Black Collegian Career Center

Questions race through your mind. How can I convince them that I am the best person for the job? Will the company cover my travel expenses? Should I ask that question, or am I expected to know? What about the interview and evaluation processes? Do the same rules and procedures apply at the corporate office that applied on campus, and will the same techniques that I succeeded with there work here? Before you go off the deep end, let's look at some things you should do before, during, and after the interview to improve your chances at this phase of the selections.

James J. Howard, Manager, Human Resources Administration for the Ford Foundation, cautions that, so far, all you really have is an airline ticket and a hotel room: "The fact that they put you on a plane doesn't mean you're a 'shoo-in' for the job."

Learn About the Company

Do you think it took a lot of homework to get to this point? Well, think again, because the work has only begun. When preparing for your on-campus interview, you obtained information about the company, its products, profits, opportunities and image, so that you could engage in meaningful dialogue with the campus interviewer.

Ramona Frazier, Corporate Manager, Human Resources for the Woolworth Corporation, suggests that for the second interview with the same employer you should continue to research the company, researching it even more thoroughly than you did for your campus interview. Because your on-site interview will undoubtedly be longer than your campus interview and will involve more than one company representative from various parts of the enterprise, you need to learn as much as you can about the firm.

Library research may yield much of this information. Howard recommends such standard business fare as The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Moody's, and Standard and Poor's for answers to such questions as: Is the company expanding abroad? Are they downsizing, and if so, in what geographic areas or career fields? What are the current "hot issues" in the organization that may affect you in the long haul?

Particularly useful is information about the specific area in which you expect to work. If the position you want is in accounting, find out about the company's financial status, procedures, and problems as published in its annual and quarterly financial reports. If it is in engineering, which of its manufacturing processes particularly interests you? What patents requiring your expertise do they hold?

Human resources information is often available from the company's campus binder in the placement office. Benefits, locations, promotion practices, and diversity status should be reviewed, and matched with your particular interests and concerns. For example you may be thinking about starting a family soon. Are the company's maternity and well-baby care benefits competitive and include dependents? Consider your personal needs, and review the firm's published data with these in mind. Does the company's package include day care, either on-site or off?

Discern what kinds of job openings the corporation has and how they mesh with your own expectations. Will the newly hired employees be placed in a training program, or are they expected to "hit the ground running?" Will you be spending 80 percent of your time on the road, or will you sit behind a desk?

While doing this in-depth research, contact the company to firm-up your travel arrangements, itinerary, and reimbursement package. Asking these questions after you have arrived at the facility shows poor planning. Review your invitation letter carefully, beforehand of course, to avoid asking for information you have already been given.

Learn About Yourself

Even if you've done so a thousand times before, redetermine-again--who you are and what you want out of life. What are your short-term goals and personal preferences? Are you looking for travel, excitement, new people, and new situations? Would you prefer the companionship of your PC to that of people? How about long-term? Do you have that "entrepreneurial spirit," or do you think you will be comfortable in a structured, corporate environment? As you assess what the employer and the job offer, do so in relation to your targeted lifestyle.

Review your resume. Really! You have not known embarrassment like that after you are asked about information on your own resume you cannot explain. What did you get out of your off-campus jobs, your internships, your volunteer work? Can you relate your experiences to the job you seek and explain how they make you better? Did you get increasingly difficult or responsible assignments?

If you've gone this far in pursuing your dream, some things about you must differentiate you and the other people these interviewers will face. Use these things in your discussions. Are you a leader of your church youth group, college fraternity or sorority, or athletic team? Have you stayed with the same summer employer year after year (shows stability, loyalty, dependability), or have you changed employers annually (shows breadth of experience and adaptability)? You should be able both to speak positively and confidently about your experiences and abilities and to relate them to your goals.

Sharpen Your Interviewing Skills

Frazier reveals that one of the biggest stumbling blocks the on-site interviewee must overcome is overconfidence. She says, "You survived the campus interview when many, if not all, of your friends were rejected. That survival means that you must sharpen your skills. Remember, yours was probably not the only campus the company visited, and you are not the only candidate asked to return to the headquarters. You are now up against the cream of the crop, so prepare for the competition."

If you are scheduled for more campus interviews, don't cancel them. Go to the college job fairs and networking seminars in your area. You don't have the job yet, and the interviewing experience will do you good. Also, if your school has facilities for mock interviews, videotape your performance and have it critiqued by experts. Doing so will go a long way in preparing you for the real interview.

Prepare short, but detailed, answers to the common questions interviewers ask. Although many questions will be reruns of your campus interview, you have more time available now, and you should use it wisely. Why should I select you above the many qualified candidates I will be seeing this week? Now that I've described the position in detail, what in your background can you apply directly to our needs? What attracted you to our company? What do you expect to be doing five years from now? What are your strongest points? Your weakest?

This Is Your Moment, The Interview Itself

After twenty-five years in human resources, I am still surprised at how many times the candidate who arrives for the second interview is not the same as the one seen on campus. Although the old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" is certainly true, you can wreck the positive first impression of the initial interview by not displaying the same levels of enthusiasm, confidence, ability, and drive you did when you first interviewed.

Remember that the person who interviewed you on campus is most likely not the decision maker at the corporate headquarters. Your job now is to convince the interviewer that the campus recruiter was judicious in inviting you to return. Although there are many things in the interview and selection process that you cannot control--the quality of the other candidates and the attitudes and biases of the interviewers, for example--you can enhance your possibilities by executing a well thought-out plan of action. Here are a few suggestions.

