We talk all the time about how important it is to write a stellar resume and LinkedIn profile and engage in active networking both online and in person. But too often, once a job hunter has been scheduled for an interview he or she thinks, “Great. now all I have to go is go in and have a conversation to get a job.” Or, even more problematic, “OK, I’ll go in to see how much they want me to be part of their team.”
The truth is that once you get the interview lined up, you need to engage in serious preparation. It will be important for you to demonstrate that you know and understand the company and the position. Moreover, you need to prepare to effectively demonstrate the real value you bring to the company.
In this week’s article I list four things you should do to prepare for the interview, and explain how to go about doing them successfully: 1) Research the company. 2) Carefully review the requirements and activities of the position; 3) Scope out the people you might meet and/or be working with and figure out what kinds of things the company values in its employees; and 4) Figure out intelligent questions to ask that in and of themselves demonstrate that you know what you are talking about and should be taken seriously by the perspective employer.
When you do your prep work well, you radically increase the chances that the employer want to woo you, and then all the leverage shifts to your advantage. Here’s the link to the full article on U.S. News & World Report.
Happy hunting!