PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW

There is a lot of discussion among people looking for new jobs about how to find opportunities and how to get interviews with companies they would like to work for.  However, there is little corresponding conversation about how to prepare for the interview they have worked so hard to get.

It is important that you prepare for your interviews by doing research into the company you will be talking to, about the position you are a candidate for, and the people you are going to be talking with during your personal visit.

In addition, it is equally important that you make a good, and lasting, impression on those you talk with during your interview.  That impression will be partly influenced by how prepared you are, and how knowledgeable you are about the company and the job.  It will also be influenced by your appearance, attitude, and enthusiasm.

RESEARCH THE COMPANY

One of the best ways to spend your preparation time for an interview is to do research on the company you will be visiting.  What business or businesses are they in?  Who is their major competitor?  (You might want to research that one yourself.) What market share do they enjoy?  Are they a leader in the industry, or are they an “Avis” (“we’re number 2, but we work harder”)…a strong and formidable #2?  How has their business performed for the last 5 years?

These are the kinds of questions whose answers will help you in an interview.  There are likely others, but you will have to tailor your preparation for the industry and position you are interviewing for.

You will be pleasantly surprised how positive a response you get from interviewers when you express knowledge of their industry and company.  Being prepared in this way can make the difference in your interview being a success.  Knowledge of the company shows interest, which goes a long way in communicating your enthusiasm for the opportunity.

WHAT ARE THE CRITICAL CHALLENGES AND ISSUES FOR THE COMPANY?

When you research a company, be sure that you include reading any articles in the press about them.  Have they had management changes recently?  Have they increased production?  Are they dealing with quality challenges?  Are they facing economic challenges as well, or have they had record profits recently?  Has a competitor gained market share or made an incremental improvement in technology that is now a challenge to the company’s own products?

They are just a few of the possible issues that companies face, and issues that you as an employee can help address. 

If you have researched the challenges and issues facing the company, you can be prepared to offer suggestions during the interview for ways to deal with them.  This can demonstrate your creativity, you management skills, and your enthusiasm for prospect of being part of the company’s team.

PREPARE QUESTIONS FOR THE Q&A PORTION OF YOUR INTERVIEWS

In an interview, there will always come the point when the interviewer will ask if you have any questions.  To not have any at this point will not kill your chances of being hired, but it will not help. 

Being prepared to ask a meaningful question will certainly enhance the impression you make on the interviewer.  It shows interest in the job, interest in the company, and knowledge on your part of what skills are necessary to be a success and what challenges the company faces.  All give an impression of your level of enthusiasm to the interviewer and leaves him/ her with a positive impression.

Get information on who you will be talking with during your visit (we will go into in the next section), and based on your research, prepare 2-3 questions for each person you will be meeting with.  You should be prepared with marketing or sales questions for the Director of Marketing, for instance.  Or production-related questions for the Manufacturing Manager.  You can prepare 2 or 3 questions about the future of the company, and career opportunities you might have, if you are going to talk with the President of the company.

Showing interest in each manager’s area of responsibility will always help in making a good impression during an interview.

ASK FOR AN AGENDA FOR YOUR INTERVIEW

Few candidates talk to only one person during a visit to a company for an interview.  If you are working with a recruiter, ask them to get a copy for you from the company.  If the interview is the result of direct contact by you, ask the HR Manager or Hiring Manager for a list of those you will be talking with.

Use this list as a guide to targeted research about the company so you are prepared for discussions with each manager.  Also use the list to prepare questions for each discussion, focusing on what you can find out might be the issues or interests of each manager you will talk with.

USING VISUAL AIDS

Few candidates think to take visual aids with them to an interview.  If you have done your research and find an issue or subject that you have a particular knowledge of or experience in, then why not point it out?  And if you are going to point it out, why not do it as effectively as possible and in a way that will create a lasting impression?

These days, many candidates take laptops to interviews for this purpose.  (No, you will not be looking at strangely for having brought one!)  Often, they have prepare a PowerPoint presentation which they can then show a manager or managers on the laptop screen.  This gives the interviewer an opportunity to see you make a presentation, observe your communication style, and see more detailed knowledge of the subject than they would otherwise observe. 

It also enhances their view of your interest and enthusiasm.  If you are interested enough to take time to prepare a presentation, then they will likely know that your desire to join their team is great.

We will talk more about visual aids for interviews in future posts.

TRAVEL THE NIGHT BEFORE

Getting to your interview can be an adventure, a challenge and an opportunity.  I suggest that, whenever possible, travel to your interview location the night before.  This will give you a chance to get a good night’s sleep and be refreshed and alert during your interview – ready to make the best impression possible.

Enlist the help of the recruiter or the HR manager in making your arrangements.  Almost all companies will pay for your transportation, lodging and meals during your trip.  Personally, I would suggest that whether you fly or drive to your interview, plan to arrive in the early evening or afternoon.  You do not want to get in too late, and not get a good night’s sleep because you have not wound down from the stresses of your trip.

Also, be sure that you arrive at the plant office or reception desk about 10 minutes before your first meeting.  You do not want to be late, and showing up early connotes interest.

BRING YOUR RESUME

Be sure to bring several copies of your resume with you.  Bring originals…not copies.  And if you are going to be seeing several people, assume that none of them have a copy of your resume.  Bring a copy for each one of them plus 2-3 more in case they add people to your agenda.

WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?

This is a question that always comes up, and one that candidates often have difficulty with.  I think the answer is easy:  Men should wear a suit and tie (dark suit being preferable) and women should wear a stylish suit or conservative dress.  You make a lasting impression on an employer within the first 30 seconds of meeting them.

There are exceptions…sometimes.  You can ask if there are any expectations regarding dress.  Should you wear steel-toed boots?  Should you avoid wearing heels?

Another thing…men should always shine their shoes.  Believe it or not, one of the best ways to determine whether a candidate cares about the job, the company and about the person he is talking to is to see how well he takes care of himself.  Paying attention to a detail liked freshly shined shoes says a lot about your willingness to pay attention to detail in other areas as well.

In general though, even if there is an expectation of informality, business dress is advised.  You may want to wear a jacket and tie, if you feel that it will be less formal, so that you can remove your tie, if invited to.  Women should wear dress shoes, but bring sneakers or less formal shoes to wear on a plant tour, for instance.

The bottom line is dress up.  Dress like a successful business person.  You can always remove a tie or a suit jacket if the situation becomes less formal.  Remember it is the positive first impression that is most important.

PREPARATION IS KEY

So, take time to prepare for each interview you have.  Do your research, prepare yourself, and you will not only enjoy the experience but increase your rate of success as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions:  execmgmt.search@gmail.com

SELLING YOURSELF IN YOUR SEARCH FOR A NEW POSITION

You should treat your job search as a job. You are self-employed in the business of finding new employment for yourself. Your products are your skills and experience. You should take a sales and marketing approach to promoting yourself, your skills and your experience.

Consider your job search in the same way sales and marketing professionals think of the products and services they sell. Marketing professionals first look at the features and benefits that the products bring to the customer. What about the product gives it value to the customer?

They then consider the best way to communicate the most valuable attributes of a product to the potential customer.

So why not take a similar approach to your search for new employment? 

Ask yourself what about your background and experience is going to be most valuable to a potential employer. If you are looking for a new career in a new industry, be sure that you consider highlighting and promoting different skills, experiences and accomplishments, that will be meaningful to companies in that industry. The accomplishments and skills that you point out in your resume will likely not be the same as those that are meaningful to your original industry. 

At the same time, it would be wise to look at the format of your resume also. For some industries or professions, a functional resume should be used.  For others, a chronological resume will work best. 

The content of your resume should be considered in the context of advertising yourself, as well. Sales and marketing professionals are constantly aware of the features and benefits of their products and competitive products. Think of features as attributes of your skills, experience or accomplishments, and benefits are the value that an employer gains from having a person with your skills and experience join their company.

If you promote the right skills and accomplishments in your career, then a prospective employer in any company or any industry will be see that you can bring value to their business, and contribute to the future success of their company.

SEEKING A JOB IN A NEW INDUSTRY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE INTIMIDATING

Many have concerns about finding a new job in an industry that they have not worked in before.  they are concerned about the value of their skills crossing over to the new industry.  Many are concerned about whether the new industry will see how their skills are applicable to a new position dealing with new products, new technology, new markets or new products.

Professionals change industries and change careers all the time.  It is because they have let the new industry know where they, as a candidate (not relying on the prospective employer to do so) have seen value in their skills and background, that these job seekers get interviews and job offers.

Following is a situation, brought to my attention by a reader of "The Job & Career Search Maven", that illustrates this point.

Note the advice I give him.  It could have value for you too.

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Gordon, 

I have a specific question for you, pertaining to my own search.

I have 30 years progressive operations management experience in the pulp and paper industry, including the last 14 years as a General Manager/Mill Manager over progressively larger paper mill operations for 2 different major industry corporations.

I have oriented one leg of my search strategy specifically outside the paper industry, since most segments of that industry in the US are showing negative or zero growth over the past several years.

While I have always considered my technical background (BS and MS in Pulp and Paper Tech - a specialization of Chem Eng) and leadership experience to be easily transferable, at least among the continuous process, chemical based industries, I am becoming frustrated in my attempts to target and apply for operations management positions in the chemical industry.

I am getting little or no response at all to my inquiries in that direction. I am at a loss as to why I am not generating any interest at all with the chemical producers. Do you have any thoughts on why this is, and how I can convince them of the value of my paper industry experience as it pertains to their operations? Thanks for your help.

R H

Dear R H,

I would suggest a three-fold approach:

1) Take the focus off your Pulp and Paper industry experience, and put it on your management in a chemical-related industry. Do this with a summary at the beginning of your resume. It need only be 3-4 sentences...not long.

2) In bullet points under each job, highlight accomplishments and involvements that are directly chemical related. Be as detailed as you can, giving results and effects you had on the organization or operations.

3) Apply directly to chemical companies you are interested in working for. DO NOT send your resume to HR. Send it to such people as the Operations Manager, Director of Operations, VP of Manufacturing or President...you get the idea, I think. They will see the value in your skills and how they relate to chemical operations better than HR.

I hope this helps. I will go into this in more detail soon in a future post.

Gordon
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This approach is applicable to any industry.  Take out "Pulp and Paper" and "Chemical-based Industries" and substitute any two industries you like.  The principles will be the same.

Try it.  You may be surprised how effective it is. 

If you have any questions, let me know at execmgmt.search@gmail.com.