THE TRANSITION

 

The Most Important Skills

You Must Learn

In Order to Succeed In the Civilian World

 

(Part 3)

 

 

In order to ace the interview you need to research the company prior to a job interview

 

 

You created your resume, you have sent out a bunch of resumes to all the companies that interest you hoping someone will call you and schedule you for the big interview.  Suddenly, the phone rings you answer it and it is the employer’s receptionist calling to schedule an interview.  You schedule the interview and you rush to the closet to see if you have something professional to wear because as all we all know your first impression is the only impression.  It will make you or break you.  As unfair, as it may seem people judge people by how they look and the things they say at the time of the interview.  If you want to guarantee yourself the job you need to appear as a profession in your field, know want your talking about (be knowledgeable) and be prepared.

 

While the resume may get you the interview, the interview gets you the job. You want to impress your possible employer so much that nobody else will be appropriate or perfect for the job.

 

So, what is the next step?  Going to the interview.   NO SILLY! 

 

When you were in the military, researching your next “company” or command is generally done by asking everyone you know if they have ever been stationed there. On the other hand, talking to the person assigned as your sponsor from your new command. Not a lot of time is spent learning about the history of the command or what the Commanding Officer’s vision is for leading them.

 

In the civilian world, even if you know someone who works in the company you are interviewing with, this is only a small part of the research process. You will want to know the company’s history, their mission and purpose, who the key people are, who is on the Board of Directors, about their product line, distribution regions, current financial situation and future projections, and basic ethics standards.

 

Learn how to thoroughly research a company. Find out the history of the company, how it got started, what has been its greatest success or biggest challenge. Have someone teach you how to read their annual report and understand the financial projections. Read the biographies of the key personnel and Board of Directors. Find out if any of them have authored articles or books, or have had anything written about them. Depending on the size of the company.

If you are serious about going to work for this company, you will want to know as much information as possible before you interview. Displaying more than a surface level of knowledge about the company goes a long way to proving that you are serious about the job. It also shows that you are someone who goes the extra mile, does your homework, and can get the job done. Often this extra effort puts you ahead of the competition.

 

Below are some tips to help you prepare for the big job interview, so you will become the chosen one.

 

• Do Your Research about the company.  It does not matter how much knowledge or experience you have about the position that you are trying to get in a company if you do not have a clue about who the company is or what they do. It is disastrous to enter into an interview and not be able to tell your interviewer what their company does. How else are you going to tell them why you feel that you would be a good addition to their company?   A good and less time-consuming way to get to know about a company is to look up their website. You can get all of the general knowledge about them that way, including the names of key people and their job titles. You should sift through most of their pages, including the pages that show samples of their work and/or products.   You can also look them up in the media files if there are any. Read the articles about them and soak in as much information as possible. Another thing that would be nice to do is to check out the surrounding area around the company. It makes for a nice breaker during the interview. You can make a comment about a particular monument or resting place nearby.  A better way to get a little extra information about the company is to call them on the phone and ask general questions, without referring to you as a potential employee.

 

• Know Your Contact before the interview.  When called for an interview, ask will conduct the interview. It is nice to be able to greet your interviewer by name at the beginning of the interview without first being told who they are. It shows that you are on top of things, and have prepared before hand.   You will also want to do some research on the person that will be conducting your interview. Learn what they do for the company and try to get some samples of their work or achievements in the company.  If you know what department that you are going to work in you may want to get the names of your potential colleagues and superiors prior to the interview as well. This way you can get some information about their roles in the company and the types of work that they have done.   Mention some of the things that you learn about your potential colleagues in the interview and about how much you look forward to working with them in the future. If you can, give an example of their work so that you will appear more genuine.

 

• Practice Your Responses. You know the typical job questions, so have them prepared. Know ahead of time your answers to questions such as:

 

•  
  • “What your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Where do you see yourself in ten years?
  • What can you bring to the company that nobody else can?
  • What brought you to this part of your career?”

