Great Interviews
Since interviewing well is so vital to the success of your job search, JSO provides a tool to help you prepare for each interview and a tool to help you learn from each so you can continually improve your interviewing skills.
The JSO Interview Preparation Worksheet is deceptively simple. Feel free to print and use it and the recommendations below, to prepare for your interviews, whether you become a member of Job Search One or not.
- Learn as much as you can about the company and it’s short and long tern goals, including how the position for which you are interviewing will help to meet those goals.
- At least 24 hours before each interview, and earlier if possible, fill out the form (the “Plan” column) carefully thinking through the company’s and the interviewer’s needs.
- Identify the tough questions that you might be asked and the way in which you will respond to them.
- Formulate some questions that you will ask the interviewer.
- Practice the interview with someone you know and trust acting as the interviewer. Provide them with questions but let them ask their own without telling you what they are ahead of time. Tape the practice interview, if you can. When you view it, do not be too hard on yourself. Just try to identify two or three things to improve.
- After the interview, evaluate your performance by filling in the middle (“Feedback/Self Evaluation”) column. Once again, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just identify two or three things on which to improve. “Why only two or three?” You might ask. If you identify too many, you probably won’t be able to improve on any because your attention will be so badly fragmented.
- Decide what you will do to improve and write those things in the right hand column (“Lesson Learned & Plans to Improve).
- Practice doing the things you’ve written in this column.