Interview Guidebook

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook Introduction

Introduction An interview is a great opportunity to showcase your skills as they relate to the position
you're interviewing for and to highlight what you can offer the company. Additionally, it gives
you the chance to learn more about the opportunity and determine if it would be a good fit.

While it may seem like an overwhelming experience, focused preparation will give you the
best chance to succeed. This document will serve as your guide to acing the interview.

5 EMPLOYER CONCERNS
Five major employer concerns lie behind all interviewing questions, strategies, and techniques.
Understanding these five primary concerns will help you identify the real meaning behind each employer
question, thus enabling you to properly address that concern in your answer.

SKILL CONCERN

Can you do this job?

• Do you possess the skills needed to be productive and make a contribution in a reasonable timeframe?
• Can you prove you have done this job elsewhere?
• If you have not done this job elsewhere, is there enough evidence you have the requisite skills to succeed?

MOTIVATION CONCERN

Will you do this job?

• Even if you possess the skills, are you interested in this position?
• Do you have the energy and self confidence to do the job? Will you be dedicated to this job?
• Will you stay in the role long enough to make a contribution?

Will you get along well with others?

• Will you fit in with the team?

• Will you be a positive influence on the team?
• Will you fit in with the corporate culture?

MANAGEABILITY CONCERN

Are you manageable?

• Will you be easily managed by your manager or supervisor?

• Will you follow and support company policies?
• How well will you take direction?
• Will you support organizational changes?

MONEY CONCERN

Can the company afford you?

• Is the salary range compatible with your salary history?

• Is the amount you want, expect, or need to earn compatible with what the job pays?
• Is the benefit package consistent with your expectations?

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook Before the Interview
Before the Inter

Before the RESEARCH THE COMPANY

Interview It is valuable to know as much as you can about the company, the corporate culture, and the position.
You may be asked what you know about the company, and a knowledgeable response indicates your
resourcefulness and interest level (addressing the Motivation Concern - Will you do the job?). Your
research may also assist you in asking appropriate questions—and in some cases the questions you ask
are as important as any answers you provide. A company web site is the best place to begin learning
about an organization, supplemented with information from its social media accounts, web search, and
third-party sites such as Glassdoor and Vault. Information you can obtain includes company history, core
competencies, annual reports or financial data, key markets, competitors, and insights into the company’s
values and corporate culture.

PREPARE YOURSELF
Being in the right frame of mind and at your best before the interview is essential. Use whatever you have
found to work for you in the past, such as exercising, listening to music, watching or reading inspirational
stories and quotes, meditating, or trying other visualization techniques.

Plan your interview outfit. When you dress appropriately for an interview, you will not only feel more
confident, but you will also make a great first impression and demonstrate to your interviewers that you
take the interview seriously. Although there are exceptions in certain types of organizations where the
corporate culture is very casual, the safest course is standard professional dress. Even organizations that
encourage a casual work environment typically expect a candidate to interview in a more professional
outfit.

Standard professional dress for men consists of a suit (dark, navy, or gray) or sport coat and slacks, and
dress shirt, tie and dress shoes. A suit would be preferable in very conservative environments. In
business casual environments, chino pants with a dress shirt and tie may be appropriate; however, if you
are not sure err on the conservative side. Be sure your nails are manicured and your hair is cut and styled.
People often have adverse reactions to scents so it's best to use very little or no cologne, aftershave, etc.

Standard professional dress for women consists of a suit (dark or tan) or skirt with a blazer and
conservative low pumps. A suit would be preferable in a very conservative environment. In business-
casual environments, dress slacks with a blazer or skirt and blouse is appropriate. Wear minimal jewelry
and be sure your hair is styled. A briefcase, rather than a purse is a nice touch. People often have
adverse reactions to scents so use very little or no perfume.

Next, prepare for travel logistics, allowing for potential traffic delays (or even getting lost), and bring the
following with you to the interview:

• 3-5 original copies of your résumé (offer a fresh clean copy to each interviewer if they don’t have a copy)
• A writing tablet or portfolio and pen
• Examples of your work or visual aids (don't go overboard and plan a PowerPoint presentation—unless
creating presentations is a key skill required for the position, as it would be for a Corporate Trainer.)
• Anything else you may need if you were to spend the better part of the day, as you may have multiple
interviews, go on a tour, or be kept waiting.

