The 12 To-Do's for Interviews

These apply to 80% of the situations. If you are interviewing with a Google, Apple, or Oprah these might not apply.

1. Know the Journalistic Six surrounding the interview.


2. Prepare for a "behaviorial interview." Be ready to give specific examples of situations you've been in and how you handled them. These may vary depending upon the job you're applying for. Here are some common ones.


3. Wear the right thing. If it is an interview for an internal promotion, wear any pins that you may have received from the organization.
   
4. Bring:
   a) folio, or equivalent, that has three copies of your resume in it;
   b) a pen (preferably one from the company you're interviewing with);
   c) a room temperature bottle of water with you (cold may give you "squeaky voice").
   
5. Arrive early.
   
6. Ask the receptionist to direct you to the bathroom once onsite then use it.
   
7. Smile at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Check for spinach.
   
8. Shake hands confidently without being aggressive. No dead-fish. Smile and say, "Thank you for allowing me to interview today."
   
9. Let them do most of the talking. If they start off with "tell me about yourself" reply with "Please tell me more about the position so that I know what you're looking for."
   
10. Ask if you can take notes; if they say yes---make sure you take some.
    
11. Ask for a business card, with a mailing address, of the people you interviewed with.
    
12. Send a hand-written thank you note to each person you interviewed with.