SMART Job Seeker Cheat Sheet: Interview Talking Points

By Mary Salvino, Career Management Coach

This easy-to-use cheat sheet pulls together the best tips, tricks, and advice from our archives.  It has been created to provide clear recommendations on how to address the most common areas for improvement related to face-to-face interviews: 

• Do your homework – Be prepared to talk about the following:
• The company
• Trends that affect the industry
• The competition
• Do some research on those who will be conducting the interview
• Pull out a copy of your résumé and the job advertisement – Bring extra copies of your résumé
• Review the job description and give examples of how your skill set and experience matches those required by the company – Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible
• Be prepared to address any employment gaps – N.B. A lousy economy can only part of the reason.  Have you gone back to school to upgrade your skills?
• Have a pad of paper and nice pen to write with – Refrain from using pens that have advertising on them unless they belong to the company with which you are interviewing
• If you are being interviewed by a panel of people, use the pad to write down the names of the people in the room and where they are positioned in the room in relation to where you are sitting
• Make eye-contact with everyone in the room, offer your hand to shake and smile like you mean it
• When you get the opportunity to sit down, sit up straight and lean forward in your chair -  If you are sitting across from someone’s desk, do not encroach on their personal space

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Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Show you care and share this article with your colleagues, coworkers and friends. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2013, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog authored by Mary Salvino, the Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. It is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future career opportunities. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please send an e-mail to Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca.