1. Prepare. Get to know the prospective employer, its background and the people behind it. Learn about the position that your applying for, and your qualifications that meet the demands of the position. This will prepare you for the type of questions that may be asked and help you prepare for the appropriate answers. This may also impress them with your interest in the company. Review your resume, as you will most likely be asked about items in it. Be honest and make sure your answers match what's written on your resume.

2. Be punctual. Any organization values punctuality. Arrive before the scheduled interview time if possible. You could use the extra time to look around and familiarize yourself with the place.

3. Be particular with your personal appearance and manners. In a highly competitive job market, your personal appearance carries a lot of weight, although it's still true that appearance without substance is useless. Dress appropriately (here's how to tie a tie). Do not chew gum. Practice a firm handshake, but wait for the interviewer to extend his hand. Thank the inverviewer before you leave.

4. Prepare for the usual questions. You will probably be asked what are your strengths and weaknesses, as well as what you could contribute to the organization and where do you see yourself in X number years. A particular strength may be important for one organization but not for another, so Item 1 above is very important. Emphasize the strengths that are important to the prospective employer (which is most likely your answer when asked what you could contribute to the organization). Where do you see after X number of years? Probably growing together with the growth of the company.

5. Prepare for your list of weaknesses. This is one of the usual questions and should be included in the preceding item. This, however, is very tricky and deserves to be discussed separately. You'd be arrogant and you know it's a lie -- two no-nos described in this list -- to say that you have no weaknesses. Be creative and pick a weakness that's really a strength. For instance, it's a weakness not to be able to delegate. But the reason is a strength -- because you believe you could do the job better. Another "weakness" is your difficulty in saying no to assignments. The reason? Anyone has to say no at a certain point because the quality of work will suffer, and the weakness is sacrificing personal life over work just to accomodate the extra request.

6. Be confident, without being arrogant. There's a clear line between confidence and being cocky. State the facts. Be respectful. Body language is just as important. Relax.  

7. Steer the interview to what you know. It's possible to steer the interview to matters that you're more familiar. If you craft your answers to point to things you're most familiar with, chances are, the follow-up question will dig more into it. Be responsive, however.

8. When you're given the chance to ask questions, ask. This is where your preparation comes in. You know the organization and its values. You know what to ask. However, if you have no intelligent question to ask, it's probably better to stay silent. Also, unless asked about your preferred salary, don't ask about it.

9. Prepare your references. Most tips will tell you not to include references in your resume. So, should the interviewer ask you for references during the interview, be prepared to submit a list. Make sure that your references are aware that you've listed them.

10. Do not bad-mouth your previous employer. This is a small world, and you'll probably bump into someone that's connected with your previous employer. An organization will definitely think twice knowing that you have this habit of badmouthing your previous employer. Prepare for the question why you left (or fired from) your previous employer.

 

Good luck and God bless!