Interviewing

On this to-do Tuesday, the only thing on my list for today is a job interview.  I have a 3 hour time-slot with 5 different people interviewing me today.   So here is my process for getting ready for the interview:

• First – I do my homework on the company.  The best resource I’ve found for any company is there SEC filings which are usually available in the investor relations section of the company’s website.  You can find a LOT of information about the strategy the company is following and who they consider their biggest competitors as well as the financial health of the company.  All good things to know.
• Second – I check the LinkedIn profiles of each of the people I’m interviewing with.  You never know what you might have in common – and if their profiles are really good, you may get a sense of what kind of boss/co-worker they would be.
• Third – I review the job description and make notes of items from my past that line up well with the needs of the role.  And I practice how I would frame up answers using facts, figures and stories of similar past projects.  While I’m doing this, I put the all the job related info (job description, correspondence, etc.) into a folder to take to the interview with me.  That makes it easy to refer to anything during the interview itself.  And hint – always tuck a couple extra copies of your resume into the folder too!
• Fourth – I pick out my outfit.  This is trickier than it seems these days.  You can be really out of place wearing a suit in a casual workplace so I’ve started asking the HR person about appropriate attire.
• Fifth – I try to get a good night’s sleep, get up early and have a good breakfast.  Taking care of myself means I can easily get into the right frame of mind — and avoid my stomach growling in the middle of the interview!
• Last but not least, allow enough time to drive there – take traffic and propensity to get lost into consideration!  Blast the confidence inspiring music and knock them out!

Wish me luck – I’d really love to get an offer!