14 Key Job Interview Tips

Simply put--these 14 free job interview tips are critical in preparing for a job interview.

I carefully selected these job interview tips to help you avoid the most common interview mistakes. They contain some true stories, example situations, and links to in-depth discussions on important topics.

Here is the short list:

1. Do know some basic information about the company.

2. Don’t be late for your interview.

3. Do dress for success.

4. Do bring examples of your work.

5. Don’t talk yourself out of a job.

6. Do focus more on what you can do for the company, rather than, what’s in it for me?.

7. Don’t bring up salary or benefits during the first interview.

8. Do bring your resume to the interview and be prepared to discuss your unique strengths and accomplishments.

9. Do pursue the job even if you’re not entirely sure you want it.

10. Don’t be negative about past employers or bosses.

11. Do ask for the job.

12. Do be aware of body language.

13. Do make sure your car is showroom clean—inside and out.

14. Do be yourself.

This is step is probably one of the most overlooked job interview tips in preparing for a job interview.

Hiring executives are impressed with candidates who know something specific about their company’s products and accomplishments, and—what makes them unique among their competitors.

Don’t be caught off guard if asked, What do you know about our company?.

What you are really being asked is—Did you prepare for this job interview by doing some research on us?.

You may be asking yourself, How much information is adequate?

This depends on the job level you are interviewing for. A CEO candidate will be expected to know a lot more than a Middle Manager.

Make sure your insights about the company don’t come solely from their website. It’s a good idea to research industry and competitor's websites to gain other valuable insights about the company.

If you are working with an Executive Recruiter, they should be able to provide you with valuable insights into the company's culture and the backgrounds of those interviewing you.

SIDEBAR: Negative news about a company can be a golden opportunity in disguise. How so?

Companies want to hire people who will help them solve their problems and take them to a higher level of performance.

When you bring solutions and leadership to an under-performing company, it sets you up for a quantum leap in your career.

As a matter fact, it could actually be riskier to hire on with a company that’s spinning like a top.

Think about it.

How open minded will a well-oiled company be to your ideas and insights?

More often than not, they will expect you to fit into their culture and not rock the boat. Change could be resisted.

Expect to be blamed if one of your ideas falls short of expectations and makes folks feel uncomfortable because, after all, that’s the way we’ve always done it.

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Vince Lombardi—one of the NFL’s greatest coaches of all time—once said, Unless you arrive 15 minutes early to an appointment—you’re late.

Everything you do and say during the job interviewing process will be examined under a microscope.

Your first test will be to see if you show up on time for your interview.

There is simply no excuse to be late.

Plan ahead by making sure you have good directions. You should know exactly how long it will take to drive there.

Take into account traffic flow for that time of day, construction detours, or anything else that could delay you.

Special Tip: It’s a good idea to get in your car the night before and do a practice run. This is another one of those job interview tips that gets easily overlooked.

If you’re arriving from out of town, either arrive the night before so you can get your bearings, or arrive 2 hours before your interview so you know exactly how to get there.

One of the benefits of arriving 15 minutes early to your interview, is you can pick up some useful intelligence about most companies just by sitting in their lobby and observing.

Most companies have awards on the walls or other company literature to read. You also can observe how employees interact, dress, and behave to get an overall feel for the company culture.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes early for your interview, just wait in your car in the company parking lot until it’s 15 minutes before your interview time.

The reason for this is that some managers will be annoyed if you arrive 30-45 minutes before your interview as it will distract them from their work knowing you are waiting in the lobby.

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Job Interview Tip 3: Do dress for success.

This is one of those job interview tips that is so important, that I've actually devoted another page to, job interview attire.

Go there now. I'll be waiting for you when you return.

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Job Interview Tip 4: Do bring examples of your work.

The old saying—the power of the printed word—is true.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been called by a hiring manager after an interview, and was told how impressed they were with one of my candidates because they brought examples of their work.

Most candidates fail to do this in, preparing for a job interview. This one, job interview tip, alone will truly set you apart from other candidates.

Idea: Some candidates bring a copy of their most recent written evaluation to the interview. Obviously, you should only do this if your evaluation is outstanding.

The power of the printed word applies here as well. Your boss’s opinion of your strengths and accomplishments are more credible than yours.

Another great example of your work is any chart or graph that illustrates specifically how you saved the company time or money—or how you made the company money.

Always couch your examples with the following line of logic:

• this was the problem or situation
• here are the things I specifically did to resolve it
• as a result of these actions, this was the measurable result

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Job Interview Tip 5: Don’t talk yourself out of a job.

Many of the job interview questions you will be asked are designed to get you talking.

This way the interviewer can get a feel for your communication skills and personality.

Top 10 interview questions of all time:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What are your strengths?

3. What are your weaknesses?

4. What was your greatest accomplishment? OR What were your 3 greatest accomplishments?

5. What do you know about our company?

6. What did you like least about your prior job? OR If you could change anything about your current/past company, what would that be?

7. Why did you leave your last job? Why do you want to leave your current job? How did you lose your last job?

8. Where do you see yourself 3-5 years from now?

9. Will you relocate?

10. Why should I hire you?

Situational interview questions and behavior interview questions are also frequently asked to inject some stress into the interview to see how your react under pressure.

SIDEBAR: Be prepared to give a 30-60 second answer to all of these questions—or less. If you think about it, 30-60 seconds is a long time.

Most TV commercials are only 30-60 seconds long. You get plenty of information in such a short time. Beyond 60 seconds, most people’s attention starts to wane.

Many candidates are understandably nervous during an interview and tend to talk too much. It’s annoying and tiresome to listen to a non-stop talker who over-explains things.

Guard against this by limiting yourself to no more than a 60-90 seconds response. If the interviewer needs more information than that, they will ask you to elaborate.

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Job Interview Tip 6: Do focus more on what you can do for the company, rather than, what’s in it for me?.

At the beginning of the job interview process, someone has to assume the role of the seller, and someone has to be the buyer. You must be the seller at this early stage.

As the interview progresses you will eventually be asked, Do you have any questions for us?.

It’s a bad idea to say, no, I can’t think of anything. It’s also a bad idea to have a grocery list of interview questions.

Here are some appropriate company focused questions you might ask during your job interview presentation:

• What would you like me to accomplish in the 1st 6 months?
• What is one of the most difficult challenges facing your department?
• What is your management style like?
• Questions about how the department is structured.
• Questions about their products, markets, or customers.

Remember--managers want to hire people who are excited about working for them and who can help them solve their problems. Once the company has made up their mind that you are the right person for the job, you can ask more direct questions as to, what's in it for me?.

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Job Interview Tip 7: Don’t bring up salary or benefits during the first interview.

The interviewing process is a 2-way street. Just as the company is evaluating you, you are evaluating them.

A job change is a big deal and you should know things like—how the 401K plan works, how the bonus is figured, what is their vacation policy, and what kind of benefits package they provide.

However, it is interviewing suicide to ask these questions during the first interview. The appropriate time to ask these questions is after the company has decided to extend you an offer.

Once a company has decided that they must have you on their team, then it is timely and appropriate for you to ask these kinds of questions.

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Job Interview Tip 8: Do bring your resume to the interview and be prepared to discuss your unique strengths and accomplishments.

What makes you stand out from among your peers? Also, be prepared to discuss any gaps in your employment or other shortcomings.

Often times the interviewer will use your resume as an agenda during the interview. They will ask you probing questions about your accomplishments, or they will ask you to elaborate on something outlined on your resume—pro or con.

Make sure you can back up your strengths and accomplishments with 1 or 2 specific examples.

Be prepared to smooth over anything on your resume that is unusual:

• getting fired or laid off
• employment gaps
• short employment stint
• an unusual degree
• a job change completely out of your specialty

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Job Interview Tip 9: Do pursue the job even if you’re not entirely sure you want it.

Be careful not to pre-judge a company or a position. You want to put your best foot forward throughout the entire interview before drawing any conclusions.

Remember, you are in the driver’s seat, not the company.

Think about it.

If a company makes you an offer, you can always turn it down; but, if they don’t make you an offer, you don’t have any options.

