Job Interview Tips That Make a Lasting Impression

You only have one shot to make the best possible impression during a job interview.  With thoughtful preparation and execution you can make a lasting impression that will help you seal the deal.

Be prepared with some knowledge about the company beforehand.  Check out their website to learn about the history of the company and what they offer their customers.  Look for the latest annual report under Investor Relations on the company’s website. If they are privately held, you’ll need to rely on outside sources for information normally reported in an Annual Report.  If they are a non- profit, they need to report financial and regulatory information and make it publicly available.  You should be able to find that information on their website.

Find out if the company owns any subsidiary companies, if so know what products or services the company provides.  Who is their target customer or market?  Do they market their products mostly to business professionals, homemakers, scientists?

Which states or countries do they do business in?  Are their products and services huge in Brazil, or is the East Coast of the US their biggest market?  Know approximately how many employees they have, both in the US and worldwide.

Find out about the financial health of the company from the annual report, general business, and financial publications.  Know a few facts about what is going on with the company right now.  Search for current articles written about the company and high level leaders in general business publications, industry trade journals, and their web site.  How much revenue and profit do they generate?  What’s the current stock price?  

What was the stock’s overall performance in the last year - did it plummet to new lows, hold steady, or skyrocket?  Know some key events that happened in the company in the last year.  Did they have a huge product launch 6 months ago?  Did they lay off 5,400 people?  Have they expanded into new markets or regions?

Find out about their top 2 or 3 competitors, the products and services they offer, and some current facts about what competitors are doing.

Ask the interviewer intelligent questions about the company, the department you’ll be working in, and possible career paths.  For example, let’s say you are interviewing for a position with PetSmart, a huge retail pet supply company.  Ask what the interviewer thinks their greatest advantage is over Petco, one of their key competitors.  Be a bit provocative and ask the interviewer what s/he thinks Petco does well, what advantages they might have over PetSmart, and how the company is working to overcome that.

Ask what key challenges the interviewer thinks the company faces in the next 18 months and how they plan to address them. Ask the same question about what challenges the specific department you will be working in is facing.  Is their biggest challenge how to respond to a failing economy, the growth of online competitors, challenges around making sense of  huge volumes of online feedback?  Listen for things that someone with your education and background, have to offer that might help them overcome those challenges.  

For example, if increasing regulations and legislation around financial reporting is a challenge for them, and you majored in Finance, your finance education may help address some of their challenges.  Perhaps you can point out some interesting points you’ve learned about the growing regulatory or legislative environment and how to address them from a financial standpoint.  Any interesting case studies you can discuss? 

If the growing online presence of competitors is a concern and you have ideas about how to effectively market products and services online, start a discussion around that.  Point out some of the things you’ve learned about how to create a web marketing strategy and a strong online presence.  Discuss web design tools you are familiar with and any relevant projects you may have worked on, including those you worked on in school if you are a relatively recent graduate.

If the interviewer asks why you are leaving your current job, tell them you’ve enjoyed working at your former organization, but it’s time to move on and broaden your experience.   Never make negative statements about your former employer, bosses, or colleagues in an interview.  I mean never, ever.

Interviewers often like to ask about your strengths and weaknesses, or “development areas”, as they are often called.  Strengths are easy, but be careful about  “development areas”.  Don’t list more than one.  There are a lot of pat answers that are often suggested such as “I’m a perfectionist”, “I work too hard” or other insincere responses.  Most interviewers see right through such answers.  Think honestly about your development areas, and use common sense.  Don’t tell an interviewer that you have no patience for the incompetence of others, or that you just don’t have a head for financials. 

You’d like to say that you can’t think of any offhand, but most interviewers won’t let you off the hook so easily.  Safer development areas might be a need to further expand a certain skill or area of knowledge, or obtaining a specific certification.   Statements like these can highlight a development area without making it sound as though you lack the skills or attributes they need.  Say something like:  “Although I have strong project management skills, I am not yet PMI/PMP certified”, or “It’s early in my career, and although I’ve got a decent size network of people within the industry, I need to focus on further expanding my network”.  Whatever statements you make, be prepared to answer how you are addressing, or will address, the development area.   Then make sure you do work to address it as soon as you land the job. 

Thoughtful background research and relevant questions about the company and their direction demonstrate that you’re serious about the job and that you understand the company, their challenges and their goals . Solid preparation will help you make a lasting impression that is sure to move you to the top of the candidate list!

