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In Person Interview Tips

Before the Interview:

  • Review job description and be able to articulate how your experience relates.
  • Review company website, social media, bios, and LinkedIn profiles of the people you will interview with
  • Know the location of the interview and do a dry run of the commute so that you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take.
  • Find out the parking situation: pay to park, free or if you need a pass.
  • Come up with questions about the job, company and specifically the people you are meeting.
  • Print copies of your resume (bring more than the number of people you are meeting with, extras are good)

During the Interview:

  • Dress for Success! Make sure it fits appropriately and is cleaned & pressed.
  • Find out from the organizer of the interview if it is casual, business casual or business formal.
  • Wear conservative clothes, shoes, makeup, and jewelry.
  • Bring something to write on and with
  • Arrive at least 10 minutes early
  • Maintain eye contact.
  • Smile!
  • Listen to the questions that are being asked and answer succinctly. Try to avoid long winded off tangent answers.
  • Ask for the business cards of the people you meet with

Post Interview:

  • Determine the next steps as the interview closes and follow up as directed.
  • Write personalized thank you emails or handwritten notes to the people who interviewed you.
  • Keep the company updated should you receive another offer with a deadline.
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After briefly introducing yourself and the company—and ensuring that the candidate has the time to chat—launch into your preset list of interview questions.

  1. Are you still interested and available for the job?It makes sense to ask this question right off the bat so you can determine if the person has found another job or is otherwise out of the market. That way you have only spent a few minutes in closing the case on this applicant.
  2. Can you tell me what attracted you to apply for this position? This question is a wonderful litmus test that you can use to evaluate how your job opening ranks with the applicant. If the applicant can enthusiastically provide key details about why they applied for your role, you can bet your opportunity is one of only a handful the applicant has applied for – or cares about.
  3. Here are the (3-4) key requirements for this job. Can you confirm – with specific details – that you meet these requirements? This question gives you key insight into whether or not the applicant has the core qualities you seek from the ideal candidate.
  4. What are your biggest accomplishments related to this job? Please be specific, describing your role in achieving the accomplishment and key outcomes, quantified when possible. Because many jobseekers are not very good at tracking and recording accomplishments on their resumes, this question forces applicants to provide detailed information about what they consider most important – and what they achieved. Furthermore, as countless academic studies have confirmed that past performance is the best indicator of future behavior, if an applicant can articulate how they’ve achieved success before, you can assume that they will be able to contribute to your company’s success again in times to come.
  5. Can you tell me about where you are in your job search – and what you hope to accomplish? The answer to this question can provide many insights. First, you’ll learn whether the applicant has applied to multiple positions, whether they have had interviews – and/or job offers, and what the timetable might need to be if you want to bring in this applicant for an on-site interview.
  6. Describe your ideal working situation (work environment, hours, travel, and the like). A candidate can have the perfect qualifications for a position, but they may want a completely different work/culture/team environment than what you have. Knowing their expectations can help you determine fit. A variation on this question comes from Michael VanDervort, executive director of CUE. Inc.: “What do you look for in your employer, and what do you EXPECT from your employer?”
  7. What are your salary expectations? From my experience coaching jobseekers, I can assure you many applicants will be unprepared to fully answer this question, but the response will certainly give you an idea of their interest, insights, and self-worth. Not to mention, if their expectations are completely out of line with what’s allocated for the position, you can eliminate them from the pool.
  8. What is your availability for an interview in the next week to 10 days? This question can result in two pieces of key information. First, how hungry is the applicant? Will they push for an interview sooner? Second, if the applicant is unavailable for your timetable (regardless of the reasons), they may be need to be eliminated.
  9. Is there anything else relevant to the job and your candidacy that we have not discussed that you want to discuss? This question provides an open door for the jobseeker to make a strong closing argument/case for hire…or to say nothing more. Shannon Randlett, senior manager at Channel Marketing, the Americas, has a slight twist, asking candidates: “Let’s forget our conversation happened, what is the #1 thing you want me to remember about you as it relates to this role?”
  10. What questions can I answer for you? The response to this question is seen by many as another litmus test. If the applicant has no questions for you, it’s time to consider whether you were the perfect interviewer or whether the applicant is just not that into you. Your intuition here may be critical.