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The Interview Outline

Once you have your cover letter and resume created, it is time to get an interview. When an employer has asked you to come in for an interview, this is a good time to sell yourself and show the company that you are worth their money. You may know already that answering questions correctly and competently is a major goal of the interview, but you may be surprised that asking questions in an interview is also just as important.

First we will shortly explain the purpose of an interview and how to obtain one if you haven't reached this step yet. The purpose of an interview is to help the hiring employer or employers determine what your skills are, your competencies, personality, motivations and what you are willing to do to work for them. The interview also helps you because you can ask questions and decide if the organization is right for you.

Obtaining an interview

You will also be selling yourself and your skills, education and qualifications for the job just to get an interview. How do I get an interview? First, you should submit an application along with your cover letter and resume by email or snail mail. One of the best ways is to interact with employers representing the company at job and career fairs that are usually found at colleges and universities. Finally, you can post your resume online at job forums like our own Career and Job Forums, or your own website. I suggested in another article that you could print your website address and personal information on a business card and hand these out to employers at job fairs so they remember you. This way you stand out more.

Interview components and overview

An interview generally consists of 3 components: introduction, body, and close. The interviewer should first introduce themselves, bring in the time to build rapport, identify the purpose of the interview and provide the orientation of the interview. Following these steps will reduce the relational uncertainty or distrust caused when a respondent doesn't know what to expect. If the opening introduction is not complete, it can set a tone of distrust throughout the entire interview. This is an important interview tip for employers.

The body of the interview contains your interview guide or outline of topics to be discussed. Then after the outline has been set, the interview schedule contains the list of major questions to be answered. This is the stage that the interviewee should have been prepared for by having answers to common questions before the interview.

The closing is the conclusion, summary and supporting phase of the interview. You never want an abrupt end as it could hurt professional relationships and sometimes leave the interview hanging without a status. The closing is also the appropriate time to start asking the interviewer questions. Usually when the one person looks at the clock, leans forward, reaches out for a handshake or breaks eye contact this usually means the interview is starting to come to a close. In the summary, there should be a repeat of key information, agreements and double checking information. Finally in the support step, there should be expressions of appreciation and setting the up relations for future contact. These are tips to a very professional interview.