Courtesy, Common and Uncommon

Old-fashioned, common courtesy goes a long way toward favorably impressing an interviewer, largely because it is so uncommon. As obvious as it may seem, your priority is to arrive at the interview site on time, preferably a few minutes early. Your promptness helps the interviewer keep to what is probably a tight schedule, and it indicates that at work you will be prompt and conscientious.

When you enter the building, take off your hat and remove your sunglasses. Greet everyone to whom you are introduced with a firm handshake. Look everyone straight in the eye. Whenever possible, use the person's name in your greeting--to help you remember him or her later. By the way, if your hands tend to sweat, discreetly wipe them before meeting people. A cold, clammy hand is memorable, but it's not what you want to be remembered by.

Don't smoke at the job site--before, during, or after the interview. Chewing gum distracts and hinders effective communication. If invited to a meal with representatives of the firm, avoid alcoholic beverages, even if your host drinks. You would be wise to avoid potentially messy foods, or any foods normally eaten with the fingers. Save the Buffalo Wings, baby-back ribs, and barbecue sandwiches for your celebration, after you get the job. And please, please watch your table manners--the meal is indeed part of the evaluation, and you are "on camera."

Dress For Your Potential: Boss's Job

Perhaps you take pride in wearing the latest fads and fashions, from your flashy hair style that is all the rage to your color-coordinated shoes and your brightly-hued outfit. Maybe you are the casual type, comfortable in khakis and open-necked shirts. As appropriate as these styles may be on campus, they may be the kiss of death in an interview.

Invest in a quality, conservative business suit to wear neatly with the proper accessories. The general rule of thumb in a corporate setting is dress for your boss's job. You're not selling out--you're buying in.

Good grooming is essential. Wear a neat hair style and avoid extremes of hair color, nails, jewelry or makeup. Shine your shoes, press your shirt or blouse and take a good long look in the mirror. As you do, recall what your Grandma used to tell you: "Cleanliness is next to godliness." It's true! 'Nuff said.

Sell! Sell! Sell!

Just as your resume is your advertisement, the interview is your sales-pitch. To get the interviewer to buy the product you're selling--yourself --you must put all of the great attributes of the product on display. Woolworth's Frazier says many candidates undersell themselves; they've gotten this far, and don't think they still need to push the issue.

Cassandra Bivens, IBM's Program Director for Executive Recruiting, puts it this way: "Don't downplay the importance of the on-site interview, and don't relax too much. You should be just as pumped up for the second interview as you were for the first!"

Enthusiasm goes a long way. Be positive. When asked about a previous employer, even if your experience there was not the best, put a positive spin on things. Nobody wants to listen to you complain about how ineffective the managers at so-and-so company were, or about their lousy benefits and terrible working conditions, but they do want to hear about how you met the challenges you faced, and what you learned from obstacles set in your way.

Avoid cute, glib, or smart aleck comments, and be very careful with humor--it can backfire. Look the interviewer in the eye (or at least the bridge of the nose), and communicate directly and effectively. Be honest and forthright, but not self-deprecating in your answers. And never, never lie. The consequences of being found out far outweigh any possible benefit you may obtain from a stretch of the truth.

It's Not Just A Conversation, It's A Feeling-Out Process

While the company representatives are learning about you, sizing you up against their needs and corporate culture, you should be doing the same things. Your future is on the line, and during the course of the discussions you should be forming an impression of the firm, of the industry, and of your future supervisors and co-workers.

Be prepared to meet with human resources people, technical experts, and managers, each with a different interviewing style. Most will ask questions that require you to speak about work in which you used the skills and abilities they seek, and you should be prepared to answer such open-ended inquiries. Can you tell me about a time when you had to lead a team to complete a task? How did you respond to your most difficult technical challenge? Because most employers now use one-on-one interviewing, rather than team or group settings, practice in that format.

No matter how friendly or open the interviewer may seem, remember that you are constantly being assessed. Avoid controversial topics. Don't give your opinion on the O.J. Simpson case, the California initiative, affirmative action, politics or religion. Small talk and chitchat may occupy some of your time at the facility, but they are not part of the review.

During the more formal interviews, stay focused and stick to the "script." There will be plenty of time after you get the job to discuss your whole life story. As for now, sell the product.

Although employers are prohibited by law from asking questions about race, sex, national origin, or other irrelevant personal characteristics, you should decide how best to handle such questions if they arise. Because many questions which cannot be legally asked of an applicant for employment can be asked of someone who has already been selected, Frazier suggests that you say the following: "I guess I've already gotten the job, because you asked me that." Then answer. Be tactful, but firm.

It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over: Closing and Follow-Up

Bivens of IBM suggests that the closing is your last on-site opportunity to shine. Be gracious and sincere with your thanks, and if the final interviewer or your company host has not advised you as to when you can expect a response from the firm, take charge of the closing with a statement like "I would like to think about what I have heard during my visit and get back to you to discuss the next steps."

An easy way to stand out from the crowd is to send a "thank you" letter. This simple courtesy, so often ignored, may remind the interviewer of your visit and spur a reconsideration of your candidacy if you were only a close second, rather than a first place finisher.

Follow up the letter with a telephone call, particularly if you haven't heard from the company in a couple of weeks. Keep track of these calls so that you won't be perceived as desperate, overly eager, or just a "pain."

Finally, after you have cooled down from the excitement of the visit, evaluate your performance. What could you have done better? What skills should you improve and what new ones can you add to your repertoire? You will need this self-analysis because your entire career may well be punctuated by forays into the interview process.