Put your best foot forward

A bit of preparation provides confidence during important job interviews

While getting a new job is exciting, the actual interview process for a position can bring with it anxiety and stress. Some people are more comfortable than others when going through a battery of questions and comments. Fortunately, it’s possible to increase your chances of success by approaching an interview in a professional manner and doing a bit of prep work beforehand.

Find out what’s important to the company and what skills are the most important for the job.

How can you keep your focus and say the right things so that you gain the prize of the new job? To begin, anticipate what is important to the hiring company.

For instance, if you’re interviewing for a position that has a lot of customer contact, the employer would be interested in your people skills, such as patience, a desire to help others and the ability to put others at ease.

However, if it’s a job where you’d be producing data that others depend on, the employer would be interested in your analytical qualities, such as accuracy, the desire to work in an organized manner and the ability to do a job right the first time.

Make an outline of points to cover during the interview.

This is a simple and wonderful tool that serves as a reminder to mention key items that will make a difference during the interview.

Place important items in a bullet-point format, and you’re in a better position to succeed. Why? Because many people have a tendency to forget important things once they begin speaking.

In addition, nearly every interviewer will ask at some point, “Is there anything else I should know about you?” This is a great time to go back and cover attributes and capabilities that you believe they would value (see the examples I noted in the first bullet point).

Be prepared to keep order during the interview.

It is inevitable that two — or more — questions will come up at the same time during a job interview. It’s very appropriate for you to control the flow and say something like, “Those are two great questions. Let me handle them one at a time.”

Many years ago, I was interviewed by four people at one time. They took great pride in making the experience a tough one. I was hired because I calmly answered each question separately, which allowed me to provide valuable feedback on a number issues.

Whether you’re being interviewed by one or several individuals, you can be — and should be — prepared to clearly provide information that helps them understand exactly why you’re a great hire. Follow the simple steps I’ve outlined, and you’ll see a difference.

One side note: Many times, the person conducting the interview is also experiencing stress from a different perspective. Interesting thought, isn’t it? You can help make the interviewer more comfortable by being prepared.

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