INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Go in Relaxed

In preparation- you must try to do everything in your power to prepare yourself so when the
day of the interview arrives you go in confident and most importantly relaxed. This is key.
You don´t want to be too uptight because it will be detrimental to projecting yourself
positively to the interviewer.

Do your Research

Research the company and the industry. Make sure you know about the position you are
applying for- what the company is all about as well as the success of the company. You can
research this at a library through newspaper clippings or finding the Annual Report. The
annual report is actually a very good means of learning about the company and its executive.
You will be able to see its structure, services, growth, its forecasted growth as well as all its
financial information. You might also be able to find a lot of this information on the internet.
Go to the company´s website and do a search from there.

What is the Company's Interview Style

You might also want to find out as much as possible about the interview methods of the
company or organization. Is it a one on one interview. Are you being interviewed by a panel?
Are there other candidates in the room with you?- You might also want to try and find out if it
is a one on one interview who it is that is interviewing. Knowing their name and proper
pronunciation of it is key. Know what position they hold within the company.

Learn from your Peers

If you are interviewing for a position in an industry that comes to recruit on campus every
year (i.e. Investment Banking, Management Consulting), ask your peers who might of
interviewed with them the preceding year, to give you their honest appraisal of the interview
as well tips on what they were looking for. It is unlikely that from one year to the next the
interview style would change dramatically. This way you can have a feel of what to expect.

Practice Makes Perfect

You can prepare yourself with practice questions- give yourself a mock interview. Practice
until you are at ease with what flows out of your mouth. You do not want to sound too
rehearsed but you want the answers to flow smoothly and confidently when asked. Be able to
answer about what skills you can bring in to the company.

Line up a Few Questions for Them

At the end of the interview you will certainly have questions to ask the interviewer. Make sure
to have these questions thought out in advance so that you sound on the ball when asking
them. By having questions, it shows the interviewer(s) that you are sincerely interested in the
job and in the company. Yet be careful- ask general questions about the company´s thoughts
of expansion, or the long term goals of the company, or how they see the department evolving
in the next few years. Try and stay away from questions about salary, or benefits. This will all
come up in due time during final round interviewing or when an offer is made. You do not
want to jump the gun.
INTERVIEW PRESENTATION
That first initial contact during the interview is crucial. Although few words may be
exchanged, a rapport develops- You want that rapport to be as positive as possible. Here are
some tips that will help you to be as presentable as possible during the interview.

Punctuality is Essential

This is fundamentally important- Be absolutely punctual for your interview. Be on the safe
side and leave early. You never know when an accident on the road may occur, or when the
subway inconveniently has mechanical problems. You cannot make an excuse if you are late.
So leave an extra 15 minutes early so that you have a couple of minutes to compose yourself
in the waiting room and go in relaxed. Even if you arrive on location half an hour early, grab a
coffee, walk around and relax. You would like to enter the office and reception area
approximately 10 minutes early.

Dress for the Job

Attire for an interview is important. Dress for the job. If you are interviewing at a tattoo
parlor- you are aware that a suit is not necessary. If you are, however, interviewing in the
financial world, dress conservatively. Even if it is for an industry such as advertising, where
they are more relaxed about the dress code- go in for your interview in proper, suitable attire.
You will never be penalized for overdressing (no bowtie or prom dress though). Just be well
groomed. A proper and neat appearance for an interview is essential.

Know all the Facts

Make sure you know the proper name of the interviewer and its pronunciation. You do not
want to embarrass yourself by mispronouncing it during the interview. If you have to, call up
the company a few days ahead for them to spell the person´s name and ask them for the
proper pronunciation.
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need. TEMA is one of the leading specialists in the field.

No Limp Handshake

As useless as this may sound- have a firm handshake. Many people´s impression of others is
grounded on that first initial handshake. A limp loose handshake is not liked. Do not break
their hand with brute force, but a good solid handshake says a lot about a person.

Eye Contact is Key

Eye contact during the interview is fundamental. People with shifty eyes who look
everywhere but at the person puts people on edge and may make them uncomfortable. Proper
eye contact is just a sign of respect that you are paying attention to them and you are
interested in the conversation or topic at hand. Make sure if your interview is in front of a
panel of people to address all of them with your eyes. Even if only one individual is doing the
asking, they are all there to evaluate you. You want to make sure that you make them all feel
as if they are a part of the interview process.

