Interview For Success

Self Evaluation
Before you set out on your search for a new position, an objective self-evaluation is important, to help you:

  • Determine and refine your next-step career objective
  • Structure the best possible presentation for your interview.


Besides needing professional skills, companies have varied corporate cultures and look for people with the personality types that match.  So ask yourself:

  • Am I a self-starter, a team player, a loner, assertive, ambitious?
  • Do I take direction well, listen and communicate well?
  • Do I prefer others take the lead?
  • Where do I fit in the overall scheme of things?


Next, make a list of your strengths and skills. Study this list carefully, so that when you meet with your new potential employer you’ll feel at ease describing the knowledge you bring and the contributions you can make to the new organization.

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The Resume

Understand that the purpose of your resume is to provide a brief overview of your employment history, your responsibilities and your achievements in each position, as well as your education, certifications and any notable honors. Make your resume a thumbnail profile, not an epic.

Make sure it answers "yes" to the following important questions:

  • Does it effectively describe your background?

  • Does it highlight your strong points and accomplishments?

  • Is it honest and accurate?

  • Is it complete yet concise?

  • Is the format clean and attractive?

  • Is it a successful sales piece?

  • Does it focus on your value to other employers?

  • Does it make you stand out from the crowd?

 

5 Steps to Success:

Keep It Brief: It should be no longer than two pages. Include just enough information to get the interview.
Do It With Style: Make sure it’s easy to read, crisp and to the point. Have it laser printed to present a sharper image.
Accentuate the Positive: Use strong confident language to emphasize and underscore your achievements, placing the focus on your strengths.
Less is More: Never include extraneous details that will detract from job-related content, i.e. age, club memberships or salary requirements.
Perfection Counts: To be effective, your resume must stress VALUE to your potential employer. Work on it and revise it until it does.

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Interview Preparation
Proper preparation instills confidence and boosts your ability to conduct an impressive interview, and eventually receive an offer. No matter how strong your skills in your chosen field, it is your ability to conduct the interview in a focused and professional manner that will make the important difference to your career.

Some useful pointers:

  • Get the facts and prepare your questions.
  • Researching the company is a must. Use both the information that may be provided to you by us or the company in advance or the world wide web, and your local reference library to learn about the business, its competitive position, its locations, number of employees and performance. Then make a list of questions, which not only extend that information but also demonstrate your interest in, and knowledge of, the organization and its players.
  • Have the right answers.

During the interview, you’ll be asked a wide variety of questions. Be prepared for some surprises, and maybe, some curve balls. Be ready to answer questions like the following:

  • What are your professional goals?
  • What do you know about us?
  • What’s your major weakness?
  • What has been your favorite role in previous positions?
  • Why do you want to make a move?
  • Tell me about your last boss -- how was he/she to work for?
  • Are you willing to relocate?
  • How do you handle stress?
  • What contributions can you make?
  • Why should we hire you?

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 Conducting the Interview 
Now that you've invested in proper preparations, it's more important than ever to remember the interview basics that will allow you to present yourself in the best possible light.

Follow these recommendations for your first interview with a new company:
  • Dress conservatively
  • Maintain eye contact
  • Build on your resume
  • Be punctual; scout the site
  • Be enthusiastic and direct
  • Focus on achievements
  • Bring extra resumes
  • Ask questions, take notes
  • Thank the interviewer
  • Shake hands firmly
  • Don't discuss salary
  • Ask for the position


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Thank You Notes

Based on our years of experience, we know that the person with the best skills often is not hired but the person who does the "best job" on the interview often is.

  • Make sure you compose and send a Thank You note to everyone you met as soon as you return from the interview.
  • Thank each person for his or her time, refer to the conversation, express your interest in the position, and state how your background fits the position.
  • Always discuss your Thank You note with your Dunhill consultant prior to sending.


Questions About Interviews?

Your Dunhill search and staffing professional can help. With 40+ years' experience in the industry, we wrote the book on successful interviews.

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Beware the Counter Offer!


Your career may be in jeopardy!

Consider the Following Scenario:

You’ve been a good employee, but now it’s time to move on. You receive an interesting offer and accept it. Then you meet with your boss to submit your resignation.

Suddenly Corporate Management is making a fuss. They’re making it seem as if all your goals and dreams can be met by staying where you are.

A Counter Offer is next, and you’re uncomfortable, conflicted and confused . . .

What should you do?

1. Understand the Stakes!

Before considering a Counter Offer, make sure you understand what’s at stake:

  • By resigning, you have brought inconvenience to your company and embarrassment to your boss.

  • It’s only human nature for your supervisors to feel they’ve been "blackmailed" into making concessions when you resign. Any promises made then will be offset by the fact that they were made under duress.

  • You may well now be a marked person -- your future growth compromised by questions about your loyalty, your job security at risk during restructuring or economic uncertainty.

These are the reasons why over 80% of those people who accept a Counter Offer and stay, are no longer with that same company six months later.

2. Ask Yourself These Questions:

  1. If your company is suddenly willing to pay you "X+Y" dollars today, why were you worth only "X" dollars yesterday?

  2. How can you know for sure that your present company isn’t using the Counter Offer to "buy time" until they can find a suitable replacement? (Even if they offer you a huge increase and replace you in 90 days, their total expenditure will still be MUCH LESS than the cost of doing without you.)

  3. Is the Counter Offer going to change everything that was wrong with your present job? Have all the good reasons why you decided to leave been so easily erased?

  4. Is it really worth losing the new opportunity given the uncertainty that your resignation has injected into your relationship with your current company?

3. Make These Commitments:

There’s no getting around the damage a Counter Offer can do to your career. If you accept one, you’ll jeopardize your current job, and you’ll diminish your potential with the new company as well.

Here’s a better strategy:

  1. If you are having problems at work that can be fixed, commit to yourself that you’ll exhaust every reasonable effort to resolve them BEFORE placing yourself on the market.

  2. When you receive an offer from a company where you want to work, consider it carefully. When you decide to accept, promise yourself you’ll resign and report to work with proper notice.

  3. When it’s time to resign, make the commitment that you will do so respectfully and decisively, and that you will neither entertain nor accept a Counter Offer.

By keeping these commitments to yourself, you’ll accelerate your career and enjoy the respect of past and future employers.

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Last revised: December 26th, 2000