HEI

Interviewing Advice

The Interview Tips we give below will help you to interview successfully, we believe getting the help of a recruiter will increase your eventual chances of being hired. The recruiter can serve as your liaison to the employer. When working with a recruiter:
  1. Be honest. Your recruiter can help you deal with any interview difficulties such as explaining long periods of unemployment.
  2. Treat your recruiter like the hiring manager. Like the hiring manager, the recruiter screens candidates and presents only those who are the best fit for each position.
  3. Keep a positive attitude.
  4. Keep your recruiter in the know as you go through the employment process.
  5. Work with your recruiter cooperatively; let him/her guide you through the process and be your advocate.

Interview Tips

  1. Research the company Gather information about the company and its industry. Sources include trade publications, general business sources and professional associations. Make use of social networking sites such as Linked In, Facebook, and Twitter to gain insights about current employees and the corporate culture.

  2. Tie your interview responses to issues the company/interviewer is facing Once you have background information on the company and any issues it’s confronting, you can use that information to relate your background to their needs. You’ll make a great impression if you can even offer potential solutions.

  3. Be on time Give yourself enough time to reach your destination, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Don’t arrive too early either. Plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your appointment time.

  4. Dress the part When in doubt, dress more conservatively than less. The best approach is to find out the company’s dress code, and to follow it accordingly.

  5. Be courteous to the support staff Treat all of the company’s employees with courtesy and respect, regardless of their position. This speaks well for you.

  6. Be energetic, but be yourself There’s a fine line between being energetic and seeming phony or even desperate. Do show excitement about the position, but not to the extent that you make the interviewer doubt your sincerity or question your competence.

  7. Don’t criticize your current/former employer Never criticize your current or former employer. Criticism often reflects worse on you than on the employer, and what you say may come back to haunt you. Instead speack about what you’ve gained from your previous employment.

  8. Use the STAR Framework The STAR framework is a well-documented and common interviewing methodology that strives to gather all the relevant information about work assignments you’ve had. The interviewer may in fact be following the framework. Use it to your advantage, to anticipate questions.

    The STAR framework is:

    • Situation: Describe the situation and the problem.
    • Task: What was the goal; what did you have to achieve?
    • Action: What actions did you take to achieve the goal? Did you consider alternatives? Why did you choose one action over the other?
    • Result: What was/were the results of your action? What did you learn? Did you succeed? Have you applied the lessons learned in similar contexts?



  9. Be clear on the next step(s) Before you leave the interviewer, determine the next steps. When will a decision be made? How will you be notified? Are other interviews planned?

  10. Send a Thank-you note afterward Send a brief effective thank you note covering: • Your appreciation for the company’s interest in you. • A recap of your interest in the organization and the position. • A brief summary of your background, skills and qualifications. Include anything you missed before. • Any documentation or other information the employer requested in the interview. • Your intention to follow-up in a week.