Practising typical and targeted interview questions: Be able to answer the "Basic 3:"

• Why are you interested in this field?
• Why are you interested in this company?
• Why are you interested in this position?

Be prepared to discuss anything on your resume. Be prepared to answer questions/issues you really don't want to answer. For example:

• your greatest weakness
• your lack of related experience
• your low GPA (Grade Point Average) or your low grades
• your lack of leadership experiences
• your record of job-hopping

Practice with a friend, career counsellor or coach, or in front of a mirror. Video or audio-tape your answers for future review. Scrutinise how you look and sound. Note inflection of your voice, mannerisms and gestures, facial expressions, poise, energy and enthusiasm in your answers as well as in your body language. How can you improve, enhance, develop, or revise your answers and/or delivery?

Because interviewing is a skill, you can only improve your style and acumen with practice. College and university career services offices typically offer mock interviews and interview workshops. But you can always prevail upon family or friends to help you prepare. ASK!!! Ask too for genuine feedback that will be helpful in working out the kinks. Practice is important too in assuaging fears and nervousness. However, a degree of tension is beneficial toward maintaining a level of alertness that causes you to sit up straight and forward in your seat, leaning toward the interviewer. The ideal is to strike a balance between poise/calm and energy/enthusiasm.

Prepare questions to ask. These questions should reflect your research on the company and position and should never include questions whose answers are readily available in company literature or Web site. Do NOT ask about salary or benefits!

Page 2 » Final preparations and follow-up | Print-Friendly

This article was originally published in Quintessential Careers

Louise Giordano has been a career counselor at Brown University since 1992 and solely staffs the Providence College Alumni Career Advising Program. She served as director of business placement at Johnson & Wales University from 1987 to 1989. Prior to and concurrent with these activities, she was a secondary foreign-language teacher in public and private schools in CT, MA, and RI.