Glassdoor Blog » job interviews

What To Bring To An Interview

onTargetjobs — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:00:19 +0000

You’ve sent out dozens of resumes. You’ve been through several pre-interview screenings over the phone. Now you’ve finally received a request for an in-person interview and your anxiety is through the roof. Will they like you? Will you get the job? Is it a good job? Should you wait for a better job? When all these questions are swirling through your mind, it’s easy to lose focus and head out unprepared. Instead, take a deep breath and spend some time gathering these essentials to bring with you.

1. Bring a fabulous outfit – On your person, of course. It is nearly impossible to overdress for an interview. While a ball gown or coat and tails would be pushing it, you’d certainly make an impression. Dressing well shows you respect the time of the interviewer, the potential position, and yourself. Don’t wear lounge pants, pajama bottoms, sweats, jeans, inappropriate message t-shirts or smelly athletic shoes.

2. Bring directions – Even if you’re gifted with an infallible sense of direction (as most males tend to believe they are), take the time to map out a route to the interview location. Use Google Maps or GPS on your phone. Even better, make a trial run in person to scope out the traffic and parking situations.

3. Bring identification – You shouldn’t be driving or wandering the city without it. You may actually need your driver’s license if the building is secured or you’re asked to fill out the company’s employment application.

4. Bring a notebook and pen – If you need to write down notes about next steps, you don’t want to have to ask your interviewer for a pen and paper. Don’t bring a large bag or full backpack. You want to look organized and not like you lug everything you own around with you.

5. Bring your notes – It’s not uncommon to be nervous before an interview, so write down important details you may otherwise forget such as the interviewer’s name and title. You should also bring questions to ask about the position and the company during the interview. Don’t bring questions about salary or benefits until you’ve actually received a job offer.

6. Bring copies of your resume – Bring at least two. It can be helpful to have one to refer to yourself and another to give to the interviewer if he or she does not have the one you originally submitted.

7. Bring work samples – If you’re applying for a position in a creative field, such as graphic design, you may want to show the interviewer your portfolio if time allows. If you’d rather not haul around hard copies of your work, consider a digital portfolio stored on your iPad or netbook.

8. Bring your references –It’s common practice to include names, relationships and contact information of three people who can provide a reference regarding your professional skills and three who can provide a reference as to your personal integrity. Don’t bring unqualified references. These include people who do not know you intend to use them as a reference.

9. Bring a winning attitude – Times are tough and everyone knows it. If you’ve been unemployed for awhile, don’t let that affect the attitude you present during the interview. Be cheerful and enthusiastic. Don’t bring negativity, complaints about the economy or your previous employers.

Be confident! If you’re progressing to an in-person interview, the company is very interested in you as a potential employee. Arm yourself with these essentials and you’re more than halfway there. – Originally posted on onTargetjobs by Angela Rose

What To Bring To An Interview is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

How To Tell The ‘Story of You’ In A Job Interview: Part 2 – Plots

Rusty Rueff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:51:32 +0000

Last week I wrote about the importance of being able to tell a good story about yourself in an interview. Before we even get into the structure of the story creation, “the story of you” should be made up of at least six mini-plots that you need to know about yourself. Storytelling expert, Andy Goodman, talks to non-profit organizations about the stories that they need to be able to tell in order to catalyze patrons to give. Those stories or plots, with a little modification, hold up for the stories we need to be ready to tell about ourselves in an interview. Before we put any of this into the classic structure of narrative, start now with knowing these things about yourself:

The “nature of your challenge” story – Can you articulate what the challenge is that you are trying to overcome? People want to help each other, but they can’t and won’t unless they can identify with the challenge of others.

The “where you started” story – Are you comfortable talking about the core of who you are and where you started as it relates to what makes you up today?

The “emblematic success” story - Do you have the two to three successes cataloged that emphasize and bring out what makes you uniquely successful?

The “your performance” story - Can you point to and talk about your performance in an objective way that expresses clearly your values and principles for not only what you can do, but how you do it?

The “striving to learn and improve” story - Can you express how you learn from your mistakes and successes and what you are doing to continuously improve?

The “where you are going” story – Can you describe what you want to do, where you want to be in the future, and when you want to get there? Everyone has a dream, but I am always so surprised with how few people can describe and tell the story of their dreams.

Within the next week, take the mini-stories/plots for you and see if you can write them down as if you were telling them to me or someone else. Don’t worry about how long they are right now, just get them down on a piece of paper. Next week, we will start to work with the structure of the three acts of a story and begin scripting your own story to tell.

How To Tell The ‘Story of You’ In A Job Interview: Part 2 – Plots is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

How to Tell the ‘Story of You’ in A Job Interview: Part 1

Rusty Rueff — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:02 +0000

So, you have gotten the interview that you desired and you know that you are going to be asked once, twice, maybe five or six times, some question that is like, “so, tell me about you”. You then have five to seven minutes to tell your story. When I interview people I usually give them a chance to tell me about themselves and tell me their story. Of the thousands of interviews I have conducted in my career, I can tell you that few of those stories stand out. And why don’t they? It’s because they are not told as stories. Instead, what I receive is a regurgitation of their resume and a data dump that lasts too long and is far from being interesting. As my mind wanders off to something else, I want so desperately to hear a story of intrigue. Storytelling and narrative is our oldest form of communication. An expert on the impact of storytelling, Andy Goodman, says “storytelling is how we mark our history, establish our identity, and how we remember.” He also says that each of us are the product of a storytelling equation:

Stories you want to tell – Stories nobody wants to hear = Stories you tell…that end up being you

But, if more of us knew how to tell a good story, then we wouldn’t just respond to an interviewer’s opportunity for us to tell our story with just data and facts. Instead, we would take those five to seven minutes and tell a story about ourselves that is unique and unforgettable. There is a structure and art to storytelling that in the context of a job interview we will explore over the next few weeks and by the time we end this series of posts, I hope that each of you will have scripted the powerful and compelling story that is you.

Next week…the six plots that make up your personal career story.

How to Tell the ‘Story of You’ in A Job Interview: Part 1 is a post from: Glassdoor Blog