Sit Down when Asked to Sit

As you are invited into the interviewer´s office wait until he or she asks you to have a seat
before making yourself comfortable. This is just the more polite thing to do.

Come Equipped

Bring a notebook or a binder and some pens to the interview. If you are to take notes you do
not want to have to ask for paper and a pen. Have it handy and somewhere with easy access.
You do not want to have to take your briefcase or purse apart in front of the interviewer
frantically searching for your favourite pen.

Carry your Resume with You

Carry around a couple copies of your resume to the interview in case you get asked for one.
THE INTERVIEW
Make sure you Understand the Question before you Answer

Since the main purpose of the interview is to gauge your responses to the interviewer´s
questions make sure you properly understood the question. If it is not totally clear, ask them to
either repeat the question or clarify it. The worst thing to do is to answer incorrectly because
you misunderstood the question. If you do so or not content with your answer, there is room
to redeem yourself. You might want to say that you would like to rephrase your answer.

Take your Time

Take the time you need during the interview. You might regret answering too quickly. You
might have been able to answer more coherently and concisely if taken a little more time to
formulate your answer in your head .

Honesty is the Best Policy

You want to come across as an honest person during the job interview. Be honest in your
answers but make sure not to be too negative. Try and take a positive approach to your
answers. You will come across much better.

Enthusiasm will take you Far

Be enthusiastic during the job interview. Someone who speaks in a monotonous tone and not
excited by what he or she is talking about will quickly be forgotten. Do not forget, many of
these interviewers see many potential recruits a day, especially if they are doing on campus
recruiting. An enthusiastic person will be the one, if he or she has the necessary qualifications,
that will remain in the interviewer´s head long after the day is over when the decision has to
be made as to who makes it to second and third rounds.

Keep Calm

Do not fiddle with your pen or display any sort of nervous tick. Unfortunately the interviewer
will catch it right away and may become annoyed. Knee shaking, nail biting, pen twirling are
no-no´s during the interview.

Develop a Rapport with the Interviewer

Try and develop a rapport with the interviewer. Not all interviews are regimented question
and answer periods. There is room for discussion and dialogue. You might feel comfortable
right off the bat with your interviewer. You might even slip in some humour. Do not overdo it
on the humour- the last thing you want is to offend someone or make them uncomfortable.

Do not Forget to Thank Them

When the job interview is concluded, do not forget to thank the interviewer for his/her time
and that you are looking forward to hearing from them.

Post Partem

When leaving the office- jot down some notes about the interview- what was discussed, the
names of the individuals in the room. It is a good idea to have a log book. This is in order to
keep track of what occurred in each interview since you will be going through a lot of similar
ones.

Thank you Note

Send a thank you note to each company right away. You may want to include your interest
once again in the position and the company and how you would best fit the job.

Second and Third Round Interviews

Although many of the information and questions posed to you in first round interviews may
be posed to you once again in these final rounds, you are meeting with several people now.
These are most probably individuals who are managers in the department you are seeking
work rather than Human resources personnel. Specifics will be asked in these cases. There is
also the possibility that the interview might not be held in a confined office, but during a
dinner or a lunch. Here are some simple rules to follow if you are not sure of proper etiquette
in this situation:

Restaurant Etiquette

Brush up on your table manners beforehand. When ordering, either let the interviewers
recommend something or make sure you pick something in the average price range. If your
interviewer is ordering chicken at $15 you do not want to be ordering the lobster at $38. You
probably will be on your best behaviour since you will be nervous; you will be conscious of
every bite you take. Only order an appetizer if you see that that is what everyone else is doing.
The same can be said with dessert.There are some foods to stay away from since they can be
hard to eat. Try and stay away from anything where you may want to use your fingers- ribs,
chicken fingers. It can get pretty messy. The last thing you want is spillage on the tablecloth
or on your suit.

Stay Relaxed

You will find that this job interview will more conversation oriented than question drilling. It
is a more comfortable setting so you will definitely be more at ease. This is not to say that you
should start mouthing off. You are still being tested and you want this impression to be as
positive as if you were in the interviewer´s office.