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook The Interview

The Interview OPENING

At the beginning of the interview, you have two objectives:

Create rapport.
Interviewers are people like you and me, and generally people want to be around people they like. How a
potential employer feels about you also provides an indication as to how you may get along with others in
the company.

Determine perceived requirements.

Each interviewer will have his or her own take on what skills and strengths are important for this position,
despite any standardized requirements that may exist. It is essential to understand what is important to
this interviewer to ensure that you address his or her concerns during the course of the interview. Ask a
question to get a better sense of the job requirements and the interviewer’s expectations, such as, "What
skills do you consider most important to being successful in this position?" (or alternatively, "What are
some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed in this position?"). This way, you can
address specific concerns and answer questions more appropriately during the course of the interview.

TWO-WAY EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

An interview should be a two-way exchange of information. Too often it's primarily one-way, with the
employer asking questions and a candidate answering them, something characterized as the "good-
student syndrome" as the candidate answers each question and waits for the next. Or, in an attempt to
create two-way communication, the candidate may ask questions in a way that can make the employer
feel interrogated—not a good way to land the job!

Instead, look for an appropriate time during which to ask thoughtful questions. The best method is to
follow up after answering a question by asking a question of your own—not necessarily after every
answer you provide, but enough to create a two-way exchange of information. Ask questions that help
you gauge how effectively you are communicating, such as:

• “Did I answer that question completely?"

• “Is that what you were looking for?"
• Is there any particular aspect on which you would like me to elaborate further?"

Alternatively, ask questions to help you gain more information about the position and perceived
requirements by ending your answers with questions such as "How important is this experience to the
position?".

HOW TO TALK ABOUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Past performance is typically the greatest indicator of future success. While responsibilities may apply to
anyone performing a given job, accomplishments are normally unique to your contribution and have a
powerful effect on your presentation. Don't leave it up to the interviewer to infer how your skills or
accomplishments translate into you succeeding in the new position. After presenting your
accomplishments, tie them into what you know about the perceived requirements with a transition phrase
such as "What this means is ..." and relate how this skill would enable you to quickly produce the specific

Continued…

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook The Interview

The Interview results the company needs. You can use work experience, education, training, avocational, or volunteer
experience in gathering your accomplishments. If you're a recent college graduate, use school projects,
(cont.)
labs, and activities in addition to any internships and jobs you held.

Whenever possible, give an example of an accomplishment using the STAR method

(Situation, Task, Action, Results):

SITUATION OR TASK

First, you identify a recent challenge you faced or a goal you were given based upon the
current situation. Explain what you were required to achieve.
Example: “My company had not been able to keep up with customer service calls using the existing
support system and wanted to deploy a customer support database on its static web site. Because of my
web development background, I offered to research solutions prior to outsourcing the project.”

ACTION

Next, outline the actions or steps you took and the methods, strategies or solutions you used.

Example: "At first it was thought that putting a customer support database on the company's web site
would require an extensive amount of custom programming and a long development period, but my
research identified an off-the-shelf middleware solution that would work with our current web server and
existing database with a relatively small amount of customization.”

RESULTS

Finally, present the results you produced—the benefit to the organization.

Example: “As a result of my research and recommended middleware database solution, we were able to
deploy a searchable customer support database in three weeks, saving the company approximately
$50,000 in development costs and six to eight weeks of development time.”

This example could be used to address many of the employer concerns. Identify a few accomplishments
that tie back to the requirements of the position you are seeking so you’re prepared with a few relevant
accomplishments to discuss during the interview.

HOW TO OVERCOME LIABILITIES

It is unusual to find an exact match between a candidate's qualifications and every possible area of a job's
responsibilities and requirements. Therefore, the key to landing the job often lies in how well you are able
to overcome potential liabilities and present your compensating strengths. To overcome liabilities:

Acknowledge the liability or concern.

Example: "I realize that I'm a little short on applications development experience and I don't have a
degree in Computer Science."

Present compensating strengths.

Example: "However, I do have experience with complex software development projects using JavaScript,
HTML and CSS, and was assigned a lead role due to my technical proficiency."

Express confidence and provide an example.

Example: "I'm certain that I can handle the front-end engineering tasks. In my last position, I worked long
hours and studied on my own time to meet the release deadline; as a result, I believe I’ve accumulated
more experience than normal in a year and a half.”
Continued…

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook The Interview

The Interview Before your interview, you should take an inventory of the responsibilities and qualifications listed in the

(cont.) job posting, and determine what weaknesses you may possess. This will let you better prepare to
overcome these weaknesses should they come up in the interview. The framework above is a great tool
to practice how you might handle a question that is related to one of these weaknesses.

