Q: What is a typical interview structure? How many interviews should I expect with any one employer?

A: Although there is no set rule, a typical interview is scheduled for about one half-hour. And there'll be several phases in that interview. The first is should I expect an icebreaker, a few minutes of pleasant chit-chat just so that you and the interviewer will feel comfortable with each other. Then the interviewer will get into some substantive questions, behavioral questions, questions about your background, and that will take 15, 20 to 25 minutes.

Almost always the employer will leave 5 or 10 minutes for you to ask questions of the employer. That's a very important part of the interview and you should be prepared for it.

And then there'll be a close. The interviewer will thank you for coming in. And you'll have the opportunity to tell the interviewer what a pleasure it was to be there and how much you want the job. Usually, you'll have to interview a second time, perhaps even a third time before getting a job offer.

Q: What am I really being asked at an interview? What is it that the interviewer actually wants to hear?

A: Some people wonder, "They're asking me all these questions at an interview, what can they learn about me from those questions and what is it that they really want to hear?" There are three themes that run through your interview. The first is, "Why should we hire you?" The second is your motivation, "Why do you want to work for us?"

And third is, did you come prepared, which translates to, "What do you know about our company? Or our profession?" What the employer wants to hear is honest answers, giving good reasons why you should become their employee.

Q: What are the best ways to prepare for an interview?

A: There are eight important steps for you to take preparing for your job interview. Let's go over each one briefly.

First: Use your resume. Have a friend ask you "how" or "why" about each line. This experience will help you get a better understanding of your own motivation, thought process and accomplishments. These three elements an employer will find important in an interview.

Second: Be able to articulate how the employer's needs are met by what you have to offer.

Third: Be able to articulate your own motivation for being interested in that particular job. What attracts you to that particular company? And what is your interest in that industry or profession?

Fourth: Be prepared for behavioral questions, that is, interviewers want to know what you did in actual situations or an example of certain behaviors that are important to the job.

Fifth: Practice answering some background questions which are commonly asked.

Sixth: Research the firm and its industry. Know the firm's major product or service. Have they been profitable? What challenges will they face over the next 3 to 5 years?

Seventh: Be sure to have at least five good questions ready to ask about the job, the firm, the industry or profession and external influences.

Eighth: Practice interviewing with a friend. Be sure to play the role of both the interviewer and the job applicant.

Q: What if I am not sure that I want the job when I go to the interview?

A: It's very important to let the employer know and to be confidant that you really want the job. What if you're feeling, "Gee I'm not sure I want this job, I need to know more about it?" Your job at the interview is to get the offer. Once you have the offer you can make a decision whether you want to accept it or not. So, I recommend two steps. Focus on those reasons that you want the job. Even if it's not the only job that you would ever consider. Remember, that you don't have to be certain about this particular job.

Q: How important is honesty?

A: There are two important things to remember about honesty in an interview. First of all, although you don't have to reveal everything in response to a question, everything you do say must be absolutely true. Secondly, you still will want to position yourself in the best possible light. Focusing on and emphasizing aspects of your previous experience is not dishonest.

Q: What should I know about the company before the interview begins? What are some good research sources?

A: It's very important that you research the company before you go into the interview room. What kinds of things should you know? What is that firm's main product or service? Have they been profitable? Who are their competitors? How long have they been in that line of business? What are some of the challenges that they face over the next 3 - 5 years?

Where can you find information about companies? Well, it's readily available. For example, most public firms have an Annual report where they disclose the answers to all the things that we just mentioned, plus many more. You can use the library or a computer network system to get information about current events that effect that company or its industry.

Q: What is the question-answer-question cycle? How important are specific examples?

A: The answer you give to any question may give the interviewer material for the next question. We refer to that as the question-answer-question cycle. So when you're preparing answers for a question, include some material that you'd like the interviewer to follow up on. Examples are an extremely important part of your answer - they give your answer both context and credibility.

Q: How long should my answers be? How will I know if I have answered the interviewer's questions?

A: Your answers should be informative but concise. As a rule of thumb, think in terms of 6 or 8 sentences. If you're not sure if you've answered the question fully, feel free to ask. "Have I answered your question?" or "Would you like me to tell you more about that?" It's always a good idea to pause before you give your answer. After all, an interview is a business meeting between equals. At business meetings people pause and reflect before providing a response.

Say, "That's a good question. I need to think about that for a moment." Some people are worried that they're going to go blank at an interview.

Q: Why do interviewers ask if I have any questions for them?

A: Employers almost always give you time to ask questions of them. They have two reasons for doing this. One is simple courtesy, they've been asking you questions, so you should be able to ask them questions in return. A second reason is this: your questions are an important means of evaluating your fitness for the job. In fact, your questions could be as important as your answers.

Q: How important are my questions for the employer and how can I prepare good ones?

A: There are four rules to follow in preparing your questions for the interviewer.

First, you really care about the topic. If you don't care, don't ask.

Second, your questions reflect the fact that you have read about and have thought about the subject and your question flows from that.

Third, don't let your questions raise doubts or barriers to getting hired. For example, don't ask a question like, "Is weekend work necessary?" or "Will I have to travel a lot?" Phrased that way the question makes it seem that you won't be available for weekends or that you don't want to travel and that could pose a problem. Leave that issue for the interviewer to ask you. What kinds of things could you ask about? Well, you certainly want to ask about the job itself. Who would you be working with? What does it take to be successful? You may want to ask questions about the company. You might say, "I read in the newspaper that this company's main product has been such and such." Ask a question which follows from that. You might want to ask a question about the industry or the profession. It's important that the employer knows you see your job in a larger context.

And fourth you might want to ask about external influences. There are many factors outside of the company and outside the industry which would effect the company and your job. For example, government policies, the state of the international economy - influences that will effect you even though you can't control them.

Q: What is the best way for me to close an interview?

A: At some point the interviewer is going to thank you for coming in and wish you the best of luck. Some job candidates just say, "Thank you," and leave but that's a mistake. The proper way to close your interview is to say, "Thank you, I've enjoyed being here. I hope you're going to offer me this job. What's our next step?" 

Q: Is the interview over when it's over or do I still have work to do?

A: After you leave the interview room you might feel very relieved and think, "Gee, I'm glad that's over." Well, it's not really over yet. It's important to take notes about what happened. What was the first question? How did you answer it? How did the interviewer follow up on your answer? What was the second question, and so on?

What questions made me feel very confident? What questions made me feel uncomfortable? These notes will come in very handy if you're invited for a follow up interview with that company, if you interview for a similar job, or with a similar company. And you can also look over those notes and see what you can do to improve your interview techniques the next time.

It's also important and courteous to send thank you letters to those people who spent time interviewing you that day.

Q: How important is proper dress to interview success?

A: The key point to remember about dress is that it's something you want to neutralize. That is, you're not going to gain points for wearing fancy or expensive clothes. You simply don't want to lose points for being improperly dressed. Dress professionally, modestly and conventionally.