{"id":1522,"date":"2016-09-07T13:50:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T13:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1522"},"modified":"2024-04-30T22:47:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T22:47:56","slug":"text-preparing-for-a-job-interview","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/chapter\/text-preparing-for-a-job-interview\/","title":{"raw":"Preparing for a Job Interview","rendered":"Preparing for a Job Interview"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe\u00a0effective strategies to prepare for an interview<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nIf your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and cover letter have served their purposes well, you will be invited to participate in an interview with the company or organization you're interested in. Congratulations! It\u2019s an exciting time, and your prospects for employment are very strong if you put in the time to be well prepared.\r\n\r\nIn this section, we look at how to get ready\u00a0for an\u00a0interview, what types of interviews you might need to engage in, and what kinds of questions you might be asked.\r\n<h2>Preparing Effectively for a Job Interview<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Review the Job Description<\/h3>\r\nWhen you prepare for an interview, your first step will be to carefully read and reread the job posting or job description. This will help you develop a clearer idea of how you meet the skills and attributes the company seeks.\r\n<h3>Research the Company or Organization<\/h3>\r\nResearching the company will give you a wider view of what the company is looking for and how well you might fit in. Your prospective employer may ask you what you know about the company. Being prepared to answer this question shows that you took time and effort to prepare for the interview and that you have a genuine interest in the organization. It shows good care and good planning\u2014soft skills you will surely need on the job.\r\n<h3>Practice Answering Common Questions<\/h3>\r\nMost interviewees find that practicing the interview in advance with a family member, a friend, or a colleague eases possible nerves during the actual interview. It also creates greater confidence when you walk through the interview door. In the Interview Questions section below, you'll learn more about specific questions you will likely be asked and corresponding strategies for answering them. It's also a good idea to have some success stories prepared so you're ready to describe your qualifications and experience to a prospective employer.\r\n<h3>Plan to Dress Appropriately<\/h3>\r\nInterviewees are generally most properly dressed for an interview in business attire, with the goal of looking highly professional in the eyes of the interviewer. Check out this <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.depaul.edu\/career-center\/services-resources\/Documents\/DePaulCC-43-DressForSuccess.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resource from DePaul University on how to dress for success at a job interview.<\/a> Learn exactly what is meant by business casual.\r\n<h3>Come Prepared<\/h3>\r\nPlan to bring your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, cover letter, and a list of references to the interview. You may also want to bring a portfolio of representative work. Leave behind coffee, chewing gum, and any other items that could be distractions.\r\n<h3>Be Confident<\/h3>\r\nAbove all, interviewees should be confident and courageous. By doing so, you make a strong first impression. As the saying goes, \u201cThere is never a second chance to make a first impression.\u201d\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/27205832\/25798282325_49af72b901_c.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-3439 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/27205832\/25798282325_49af72b901_c.jpg\" alt=\"Three women talking at a conference table\" width=\"799\" height=\"534\" \/><\/a>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/5aeb6800-56b6-4987-ab3e-097ecc42206a\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Describe\u00a0effective strategies to prepare for an interview<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>If your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and cover letter have served their purposes well, you will be invited to participate in an interview with the company or organization you&#8217;re interested in. Congratulations! It\u2019s an exciting time, and your prospects for employment are very strong if you put in the time to be well prepared.<\/p>\n<p>In this section, we look at how to get ready\u00a0for an\u00a0interview, what types of interviews you might need to engage in, and what kinds of questions you might be asked.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparing Effectively for a Job Interview<\/h2>\n<h3>Review the Job Description<\/h3>\n<p>When you prepare for an interview, your first step will be to carefully read and reread the job posting or job description. This will help you develop a clearer idea of how you meet the skills and attributes the company seeks.<\/p>\n<h3>Research the Company or Organization<\/h3>\n<p>Researching the company will give you a wider view of what the company is looking for and how well you might fit in. Your prospective employer may ask you what you know about the company. Being prepared to answer this question shows that you took time and effort to prepare for the interview and that you have a genuine interest in the organization. It shows good care and good planning\u2014soft skills you will surely need on the job.<\/p>\n<h3>Practice Answering Common Questions<\/h3>\n<p>Most interviewees find that practicing the interview in advance with a family member, a friend, or a colleague eases possible nerves during the actual interview. It also creates greater confidence when you walk through the interview door. In the Interview Questions section below, you&#8217;ll learn more about specific questions you will likely be asked and corresponding strategies for answering them. It&#8217;s also a good idea to have some success stories prepared so you&#8217;re ready to describe your qualifications and experience to a prospective employer.<\/p>\n<h3>Plan to Dress Appropriately<\/h3>\n<p>Interviewees are generally most properly dressed for an interview in business attire, with the goal of looking highly professional in the eyes of the interviewer. Check out this <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.depaul.edu\/career-center\/services-resources\/Documents\/DePaulCC-43-DressForSuccess.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resource from DePaul University on how to dress for success at a job interview.<\/a> Learn exactly what is meant by business casual.<\/p>\n<h3>Come Prepared<\/h3>\n<p>Plan to bring your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, cover letter, and a list of references to the interview. You may also want to bring a portfolio of representative work. Leave behind coffee, chewing gum, and any other items that could be distractions.<\/p>\n<h3>Be Confident<\/h3>\n<p>Above all, interviewees should be confident and courageous. By doing so, you make a strong first impression. As the saying goes, \u201cThere is never a second chance to make a first impression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/27205832\/25798282325_49af72b901_c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3439 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/605\/2016\/09\/27205832\/25798282325_49af72b901_c.jpg\" alt=\"Three women talking at a conference table\" width=\"799\" height=\"534\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_5aeb6800-56b6-4987-ab3e-097ecc42206a\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/5aeb6800-56b6-4987-ab3e-097ecc42206a?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_5aeb6800-56b6-4987-ab3e-097ecc42206a\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1522\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Bruce. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>wocintech stock - 181. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: WOCinTech Chat. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/FiGWx8\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/FiGWx8<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":18,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Linda Bruce\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"wocintech stock - 181\",\"author\":\"WOCinTech Chat\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/FiGWx8\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"628fd488-4f98-4ca6-86d4-b0ba62081da0, 0fbfa5ff-deaa-4472-a49e-d87bb9466bcf","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1522","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":58,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7529,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1522\/revisions\/7529"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/58"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1522\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1522"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1522"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}