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SGT William Howell
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Edited 7 y ago
I do interviews everyday. Prepare, Prepare Prepare. You can listen to all the music you want, but if you go into a job interview and have no clue what they do, or what your resume says, and how you will fit into the company you are going to tank it.

Research the company. When they were founded, what they produce, and who their customers are. That lets the interviewer know you are serious about the job.

Know your resume. We are all guilty of boosting our resume. My job as an interviewer is to find out if you actually know anything about what you say you know. If it is on your resume and you can't tell me about it I know you are a bullshitter and you padded your resume. I'll cut that interview short.

Prepare talking points to highlight you. Prepare segues to guide the conversation to your accomplishments.

Last, Smile every so often! It sounds stupid but it does 2 things. One, it causes your body to relax and take a moment to pause and regroup. Two, is sends a message to the interviewer that you are a nice person. Not just because they see your teeth, but our body is trained to know that when we smile it is because we like something. It causes other parts of the body to reflect ques that most interviewers will interpret as likable. If I don't like somebody I am not going to hire them, especially if I have the option of another person.

This is not really about the interview process, but if you can, pull a D and B on the company you are going to go to work for. It is a credit report for companies. The last thing you want is to go to work for a company that can't pay their bills. I have made that mistake. You will get paid, but companies will not do business with credit risk. My last company I had over $100,000 of product sold (at a 5% commission) and we could not produce it all at once because we could not buy enough raw materials to make it. I finally had to leave because I had to stop selling and it was killing my take home pay. I would also make sure to check Glassdoor to see how the company is ran, what they pay, and if they have a bunch of turn over.

Know your salary range. Don't price yourself out of a job, but don't sell yourself short. It will take years to get to a competitive salary if you start out low. On the other side, if you are asking for more than the CEO is making to scrub floors you are not going to get the job. If I get a person that is asking for 25%+ more than the position pays I just stop the interview, tell them they are not going to be a good fit and show them the door. Know how much the position pays and what the competition pays. Start out asking for 10-15% more. As long as you are in the ballpark you can come down a bit and they can come up.

Don't tell anybody you are nervous. That is just stupid. You need to come across as confident (but not cocky), genuine, likeable and honest. Most importantly you have to stand out above the others interviewing. Don't listen to music or go watch a movie, get on the computer, do some research, and act like you want to get a job. Millennials!!!!

Just my thoughts.
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SGT William Howell
SGT William Howell
7 y
LT John Chang - I just don't get this Millennial mentality of "Dude, I got a degree in dog anatomy. I should be the CEO of a Fortune 500 right out of college because I read about being one and it sounded cool. Now I am going to watch Jackass and listen to Imagine Dragons when I should be prepping.
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Danielle Gray
Danielle Gray
7 y
Great advice! I'm torn with whether or not it's a good idea to come clean about being nervous. I think it depends on how they say it and how they present it.
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SGT William Howell
SGT William Howell
7 y
Danielle Gray - An interview is nothing more than selling yourself to the interviewer. No 2 sales calls ever go the same, but you have to establish a relationship no matter what. It may be relieving the nervousness. I typically find something they are interested in and ask questions. That usually leads to followup questions and a dialog. After that pick a spot to segue into talking about you. You are correct in that a lot of what you say is in who you say it and what your body language is saying. Body language, especially when speaking in English, tells the person what you are saying and reinforces the words.
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LT John Chang
LT John Chang
7 y
SGT William Howell - lol, y, if you're a fan of the Walking Dead like me, it's really a modern day fable for how you have survivors (most of the folks here on Rallypoint) vs. those who wouldn't cut it outside the safety of our walls.

Danielle Gray Regarding nervousness, the thing I've learned is that usually it comes from focusing on yourself. If you worry more about how can you help this other person or their company, you'll find that the nervous energy fizzles away. It's not magic - just think about where your blood flow goes when you're self-conscious? You're flush, and it's a vicious cycle. Now be calm, and really focus on paying attention to the other person. Your heart beat is regular, and a natural blood flow returns. Weird, huh?
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SPC John Lebiecki
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Just go in and own it.
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MSG Brad Sand
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Know what you want and go out and get it.
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