SALARY DISCUSSIONS
Salary discussions are different from salary negotiations. Salary discussions typically center around
what you have made in prior positions and/or what you are seeking to earn in your next position.
Employers will often infer your salary expectations from your salary history. Naturally, the closer your past
salary is to the employer's salary range, the more likely you will accept an offer, be satisfied, and remain
with the company for a reasonable period of time.

Unless you’re interviewing in Massachusetts, Philadelphia, or New York City, be prepared to disclose
your salary history when asked. If your salary history differs significantly from your current expectations
(either higher or lower), you will need to address these differences by reassuring the employer that your
salary history was based upon different circumstances and does not reflect your current expectations.
Often, a significant difference in salary occurs when making a change in careers, industry, type or level of
position, or geographical area or when beginning a new career. Use sites like Glassdoor, PayScale, and
Salary.com, to research salary ranges for someone with your experience and skills in the type of position,
industry and geographical area in which you are interviewing.

Have a target salary in mind before the interview. You have latitude in answering this question and can
provide a range so as not to give a figure that is too high or low. One approach, before committing to a
range is to indicate to the employer that your primary interest is in the opportunity, that you are sure he/
she has a fair range in the budget for the position, and then ask what might that range be? Once the
employer discloses the range, you can confirm that the range mentioned sounds very fair to you.

Often, however, the employer may need a more specific answer from you to proceed. If you have an idea
of the appropriate range from your research, and you fall within it, it's fairly simple to address. Indicate
that you understand the typical range to be from $X to $X and that range corresponds with your
expectations.

If you are currently employed, your particular skills are in relatively high demand, and it's a strong job
market, it may be appropriate to add that you would naturally hope not to make a lateral move—implying
you would expect an increase—however, your primary interest is in the opportunity.

Again, keep in mind that regardless of the demand (high or low) in the job market for your particular skills,
no one really wants to hire someone whose sole interest appears to be money. On the other hand, most
employers would have to question a candidate's perceived value if he or she appears to have no interest
at all in compensation. The key is balancing your needs and the organization's needs by approaching this
issue from a win-win perspective.

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook Closing the Interview

Closing the Toward the end of the interview close, be sure to is the time when you gather essential feedback,
reiteratepresent your qualifying strengths, ask appropriate questions (time permitting), and determine
Interview next steps with your interviewer.

GATHER FEEDBACK
First, you want to gather feedback to help you gauge the interviewer's perception of your strengths and
liabilities. Start by asking something like, "How do you see my strengths relative to this position?" This
should be relatively easy for the interviewer to answer and provides you with important feedback while
paving the way for your next question.

Next, ask, "Are there any concerns you have about my candidacy?” After they answer, you may ask if they
have any other concerns to be sure all the cards are on the table. Resist the temptation to respond
defensively; instead, address the concerns calmly. As described earlier, briefly a) acknowledge the
concern; b) state a value summary of your compensating strengths; c) express confidence in overcoming
the liability using an example from your past; and d) indicate your motivation and desire to achieve
organizational objectives. The information gathered in this step will also help you in crafting a follow-up
letter after the interview is over.

You don't want to appear overly anxious - just confident in your ability to do the job. The goal is to leave
the interviewer with a positive summary of your strengths before he or she starts weighing the strengths
and liabilities of other candidates.

DETERMINE NEXT STEPS

Ask if there will be other interviews or what the next step involves. Keep in mind that it is best to tailor
your close to the personalities of the interviewer and yourself. Employers often conduct more than one
interview before extending an offer.
If there will be additional interviews:

• Express your interest in the position and ask if now is a good time to set up the next interview.
• Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references, work samples, etc.
• Ask for the time frame in which the employer plans to make a decision for the position.

If there will be not additional interviews:

• Express a strong interest in the position and explain that you are excited about the opportunity. An
employer wants someone who wants the job! Many offers are lost simply because the candidate fails to
ask for the position.
• Ask for the time frame in which the employer will be making a decision.
• Ask what you can do in the meantime to answer any further questions.
• Ask if there is anything else you can provide, such as references, work samples, etc.
• If it fits your style, you can add that the only question you have remaining is when you can start.