How to Navigate the Office Holiday Party Like a Pro

Ho Ho Ho, it’s that time of year again, when invitations to office holiday parties start to roll in.  Holiday events can provide a great opportunity to network and make a positive impression.  They also have the potential to be catastrophic, and can even derail a promising career.  Throughout my lengthy corporate career, it still amazes me that there is always at least one clueless employee that drinks too much at the holiday bash and either passes out drunk, pukes in view of everyone, dances on tables, or has to be driven home because they can’t walk straight. 

You are always making a lasting impression, even at holiday parties given by your company, clients, networking groups, or vendors.  Although a festive holiday mood may prevail, people still perceive you as an employee or representative of your company.  Your conduct should reflect that, no matter how festive the atmosphere.

One young man I worked with did not comprehend the difference between an office “party” and a purely social event.  When the office holiday party rolled around, he drank as though he were at a college frat party, taking full advantage of the free food and booze.  Losing his inhibitions, he danced and flirted with abandon. One of the songs the DJ played had the “F” word in it, and he boisterously sang along, raising his voice considerably during the verse where the “F” word was sung.  Back at the office the next day, everyone chuckled about his behavior and the massive hangover he must have had the next day.  Within weeks he was fired.

Office holiday parties and events are a great way to make a good impression and expand your professional network.  Once you receive an invitation to a company party or event, here are some things to think about that will help you prepare to make the most of the opportunity:

• Dress appropriately for the event and the venue.  Don’t dress like you’re going clubbing.  Avoid wearing cute holiday outfits such as a sweater with reindeer or Christmas kitty-cats all over.  You are there to network amongst your colleagues and make a good impression, not to be a party animal or play Mrs. Clause.
• Keep your alcohol consumption under control so you can project professionalism.
• If the event is a sit down lunch or dinner, it’s not the time to be “fashionably late”.  Arrive on time.  
• If there’s dancing, keep it low key.  Don’t bump & grind your co-worker, no matter how much you may want to!  
• Keep conversation clean and appropriate.  This isn’t a forum for you to get on your soapbox or risk offending anyone.  Steer clear of discussing politics, religion, or other controversial topics.  Stick to neutral subjects such as company business, general business events or non-controversial news and events.
• Mind your manners!  If the event is a lunch or dinner, make sure you exhibit basic table manners;  use the correct fork, don’t slurp soup or beverages, never speak with your mouth full, and don’t drink out of the finger bowl!  If you are ignorant about basic table manners, browse through some etiquette tips beforehand.  If you exhibit bad manners, you may not be invited to future events where clients or company executives will be present.
• Don’t stand around huddled in a circle with the people you work with every day.  Spend some quality time with them, but use the opportunity to meet & greet others. Be prepared with an introductory line and a few interesting topics to discuss when you meet new colleagues at the event.  A good introductory line will provide your name, what area of the company you work in, and one thing you’re currently working on. 

If you are greeting a colleague you don’t know very well, or someone at a higher level, be prepared with something you can talk about that will help them link you to your department or a specific project.  For example, if you are meeting a high level leader for the first time, say something like: “Hi, I’m Katie Haywood, it’s a pleasure to meet you.  I work in Jay Jammer’s group in the Marketing department.  My team is revamping the vendor request process used to purchase prospect lists.  We're re-engineering the process in order to reduce costs.”

The leader will probably say something like: “Oh, that’s great.  Hopefully you’ll identify some cost savings for us this quarter.  So how’s the project going?”  S/he may already know how it’s progressing but wants to see what you have to say about the progress, and may also be using the opportunity to get to know some of his/her staff a little better.  This leader can now associate your name with a worthy project, and will make an effort to remember you. 

Before the party, give yourself an unofficial goal such as meeting 2-3 new colleagues and at least one high level leader at the event.  If you’re feeling confident, continue to meet & greet new people.  Even if you are working on what you consider to be a menial project, good leaders realize that everyone on a team is important.  No matter how great or small your contribution, it is important to the company.  Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to a much higher level person and briefly explain what you do.

Keep your conversations brief, to about 5 or 10 minutes. The objective is to meet new people, expand your network, and make a good impression. 

The key to not feeling awkward at holiday events, and taking advantage of the networking opportunity is to be prepared so you don’t wander around feeling like the village idiot, or stand in uncomfortable silence as you think of something to say.  Happy Holiday Networking!