Best Practices Interview Checklist for Before and After the Interview
Before the Interview:
Do your research: we cannot stress this enough!
Look up the company’s website – search their news section to find out any interesting things the company is involved with. Knowing their business is the best way to show you are interested in the position you are interviewing for.
Look up the individuals you will be interview with. If you know their names then you can do research by a Google search and by looking at their LinkedIn profiles. You might find interesting facts or things you can relate to them with, like working at the same company previously, going to the same school, etc. Any information that you can find out is helpful and may help you network or get referrals from people they know.
Know the details: when, where, with whom, etc.
When is the interview? Arrive at least 15 minutes early – if you are 15 minutes early, then you are on time.
Is it over the phone or in person? If in person, do you have the address? It is highly recommended to drive to the area the day before to make sure you know where you are going and won’t get lost/flustered the day of the interview.
Find out whom you should ask for when you get to the interview and who you will meet with at the interview.
Technical interviews: brush up your skill set
Make sure you brush up on the technology in the job description to be prepared for any questions they may ask you.
Show interest: ask questions
Nothing shows more interest than asking good, detailed questions about the company and the position.
You will want to avoid questions related to salary/compensation, flex time, or telecommuting – this shows you are more interested in what is in it your you vs. showing them what is in it for them. Once they have shown interest in you, then it is OK to ask these types of questions, but not before.
After the Interview:
Send a “thank you” email to each individual interviewer as soon as possible after the interview. Make sure to send unique emails to each person, not the same one across the board. This shows you really took the time to get to know and communicate with each member of your new potential company.