Always leave on a positive, assumptive note:

• Express your enthusiasm about the opportunity, thank the interviewer for his or her time and express
your pleasure in meeting him or her.

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook Closing the Interview

Closing the ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Interview At the close of the interview, you will often be asked if you have any questions. It's best to choose a few
(cont.) questions you would like to ask about the position, company and overall challenges you will face if an
offer is made and accepted.

Asking questions, along with expressing a strong interest in the position and company, shows that you
are thoughtful about your decisions and want to find a good match. Choose a few questions to ask at the
close and sprinkle others throughout the interview when appropriate. Example questions you can ask
throughout the interview and/or at the close include:

• What are the qualities of the ideal candidate for the position?
• What is the top priority of the person who accepts this position?
• What are the measures of success for the position?
• What are the characteristics of those who have been most successful within the organization?
• What are the immediate goals for the department? In what time frame would you like those results?
• To whom does this position report?
• What is the history of the position? Why did the last person leave the position? (If it’s an existing position)
• What are the career tracks from the position? *This question works best when interviewing with a large
company; small companies, by nature, may not have typical career tracks in place for their employees and —
seeming to have such expectations may be a disqualifying factor.
• What are the major challenges the department/company is facing this year?
• Whom do you see as your key competitor?
• How is new employee orientation and training conducted?
• Can you describe the company's management style? Corporate culture?

WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not ask about salary or benefits until the employer brings up this topic. Your initiation of this subject
shifts the emphasis from what you can do for the company to what the company can do for you. It is best
to wait until the employer initiates the subject.
Never ask for an evaluation of your interviewing skills. This puts the employer on the spot and is
unlikely to produce an accurate response. It also will not give you an indication as to whether you are a
strong candidate.
Don’t ask questions that are readily available online. Employers expect you to do your homework on
the organization and its industry before you enter the interview room. Never ask a question that you can
find the answer to with a simple Google search.
Don't ask obvious questions that call into question an employer's ethics. Questions that put the
employer on the defensive are sure to rule you out of consideration.
Never show discouragement. You have some important follow-up steps to perform that can make all the
difference in obtaining an offer —even if the interview did not seem to go well. Avoid showing
discouragement- or worse, anger- as this will usually rule you out of consideration altogether. Keep a
positive attitude at all times.
Don't ask the employer to make a hiring decision earlier than planned. Most offers are not extended on
the spot. Pressing for an earlier decision because you are considering other offers is risky, since in most
cases you are far more likely to annoy the employer than change his or her timetable.

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook Follow Up

Follow Up Send a follow up message to each interviewer within 24 hours after your interview is over. By sending
a personalized follow-up message, you can effectively address your interest level and demonstrate your
tenacity, professionalism, and ability to follow through—personal and professional qualities that
employers value. Typically, there are several top candidates, each with various strengths and liabilities.
The employer is often faced with a difficult decision. By following up after an interview, you’re creating an
opportunity to tip the scales in your favor!

Keep your email just long enough to address the following points:

• Thank the employer for his or her time and courtesy.

• Comment favorably on your impressions or observations of the company, staff, facility, goals, projects or
philosophy. Don't overdo this - stick to short, yet genuine compliments.

• Remind the interviewer of the skills, training, and strengths you possess that will enable you to make an
immediate contribution. This is a good time to point out any relevant strengths you didn't get a chance to
mention during the interview.)

• Express confidence in overcoming any liabilities the interviewer indicated you had using a past situation
whenever possible, and provide an example of how you will accomplish this.

• Close by expressing a strong interest in the opportunity. If you’re sending your follow-up message via
email, attach an additional copy of your resume.

If you have sent a follow-up note, a reasonable period of time has passed, and you have not heard back,
it is acceptable to send an email to check on the timeline for a decision, re-express your interest, and ask
if the interviewer needs anything else. If you are considering other offers and have a time frame in which
you must make a decision, it would be appropriate to mention this to the interviewer. Be sure to stress
your interest in this position and explain that you don't want to miss this opportunity.

Keep in mind that you want to carry your professionalism and rapport-building skills into this follow-up
phase. You don't want to annoy the employer, but you do want to stay fresh in his or her mind! Even if you
don't receive an offer now, you may be called back for another position in the future.

We look forward to working with you soon.

For more valuable career advice, visit our blog at: www.topresume.com/career-advice

Copyright © 2017 by TopResume, a Talent Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 Interview Guidebook About TopResume

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