. Don’t Undermine Yourself: Never
talk negatively about yourself or talk about
what you can’t or won’t do, no matter how
insignificant you think what you’re saying is.
19. Don’t Badmouth Anyone: Never
badmouth a past employer or your former co
workers no matter how comfortable you feel
while talking to someone interviewing you.
20. Leave a Great Lasting Impression:
No matter how good or bad you think the
interview went, the show isn’t over until you’re
out of the employer’s sight. Be as cordial and
enthusiastic at the end of the interview as you
were at the beginning. Communicate with the
employer that you are genuinely interested in
the position and that you’d very much like to
work for the company. Make sure you shake
the hand of everyone you’ve interviewed
with. Take time to tell them how much you
appreciate being interviewed, to find out when
you should hear from them, and to wish them
a great day.
Chaz Kyser is the author of “Embracing the
Real World: The Black Womans Guide to Life
After College” ($14.99). Purchase the book online
at www.embracingtherealworld. com.
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