After applying for countless jobs, you start getting calls for an interview. While the interviewing process can be daunting, your experience and skill set should be able to land you a great job—all you have to do is nail the interview.
At Austin Nichols Technical Search, we know just how stressful job interviews can be, but we can help you show up as prepared as possible with a few tips for acing a job interview.
1. Have Extra Copies of Your Resume
As simple as it is, bringing extra copies of your resume to a job interview shows that you are prepared to speak to anyone that may not already know about you. You’d hate for an interviewer not to know your previous work experience or your skills because they don’t have access to your resume during the interview.
Consider carrying two to three extra copies of your resume to each interview. If you had to submit a cover letter when applying for the position, consider bringing additional copies of that as well.
2. Have an Idea of How You Want to Answer Common Interview Questions
When it comes to answering interview questions, you don’t want to sound scripted, but you also don’t want to stutter and ramble when you are asked a question. It is a good idea to find a few common interview questions for your field or the position and come up with a general idea of how you want to answer those questions. Not only will you feel more confident when answering those questions, but you will also look more natural than you would have if you had scripted the answers out and memorized them. You can write down brief notes that you can reference during the interview, however.
A few common interview questions for those in the manufacturing field include:
- What experience do you have in this particular field?
- What is your greatest strength/weakness?
- How have you resolved conflicts with previous bosses?
- What do you know about our company?
- Why do you want this position?
- Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
- Why should we hire you?
- What is [manufacturing process or term]?
Any of the following questions or variations on them will help the interviewers learn more about you. While they care about your skills and experience, they are also going to be interested in your personality and how well it matches the needs of the position. Consider the answers that you would want to hear if you were interviewing someone for this position. While you want to answer honestly, you also want to answer intelligently.
3. Ask the Interviewers Questions
For some reason, many people forget that they are allowed to ask questions of the interviewers! What information did you feel was left out of the job description? Ask questions about the position and the company to better learn about the type of environment you will be working in and the kind of work you will be doing. You can even ask questions about different programs or techniques that haven’t already been mentioned to see if they have implemented any of them or are considering it.
Asking questions shows that you are interested in learning more about the company and the position. You can also ask the interviewers for any personal and professional feedback from the interview. Even if you don’t land that position, the information you are given may help you land the next job!
4. Follow Up with the Interviewers
To leave a lasting impression, be sure to follow up with the interviewers. Do this by crafting an email thanking them for their time. You can also send a hard-copy thank you note as well. In the note, you will want to, again, thank the interviewer for his or her time and expressing additional interest in the position for which you interviewed.
Since many people don’t follow up with interviews, this can really set you apart from the other candidates who interviewed. Just be sure that all follow-up correspondence is professional.
Austin Nichols is a technical recruiting company in the Kansas City area. Working with both applicants and companies looking for the best candidates in the manufacturing, engineering, and construction fields, Austin Nichols has helped place many job seekers in the best positions in the area. If you are looking for a job and want some help, call Austin Nichols today at 816-471-5575.
