Interview Information:

During the Interview

DURING THE INTERVIEW

Be yourself. Present yourself in an honest and sincere manner.
Be self-confident but not conceited.
Maintain a pleasant, friendly, and courteous demeanor.
Know the name of the interviewer. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification on the pronunciation when being introduced. Ask for a business card.
Express your thoughts clearly.
Answer the questions that are asked of you. If you do not understand a particular question, ask for clarification.
Avoid slang and “yes” and “no” responses. The interviewer needs more on which to base a judgment of your skills and interests.

HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF: A POSITIVE APPROACH
A. Although qualifications are very important, the hiring decision is based more on interview
performance and chemistry. Following are a few suggestions on how to create that
chemistry.

Smile
Nod your head
Make eye contact
Sit up straight, but not rigid
Lean forward
Show enthusiasm and interest in the position and company

B. No matter how good you are, or how great the demand for your type of experience, you must
sell your assets to the employer. You must do this on your own during the interview. You
must approach the interview and the entire process with a positive attitude. Do not be
arrogant, nor too hard to get. Never undersell. Always speak and think in positive terms.

C. Remember, the most qualified candidate doesn’t always get the job offer. But, an employer
always hires an enthusiastic candidate!

D. Offers of employment are extended to candidates for many reasons, but the decision is based,
to a large extent, upon how the candidate interviews.

E. The candidate who interviews well gets many job offers. Some people with average abilities
can change jobs easily because they interview well. The quiet candidate for whom every
word must be tediously extracted, the over-confident braggart who exaggerates their
experience, or the candidate who has established a minimum salary objective which
represents an outrageous increase, are all examples of the type of candidate who will receive
more negative replies than offers.

F. The entire concept of job hunting revolves around the ability to sell. You must recognize
that in job hunting and interviewing, you must be a “salesperson”.

G. Approach each interview with a limited objective, to get an offer. Rather than deciding if
you want to work for a company on the basis of the appearance of the building, the
individuals you meet, and/or the information you receive about the specific assignment,
decide in advance only that you alone want to make the final decision. To do so, you must
approach each interview with but one thought in mind—GET AN OFFER. Since offers are
extended to those candidates who appear to be the most qualified, you must emphasize your
good points and eliminate or avoid discussion of negatives. Without lying, you must answer
all questions with whatever positive comments you can make. Every time you answer a
question with the word “no”, you decrease your chances of an offer. Therefore; even if your
experience is quite limited in a particular area, it would be better to respond with a comment
about what it is you know, rather than any reference to what you don’t know.