So, one of the best job interview tips is to wait until you have all the facts before making your decision.

Example situation 1: You arrive at your interview and quickly discover the offices are out of date and a little run down.

Before the interview starts you conclude that you can’t work in this depressing environment.

So, you go through the interview with the attitude of just wanting to get this over with.

At the conclusion of the interview, the manager walks you down to the lobby and asks you if you’ve seen their new $40 million office complex a mile down the road that they will shortly occupy.

Example situation 2: The manager’s interviewing style seems cold and abrupt. As a matter of fact, the interview seems more like an interrogation than a give-and-take interview.

You decide very early in the interview that you’re not working for this jerk, and you can’t wait until the interview is over.

The other people you meet with are very professional and pleasant. At the end of the interview you learn from the HR Manager that the abrupt manager you just met with is retiring at the end of the month.

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Job Interview Tip 10: Don’t be negative about past employers or bosses.

Every company wants positive, team players working for them. Now is not the time to air dirty laundry or to point out all the shortcomings of current or past employers.

It’s true that most people who make a job change are unhappy about something, otherwise you wouldn’t be out there interviewing.

Companies know this and will often probe to find out the issues you’re having. It's ok to tell the company things like:

• you're job requires 90% travel and you want a better balance between your professional and personal life
• there has been high turnover at the executive level which has caused doubt and uncertainty within the company
• a pattern of continual downsizing has been going on which has eliminated promotional opportunities

A good rule of thumb is to avoid saying anything negative that could come across as being personal or emotional in nature.

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Job Interview Tip 11: Do ask for the job.

True Story: One time a company narrowed down their search to 2 very fine candidates. They could have flipped a coin and hired either one.

But, there was only one opening and they had to make a choice.

The interviewing team debated over who they should hire and couldn’t decide. Then, one of the interviewers made the observation that the first candidate asked for the job during the interview.

They therefore concluded that she wanted the job the most. They also concluded from this that she was decisive and not afraid to ask for the order.

This one small thing, tipped the odds in her favor, and she got the offer. So, build this into your job interview presentation.

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Job Interview Tip 12: Do be aware of body language and job interview etiquette.

Look people in the eye.

Sit up straight and lean slightly forward.

Bring a professional looking notebook or binder to write down a few notes during the interview.

Don’t be distracted or lose focus by a stone-faced interviewer or someone who shows little to no emotion during your interview.

SIDEBAR: if there are 2-3 other people in the room during your interview, it’s a good idea to make eye contact with each one as you are answering interview questions.

Companies often do group interviews to save time and to eliminate duplicate questions. Also, it’s more stressful when you interview with 2-3 people.

Some companies actually want to put you under a little bit of stress to see how you react under pressure.

Often times, one of the interviewers will take the lead and ask most of the questions while the other 2 just sit there passively.

Make eye contact with the passive interviewers in the room as you respond to questions. This is a good interviewing technique and always scores points with the interviewers.

This is one of those little job interview tips that has made a difference for many of candidates.

Good lawyers use a similar technique when coaching witnesses on how to use positive body language on the stand.

Lawyers suggest that when a witness responds to questions, they should occasionally glance over at the jury and make eye contact with jurors.

This has a psychological affect of making their testimonies more believable and also makes the witness seem more warm and honest.

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Job Interview Tip 13: Do make sure your car is showroom clean—inside and out.

This doesn’t happen very often, but just in case, you should be prepared.

I knew of one company where the hiring manager liked to do this and would always ask the candidate to drive. His reasoning?

A messy car full of junk is probably a good indicator of how a person’s workspace will look like.

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Job Interview Tip 14: Do be yourself.

Last, but not least—be yourself. Trust your feelings.

If the chemistry is right, you’re going to feel comfortable once the interview gets going, and you’re going to click with people.

On the other hand, if the interview is awkward and you feel uncomfortable most of the time, then this is probably not the right opportunity for you.

It’s normal to feel nervous and uneasy. But, if you’re prepared you should soon warm up to those who are conducting your interview.

If you walk out of the interview seeing yourself working there, then trust your instincts.

This is a big decision. Make sure you feel good about it.

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