1. Interview Making The Interview Work

2. The Clothes Make the Job Seeker • Interview clothes should be clean and pressed • Take a neutral-colored umbrella in case it rains • Make good-quality copies of your resume on nice grade paper • Make sure your purse or briefcase is stocked with everything you need such as pen (not pencils), notebook, breath mints, comb, and umbrella

3. Practice • Dedicate one night prior to the interview to a mock Q & A • Make up questions and practice with a friend • Don’t panic if you are not asked the same questions

4. Do Your Homework • Spend at least two days researching the company • Take notes • Memorize important facts • Use your homework when you practice

5. Interview with Body Language • Make eye contact but don’t over do it • If you are offered a chair, sit and lean forward not backward • Avoid strong expressions—be conservative • Offer a strong handshake with a toothy smile

6. Negative Signs • Hand behind the head—universal sign of annoyance • Palm down gestures—reserved for authority figures • Tilting heads—great for courtship but not an interview • Laughter—laugh with the interviewer but don’t interrupt with laughter on your own

7. Ten Sample Questions • Which supervisors have you found easiest to work with and which have been most difficult? • What did you like best and least about your previous job? • Have you ever had to get a point across to different types of people? Give me an example and tell me what approach you would take. • Describe a work-related problem you had to face recently? What did you do to deal with it?

8. Give me an example of a time you found it necessary to make an exception to the rules in order to get something done. • What was the best decision you ever made? What were the alternatives? How did you go about making it? • Give me an example of a time you did more than what was required in your job. • Tell me about a time you had to gain the cooperation of a group over which you had little or no authority. What did you do? How effective were you? • Have you ever had trouble learning a new method or procedure? How did you deal with that situation? • Tell me about a problem you have had that would affect more than one department. How did you try to solve it? The End . . .