THE INTERVIEW
Preparing For The Interview
Learn
as much as you can about the company you are interviewing
with. This is not as time consuming as you would
think.
Start by looking at the company's website. Search
other areas such as Google, Hoovers, BusinessWeek.com.
You will want to know the sales of company, where
it is headquartered, what products it sells. Up
to date news is important in the medical industry,
so be certain to look at the dates that press releases
came out. You will want to know if the company is
privately held or if the company is publicly traded.
What has the company's stock price been doing?
If you know someone who works for the company, talk
to them. Ask what it's like to work there.
Find out who the company's competitors are, and
learn something about them, as well. What is happening
in the industry? Are there any significant changes
taking place? Any major opportunities, challenges,
pending or recent legislation, etc?
Take time to review potential interview questions.
Questions such as: "tell me about a time when…"
or "why should I hire you?"
What To Bring
Bring
several copies of your resume.
It is important to share your results, so be sure
to bring with you documentation or a "brag
book".
A "brag book" does not have to be long;
in fact many times it has more impact when it is
succinct. It should contain numbers or rankings
that the company has provided you with. It is helpful
to include in your brag book past performance evaluation
and letters from managers or clients. Bringing a
sample of a presentation that you may have done
or contributed to is also very helpful. Each of
these tools allows the manager to get to know you
over and above your resume.
A commonly asked question is "should I leave
a copy behind?" Our answer: "Use your
discretion. It is up to you and the situation on
whether to leave your brag book behind."
What To Ask
We
have had very good candidates not get the offer
because of the questions they asked or didn't ask.
This is an integral part of the interview process.
Make a list of questions.
These questions should be well thought out. The
question, "how long is training?" should
not be on your list for the first interview. If
this is important, you may want to reach out to
the recruiter, if you are using one, or ask the
question, "how is training designed?"
An important question to add to your list is: "Can
I have a copy of your business card?"
The Follow Up
Many
candidates forget to send a thank you note. Some
managers put a lot of weight on this and if a candidate
does not send a note, he/she can move from first
to last.
You can leave a note behind in the lobby, you can
e-mail or you can overnight a handwritten note,
whichever you are most comfortable with.
If the manager asked any questions of you in the
interview that you can follow up with, i.e. documentation
or account overview, it is important to follow up
in a timely manner.
For
more information about interviewing and questions
please click here for
book suggestions.