 

These generalized questions will probably be asked on the day of the interview.    It is best, if you are prone to nervousness, to practice giving your responses to the questions that may be asked by the employer the day of the interview. You should practice your wording and the tone of voice that you plan to use; Try keeping your responses as brief as possible, but with as much detail as you can.   Employers want to see people who think on their toes and are interested in the position as much as possible. Scribble down a few quick questions that you can ask at the appropriate time of the interview so that you are not trying to think on the spot of what to ask.

 

 

• Dress the Part of an interviewee.  Dress appropriately for the type of job interview. Always dress in more conservatively than you would normally.

 

·       Make sure that you are not wearing outlandish colors, showing too much skin, or wearing too much jewelry (man or woman). 

·       Select your attire the day before your interview.

·       Make sure that your clothes do not have any wrinkles or stains on them.

·       Pick an outfit that best suits the type of job that you are applying for.

·       Dress conservatively. Soft earth tones are best for women. Try to avoid mini skirts and shirts that show too much skin. A nice dark suit is good for a male.   

·       If you are planning to work outdoors or in an artistic environment, you can dress a little more casually. Just be certain to avoid wearing denim jeans, over sized clothing, and under sized clothing.

·       Women should try to avoid wearing too much make-up. It gives the wrong impression. 

·       Even in hot weather, you should not wear sandals or gym shoes to an interview. It sends an unprofessional message. The same goes for hats and other accessories.

 

·       Get organized before the interview.  Make sure that all of the things that you will need for the interview are prepared the day before. Make a checklist of the things that you will need if you have to. You should always have an extra resume handy during the interview. You should also bring with you a note pad to take notes during the interview if needed. Only write down the important things that you think you will need to remember if you have a business card, have one handy, it makes for easy contact later, and it shows that you are professional and may help the employer to remember your name.   

 

 

NOW, HERE IS WHAT NOT TO DO IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE YOU THE JOB:

 

• Slips of the tongue:   Although this mistake is difficult to control, people often make them. People accidentally say the wrong thing, infer the wrong idea, or blurt out an insult or profanity. Any of these slips of the tongue can throw you out of the interview race. Concentrate on what you say, so that it comes out intelligent and not incoherent.

 

• Ringing of cell phones: Make sure your phone is off prior to the interview. Nothing is ruder or more disrespectful to an interviewer than listening to another ring.

 

• Checking the time: Be careful not to glance at your watch or the wall clock in the middle of your interview. Perhaps you should take off your watch prior to the interview so that you have no chance of accidentally looking at your wrist.

 

• Asking about salary too early: While it probably one of the determining factors in your decision to work at a company, do not jump the gun in the interview to ask about salary. The interviewer will inevitably tell you what salary and benefits come with the job. There are so many people looking for jobs, so if the company sees you as someone who just wants the money and does not necessarily care about the job, it will work against you in the end.

 

• Giving your demands: You are on the job interview and you are unemployed. Therefore, you should never make demands at an interview. Even if you have reached a professional status that enables you to make certain demands in the workplace, the interview is never the place for it. They will laugh at you and more than likely never call you again. People want to work with cooperative and friendly people; not demanding individuals who think they know it all.

 

• Telling about other job offers: While you may think it appears desirable to speak about other companies offering you a position, it may come across as ridiculous in a job interview. It is important to keep matters separate. They may see you as someone who already has a job. Why would they want to give you their position if you already have one somewhere else?

 

• Dropping too many names: While contacts are vital in the job market, they can often be used for the wrong purposes. You do not want to be seen as someone who gets by only on his or her connections. 

 

• Lateness: Do not be late to your job interview. Rather, arrive around 10-15 minutes early so you can settle in, fill out paperwork, and allow your interviewer to get ready.

 

• Nervousness: While you will probably be nervous prior to and during your job interview, try not to fidget. It is distracting and reads nervousness and anxiety. No employer wants a fidgety co-worker in the building.

 

• Dishonesty: While it is common to make a mountain out of a molehill on resumes, it is downright wrong to lie on them and in your job interview. Honesty is the most venerable quality in a worker and an employer and interviewer will respect your truth and honesty. Do not claim to have worked somewhere if you have not, and so on and so forth.

Now you have all the tools you need to get the job you want in life.  Go out there and make some moo-la!!