The ideal interview is a two-way street, allowing the employer to convey information to you, the interviewee, about the job and the organization, while you have the opportunity to discuss your qualifications and the information on your resume. The interview is the most important element in the job search process and shouldn't be taken lightly. It is a time to assess how well you may fit into the organization. The employer will be assessing your background, skills, personal style, and interest in the position/organization and supplying you with information about the job and the organization. You will be providing the interviewer with information on your skills, your level of commitment, and your experiences, while at the same time eliciting enough information to ascertain whether or not the particular job/organization is right for you.

• Communication: The ability to write and articulate ideas and information and to interact with others.
• Confidence: An awareness of your strengths and weaknesses, areas needing improvement. Willingness to set and attain realistic goals.
• Personality: . A sense of humor, cheerfulness and flexibility in new situations. Enthusiasm to accept challenges is particularly important.
• Accomplishment: Academic as well as personal achievements, leadership roles you've attained.
• Knowledge: An understanding of the organization and the career field. Visit the organization's Website; scour the Internet for articles about the company.

Professional interview attire is required for all on-campus interviews (full-time and internships). Dress appropriately. Wear clothes befitting a person employed in the organization in which you hope to work and also clothes in which you are comfortable and feel you look your best. In general, you can be more flexible than the standard gray flannel business suit; however, you should look professional.

Men – Stick to the basics, no oversized clothes or clunky shoes, white or blue dress shirt and tie with a nicely tailored navy blue, gray or black suit. Men may also where a navy blue sports jacket with dress slacks. No khakis. Shoes should be polished, and hair and face should be kept neat.

Women – Be conservative, no club attire, tight-fitted clothing or platform shoes; wear a suit (skirt & jacket or pants & jacket) in navy blue, gray or black. Blouse, sweater shell or scarves may be used to add color to your attire. Shoes should be polished, and hair should be conservatively styled.

For both men and woman you can err by overdressing, under dressing, and by being too trendy. Remember; keep adornments, such as cologne, make-up, jewelry, etc. to a minimum. You may change your style of dress once you've landed the job and accessed the culture of the organization to determine what acceptable and unacceptable attire is.

Preparing Yourself for the Interview

The campus interview is an interviewer's first impression of you. It is your best tool for marketing yourself. To best prepare yourself for the interview, there are a number of things you can do. Find out as much as you can about the company. Visit the company's Website to find out about its structure, business ventures, culture, etc. Stop into your career placement office, too. Most companies send information to each school's placement office. This information can include an annual report, brochures about different divisions of the company, and recruiting information. An interviewer will notice if you have researched the company. Look up information on a company's competitors to get a feel for the market that the company operates in. This will also let the recruiter know that you have done some research prior to the interview.

Today, most companies use behavioral interview questions. Behavioral interview questions are designed to gauge your ability to perform under a given set of circumstances. The basic belief behind behavioral interviewing is that the best predictor of a candidate's future behavior is how he/she performed in a similar situation in the past. Take the time to identify two or more examples of how you performed in a work or academic situation. Behavioral interview questions typically begin with a phrase such as "Tell me about a time when you. . . . " Interviewers look for examples of the following competencies: leadership, motivation, initiative, communication skills, and judgment. When answering behavioral based questions or any other questions for that matter use the STAR format:

• describe the Situation you faced and/or the Task you performed during work and/or an activity
• describe the specific Action(s) you took
• describe the Results that occurred from your actions

Interview Success Tips

Know yourself. Think honestly about your strengths and weaknesses, your work style, skills, and goals. Be prepared to give honest answers. Review your resume critically and try to identify the areas that an employer might view as limitations without apologizing for deficiencies. Think about how you can answer difficult questions accurately and positively to enhance your qualifications for a job.

Be prompt and professional. Arrive early. Anticipate traffic, parking problems and general unforeseen difficulties. If you know you are going to be late, be sure to call and let someone know. To be more comfortable, you should arrive approximately 10 minutes early. Allow yourself the time to read your resume one more time, to catch your breath, and get into the right mind set for the interview.

Be honest. Let an employer get to know you. Avoid dissembling. You want to be sure that you and the employer know what to expect if you are hired.

Be positive. Never say anything negative about past experiences, employers, courses or professors. Employers, like anyone, tend to generalize: if you didn't like "x," you are a negative person and won't like me either. Figure out what was positive about an experience and talk about that. Market and brand yourself. If you wouldn't hire yourself, neither will the interviewer. Be enthusiastic. If you are genuinely interested in the job, let the interviewer know that. No need to sound desperate just interested. This interest makes the interviewer feel as though his/her organization is well respected and enticing, which is flattering.

Demonstrate interest. This can be achieved by doing research on the organization prior to the interview. It can also come across by asking questions during the interview about the job, the organization and the people it serves. When asking questions, be sure that the answers will give you information that you don't already have (or should have) and that the questions are genuinely of interest to you. Be responsive to what has gone on in the interview. If you have listened well, you should be able to come up with thoughtful questions that impress the interviewer.

Manage non-verbals.

Eye Contact - If you look away while listening, it shows lack of interest and a short attention span. If you fail to maintain eye contact while speaking, at a minimum it shows lack of confidence in what you are saying and at worst may send the subtle message that you are lying.

Facial Expressions - eliminate any negative overall characteristics that might exist, and then add a simple feature that nearly every interviewee forgets to include--a smile! A true and genuine smile that tells the interviewer you're a happy person and delighted to be interviewing with their company today. You do not need to keep the smile for the full interview, but remember to keep coming back to it.

Posture - Posture sends out a signal of your confidence and power potential. When standing, stand up straight. When you are seated, make sure you sit at the front edge of the chair, leaning slightly forward.

Gestures - gestures should be very limited during the interview. So please don't use artificial gestures to try to heighten the importance of the issue at hand. It will merely come off as theatrical. When you do use gestures, make sure they are natural and meaningful.

Space - Recognize the boundaries of your personal space and that of others. If you are typical of most Americans, it ranges between 30 and 36 inches. Be prepared, however, not to back up or move away from someone who has a personal space that is smaller than your own.

Salary and salary negotiation. The issue of compensation should not be brought up by the interviewee during the first interview. If it is brought up by the interviewer, you should try to determine what their anticipated salary range would be. If your expected salary is within that range, you can simply say that the range seems appropriate (if the range that they mention is lower than is acceptable to you, you may decide if that is the time for you to say so).

Try to put off any specific salary agreements until after you have been offered the job since that is the time when an employer has committed him/herself to you. Never make an ultimatum ("I will only accept the position for x salary") unless you truly intend to walk away from the position. If you accept the position at less than your stated minimum, you lose credibility.

Practice. Good interviewees aren't born; they're made. Make an appointment to do a mock interview with your career services office or practice with friends. It can make a huge difference in your confidence and your ease at fielding difficult questions.

Follow-up. Always write a personalized thank-you note within 48 hours of an interview.

Conclusion

The final phase of the interview is the summary. The interviewer will want to know if you have any questions and will review the next steps in the process. Be sure to have a couple of good questions that indicate you are a serious candidate. At this point, you may want to know about mentoring at the company, or if they have any diversity initiatives in place. Mentoring for young minority professionals is an integral part of how you will successfully transition into the organization. Good questions identify you as a mature and ideal candidate. You want to leave the interview feeling confident that you gave it your very best. Knowing who you are, and what you have to offer, will make for a solid interview.

Marlon J. Doles is Senior HR Manager, Global Recruiting & Diversity at Campbell Soup Company.