How to plan for your next job interview

The next job interview is looming and for many people, interviewing is stressful. There are multiple aspects to the planning. Here is basic Q&A to learn the best ways to be successful in your next job interview.

What will your next job interview be?

There are many types of interviews and many ways those interviews can be conducted. The most common are the phone interview, the Skype interview, and the in-person interview.

Next Job Interview – The Phone Interview

The phone interview is almost always the first interview though there may be more phone interviews within a specific company’s process. If the interview is a phone interview, here’s a quick checklist:

• Make sure you are in a place that is quiet. No dogs barking, children yelling, TV or radio noises.
• Collect your notes and do your homework in advance.
• Research the company website and Google the company name.
• If you are applying for a higher level position, use a site like CNNMoney or Fortune to see if you can research the company’s stock rankings, executive leadership, and perhaps even their pay levels.
• Study Glassdoor.com to learn more about the interview process and what other company members think about working there.

Next Job Interview – The Skype Interview

If your next job interview is a Skype interview, a more common type of interview as companies strive to cut costs and transportation costs continue to rise, here are pointers for interviewing on Skype:

• First, make sure you download Skype and test it with someone else prior to the next job interview. Nothing is worse than having technical issues at the last-minute.
• When I speak about Skype interviews, you do need to create a professional Skype profile. Your Skype name should be your own if possible. If you use Skype to talk to friends or family, make sure the photos and the comments are ones you want an employer to see. There’s a little part that reads, “tell your friends what you are up to.” This sticks with your profile so make sure it sounds professional.
• Check your background. Whatever is directly in back of you is seen by the camera. Make sure that you prepare the best possible image.
• Dress for the interview. In general, you should do this for everything but since this will be on camera, dress as if this is an in-person interview.
• Set up your notes. If possible use the wall behind the camera for posting information you will want at the interview. One of my clients even put up a note that said, “SMILE” so she would remember to smile.

Next Job Interview – the in-person interview

The in-person interview is generally a later interview and often with a hiring manager and potentially executive management depending on your role with the company and the company size. Tips to be successful in the in-person interview:

• How are you getting there? If you have to drive to the interview, make sure you have checked out the location in advance. If it is across town, drive there a day or two in advance to make sure you are familiar with where it is and what obstacles could be in your way.
• If the next job interview is out-of-town, give yourself enough time. You might want to go a day in advance so you are not rushing to get there. Make sure you get directions and know specifically which building you are meeting in. I recently helped a client / friend on Facebook who wanted to send flowers to someone starting a new role in a big company. She knew the department. When I Googled, I found the PDF with the company map. They had 16 buildings. You don’t want to end up trying to figure it out at the last-minute.
• Just as above, dress for the part. Don’t take a chance on anything. Plan ahead with a change of clothes in the car, if you stop for coffee and suddenly spill the cup all over you, you don’t want to scramble.
• Learn as much as you can about the interviewers. This is true for all the types of interviews too. Use LinkedIn to reach people in the company and try to find out who specifically will be interviewing you. Team interviews are common as are sequential interviews held on the same day with different people from the company depending on your upcoming new role.

There are many other aspects to interview preparation. Role playing and rehearsing questions are other services I offer my clients. Take the next job interview seriously even if it is an internal interview. You need to prove that you outshine outside candidates who may be working with someone like me who is coaching them on all the potential pitfalls of interviewing.

Photo Credit: Sebastien Wiertz