I. The Purpose of Interviewing
II. What Companies are looking to hire
III. Selling Yourself :
  A. Preparation
  B. Homework
  C. In General
  D. Selling your Long term Potential
  E. Expected Interview Questions
  F. More Questions
  G. The Most Important Question
IV. Interview Followup

III. SELLING YOURSELF

A. PREPARATION.

You are a very intelligent, accomplished, and professional individual, with experience interviewing successfully, or you wouldn't be eligible for the opening for which we have you interviewing.

So why do you need to take some time to get ready for an interview?

Simply stated, the answer is because the other half dozen candidates for this position are also very intelligent, accomplished, professional individuals with lots of experience interviewing successfully. And you want to win. You want this offer. You want to be prepared to communicate to the client why they should select you based on your business ability and potential, not your interviewing skill set.

You have probably spent a couple of hours "niggling" a memo to make it just right. We suggest you treat yourself as being at least as important as a memo, and invest a couple of hours in preparing for an interview.

B. HOMEWORK

1) A THOROUGH STORE CHECK is an excellent use of your limited time. It will give you a marketer's feel for the issues facing the people whom you'll be meeting with. And our experience indicates that the person who comes across in an interview as being able to understand, anticipate, relate to, and help solve the marketing or sales problems of their business has a real advantage in establishing rapport with the people making the hiring decision.

2) A QUICK TRIP TO THE LIBRARY to look for some recent articles on the company you're interviewing with will give you some topics of conversation to start with. Focus on Brandweek and Ad Age to see if there is any current news on marketing developments at the company.

3) BROWSE THE INTERNET to see what the company has online. The information provided for potential investors and customers can provide some insights into the company's current strategy, product line, business issues, recent news about business performance, senior executive changes, etc.

4) REVIEW YOUR RESUME, which is essentially all the interviewer will know about you and where their questions will start.

5) On 3X5 cards, list your STRENGTHS, with EXAMPLES to support them. Bring them along with you for review during pre-interview waiting time. Tie your strengths directly to your accomplishments.

6) List your ACCOMPLISHMENTS on 3X5 cards, with a concise explanation of what you did, why you did what you did, what the results were, and why you were able to accomplish this. Cross index each accomplishment to the strengths which helped you achieve it.

7) PREVIEW OR REHEARSE your thoughts and responses to common questions to focus your thoughts on selling yourself effectively. We included a list of common questions and some suggestions on structuring answers later in this guide.

C. SELLING IN GENERAL

1) There are some general rules that you should keep in mind as you answer questions:

Answer in the singular -- "I," not "we," as much as appropriate. People want to know what you did.

Always give good, IN-DEPTH answers. That is, every time you answer a question, include:

- What you did. - Why you did it. - The results. - And how you can use this skill/ability to the benefit of the new company.

This pattern of answering allows the interviewer to conclude by inference that you:

- are a good verbal communicator; - are a logical thinker; - are results focused, - and understand how and why you have succeeded so far.

Don't bad mouth your current or former employers. Be positive about what you learned, accomplished, etc.

Always make good eye contact with the person you're speaking to -- it strongly increases their confidence in your overall ability.

2) STYLE is important. It expresses your attitude about a company.

Have a high energy level. Enthusiasm about the company, opportunity, etc. Willing to commit to being a success and make the right things happen for the right reasons. Looking to grow, develop, and exercise increased responsibility. Confidence, based on competence, short of cockiness, is a hallmark of good marketing people.

3) Some thoughts on telephone interviews:

If you can't take the call (for good reason), explain you cannot talk at the moment, and ask to reschedule. Make every effort to take scheduled interviews, but if you cannot focus your attention on the interview, you may be better off to reschedule it, risking losing the opportunity, than to take it and blow the opportunity for sure. Use good judgment.

The interviewer can't read your body language. Momentary silence while composing a reply is telegraphed by body language in person, but can come across as awkward silence over the phone. Don't drag it out.

You can't read the other person's body language either. It's harder to adjust midstream. So keep your answers shorter, concise, yet still complete. Allow pauses for the other person to interject if they want to.

When you've answered the question, stop talking. Give the interviewer a chance to redirect or ask the next question. If you are met with "uh-huh," "I see," or silence, don't immediately feel obligated to expand your answer. If you feel you answered the question asked, say so. "I think I answered your question as I understand it. If you were looking for something else, perhaps you could rephrase the question for me"? Project warmth, sincerity, friendliness, energy and enthusiasm with your voice -- speak clearly. Listen carefully when they are speaking.

Use the circumstance to your advantage. Have your resume and your 3X5 cards with strengths and accomplishments laid out, and a pad of paper. Have your own agenda, listing key points you want to communicate about yourself. Check them off as you go. When asked a multipart question, jot down the main parts, and check them off as you reply. If you have that "oh, darn, I should have said..." feeling when you answer a question, jot it down and circle back to it later to amend your answer.