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Interview Tips

The interview (whether with an employer or a client) is one of the most poignant parts of your self promotion package. Everything else leads up to these few moments.

Some Pitfalls to Avoid

  1. Don’t ramble.
  2. Telling your interviewer more than they need (or want) to know can be fatal. Your stories should be 60 seconds long or less and they should have a relevant point. Remember to Focus. Resist the urge to fill up any silent periods with unnecessary talk.
  3. Don’t be overly familiar.
  4. A good interviewer will put you at ease, that’s what they are supposed to do, but that doesn’t mean they have just become your best friend. Don’t let your guard down in an interview. The interview is a business meeting. You have come to answer questions and to get answers to your questions.
  5. Don’t be too needy.
  6. Interviewers pick up on this right away, and it turns some of them off just as quick. You do need air and water, you do not need this job. Remember to keep things in perspective.
  7. 4. Don’t forget to show your interest in the company.
  8. Read about the company before you go and arrive with a few questions to ask about the company. Try to ask What, How, and Why questions instead of yes/no questions. Get your interviewer to talk and then take notes.

Something to Smile About

I can’t resist; I want share my favorite interview story:

I arrived early for an interview with a large international company nestled in the Salt Lake City valley. A secretary led me to the third floor and into a small room. A man entered, introduced himself as another instructional designer, and mumbled an apology because he was new at this. Then a tall thin woman entered, introducing herself as an area supervisor. As the nervous man worked down his list of unremarkable questions, and as I answered them, the woman fell asleep. The interview lasted 25 minutes and she slept for 20 of them.

It was comical the way the man and I endeavored to ignore the sleeping woman, him trying not to appear mortified and me trying not to look at the woman. A few days later, the company offered me a contract but I had already taken another opportunity.