Preparing for the interview

Know yourself

To impress an employer, you must be well prepared and understand the value of what you have to offer. To effectively demonstrate your suitability for the position and your value to the organization, you must know yourself. Review the Self assessment section under Decision Making, starting with the self-assessment overview page and your résumé. Be prepared to give examples to substantiate all claims in your résumé. In addition to determining your level of proficiency, some interviewers want to see how you have grown over time in areas related to their position(s) (e.g., interpersonal and work skills, motivation). Others will want you to talk about your mistakes and what lessons you learned from them.

Know the company/organization

Become familiar with the position and the organization so that you can demonstrate your interest in and suitability for the job. Refer to the notes you made as you reviewed print and online materials and spoke with people about the position.

A commonly asked interview question is: “What do you know about our company?”. If you are unable to answer this question effectively, employers will see this as a sign of disinterest.