You've got the interview -- now prepare for it

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - In her five years as a career counselor with Central Piedmont Community College, Connie Johnston has talked with hundreds of students about their careers.

She helps them find good career matches and teaches them how to perfect their resumes and nail job interviews.

Though the basics of those skills haven't changed, they're at a premium now because of the economy, she says. Before the downturn, job hunters could be a less-than-perfect match for the job but still land it. Now, even for those searching for part-time work, that task has become tougher.

"The level of perfection that's expected by employers has really increased," she says.

Johnston is one of a handful of the college's career counselors. In an interview, she offers her advice on acing a job interview. Remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity:

Question: You help students with interviewing skills by doing mock interviews. What trips people up in interviews?

Answer: Sometimes people get wrapped up in their resume, and their resume is important. But interviewing is really like getting to the Super Bowl. You've spent all this time preparing, so you want to make sure you go all the way. People have a misconception about interviews that they don't need to prepare, that they can wing it. They should practice with a family member or friend.

Q: How should you dress for an interview?

A: I get that question a lot. People want to know, "If it's a casual business environment, should I wear casual clothes?" Dressing up shows your respect for that position. If I was unsure, erring on the side of dressing up is a safer bet. Sometimes people wear clothes that maybe look fashionable but aren't conservative enough for interviews: blouses that may be low-cut, or things like shirts that have too many patterns or are too busy, or big earrings. I'd leave some of the flashy things off. You want them to notice your answers, not your wardrobe.

Q: What questions do people have a hard time with?

A: One thing that trips people up is the first question: "Tell me a little bit about yourself." What they want to do is highlight themselves in 60 seconds. They need to talk a little bit about their education and experience. Give them a nice general summary of things. Highlight the things that are relevant to the job you're trying to get. What makes you special and unique? And have a hook of some sort: Are you good with computers? Did you win a special award? This is just a "getting to know you" question.

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Q: What's the best way to handle the "tell me your greatest weakness" question?

A: A lot of people say, "I'm a perfectionist." That's a canned answer. It might be true, but I usually remember people when they talk about something different than that. You don't want to be too honest. I've had students before say, "I'm late all the time." That's never going to get anybody a job.

Come at it from the viewpoint of, What is it you would like to improve about yourself? Would you like to learn more Spanish? Is there a computer program you want to learn more on, and what are you doing to improve that weakness?

Say your weakness is public speaking. It would be great to say something like: "Public speaking makes me nervous. So I've signed up for a class that's going to help me improve on that. I'm leaning about different techniques, and actually, my little brother is getting married in a couple weeks, and I've told him I'm going to make a toast at his wedding."

Q. What else should people be prepared for in an interview?

A: Be ready for situational questions. They'll ask you a question that has a phrase like "an example," "a specific time," "a situation." Like, "Give me an example of a time when you had a disgruntled customer approach you at the job. How did you approach that situation?"

With a behavioral question, you want to focus on using the STAR method: Situation and Task, Action and Result.

Initially, talk about the situation you are faced with, then what action did you take, then finally the result. Often, people don't include the result. Have three or four stories you can talk about.

Have some stories ready to go about a time when something negative happened, and you had to overcome obstacles.

Then you get really good at picking from your repertoire of stories to answer the question. You look like you're thinking quickly on your feet.

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SHINE IN YOUR SEARCH

Connie Johnston with Central Piedmont Community College's Career Center offers these tips for outshining other candidates in applying and interviewing for jobs:

Know the company. Learn everything you can about the company and your position. Pay attention to the company's mission statement. It is easy to glaze over, but it highlights qualities the company values. Mention the statement and those qualities in your interview.

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Know yourself. Keep a copy of the resume you sent the company, which is especially important if you have multiple versions of your resume. Be prepared to talk about every point on your resume.

Know the job. Save the job description posted when you applied. This is important, especially when searching online. Tailor your resume and interview answers to what they are looking for in the position.

Know what to ask. Be ready with questions to ask the interviewer. Have different sets of questions for different interviewers. It's OK to write questions down.

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© 2009, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).