Resumes and Cover Letters: Job Interview Skills

Do's for Job Interviews:

• Arrive a few minutes early. Know the exact time and place for your interview.
• Do your research.  Know who is interviewing you and information about the company/organization.
• Dress for success.  Remember this person has only one opportunity to see you. Dress appropriately for the job.
• Make sure to have good personal hygiene.
• Make eye contact.
• Shake hands.  Make sure to have a firm grip but don't hurt them.
• Remember your manners.
• Turn off your phone (not just to silent or vibrate).
• Be positive.
• Do practice your job interviewing skills with a friend. Rehearse possible interview questions and your answers. 
• When responding to an interview question, pause for a few seconds if necessary to mentally compose your answer.

Don'ts for Job Interviews:

• Do not be late.
• Do not ask immediately about salary, vacation and other benefits.  This should wait until you have a job offer.
• Do not slouch and dress for a day out at the beach or social gathering.
• Do not text with your friends or post pictures to your social media during an interview.
• Do not be negative.
• Do not point out flaws in the company.
• Do not chew gum or have snacks during the interview.
• Don't tell any jokes during interview.
• Don't use any type of foul language,repetitive slang or slang that might be misinterpreted.
• Don't lie, ever.

48 Hour Rules prior to the interview

• verify time, place, meeting length, who checks you in
• treat your alimentary canal with kindness
• wash your sheets, wash yourself, keep backup supplies

When discussing the job and scheduling the interview, don't reach out to anyone but the person listed as the contact person.  Some companies are strict about who talks to potential candidates.  E-mail or call that person as your contact, and leave your supervisor or co-employees out of it.

Do arrive promptly, but not too soon.  If an interview is scheduled for 2:00 pm, getting to the site at 1:30 pm doesn't spell enthusiasm, it shows a lack of understanding about time management.  Plan to arrive about 10 minutes before the set up.   If you can, make sure you know exactly where you'll meet ahead of time.

If walking around the site, don't point out flaws in either buildings or procedures.    There's nothing worse than being the candidate who points out that the corner of the building has a major crack in it or the one who asks, "should they really be violating OSHA regulations that way?"   You will have plenty of time to express your concerns later at home, when you're deciding whether or not you want to work there.

Using this method of answering interview questions allows you to provide concrete examples or proof that you possess the experience and skills for the job.

Interviewers may ask you something like: Tell me about an occasion when you had to complete a task under a tight deadline. Have you ever gone above and beyond the call of duty? What do you do when a team member refuses to complete his or her quota of the work?

What if you're asked:  Have you ever gone above and beyond the call of duty? 

Describe the situation.   

"When I was at work one day, without our immediate supervisor present, the forklift broke down.  We had to process eight pallets that day.   There was no other option.  We had a deadline from a customer. Technically, it's not in my job description to find a solution to a broken piece of equipment.  That's a boss-to-boss type of request."

Discuss the specifics of the task. 

"I've been certified for forklifts for three years now, so I looked at the pallet weight and knew that it met the weight limit for the other forklift in the other building.  If we borrowed their forklift, I could move the pallets within deadline."

Identify specific actions you took to complete the task.

"My boss was out sick with the flu, but I knew that I couldn't just go over and pick up the keys.   So I contacted central dispatch and asked to speak with the building foreman for the other building.    After about fifteen minutes, he got out of his meeting and I was able to ask him if it was alright if we borrowed their equipment. He said of course. When I went over there, I made sure I asked where they'd like it parked after we finished.  When I picked it up, I swerved around the speedbumps in parking to avoid damaging their forklift's tires.   Moving our eight pallets took maybe an hour to completely move from shipping to receiving, and our processing team was able to unpack the first one that day."

Finally, conclude with the results of your actions. 

 "My boss was happy because I was able to help out when he wasn't around and we didn't lose a day of work.   Our other building foreman was very satisfied that I took care of the forklift we borrowed from the other building.   In the end, we were able to satisfy our customers, keep receiving on track, and also work around some broken equipment."