This document provides tips and advice for preparing for and conducting a successful job interview. It lists the most common interview mistakes to avoid, such as arriving late, dressing inappropriately, failing to make eye contact or smile, smoking/drinking during the interview. It recommends researching the company beforehand and practicing interview answers. The document also provides example questions for candidates to ask the interviewer to learn more about the role and next steps in the hiring process, as well as questions candidates should avoid asking.

1. MedSearch Corporation
Excellence in Medical Staffing… Since 1936!
241 Cleveland Ave S, Suite A2, St Paul, MN 55105
(651) 528-8992 info@medsearchcorp.com, www.medsearchcorp.com
Face to Face Interview Preparation
The wrong move can cost you the job! You've worked hard to get to the interview stage.
You passed the cover letter and resume screening process, maybe even a few telephone
interviews.
Now it is time for the face to face interview with the hiring manager team. Any number of items
can go wrong but you have to be in control and must have confidence. Go into an interview
with the feeling that you are going to impress them so much that they will have to make
you an offer. Put on a hat of an already existing team member/leader.
The interview is the most stressful part of the job hunt process for many people because now
they can't hide behind the cover letter and resume. The real face to face human connection
between potential employer and job candidate takes place. But for starters, if you simply follow
these 13 simple tips below, you are on your way to interviews with results.
A big part of a successful interview is avoiding simple mistakes. Mistakes are deadly to the job
seeker and easy to avoid if you are prepared.
Below are the most common interview related mistakes - and their antidotes:
1. Arriving late. Get directions from the interviewer - or a map. Wear a watch and leave home
early. If the worst happens and you can't make it on time, call the interviewer and arrange to
reschedule.
2. Dressing wrong. You make your greatest impact on the interviewer in the first 17 seconds - an
impression you want to make powerfully positive. Dress right in a conservative suit, subdued
colors, little jewelry (but real gold, or silver, or pearls), low heels (polished) and everything clean
and neat. Hygiene includes combed hair, brushed teeth, deodorant and low-key scent. Check
everything the night before, again before walking out the door and once again in the restroom just
before the interview.
3. Play zombie. OK, you're nervous. But you can still smile, right? And make eye contact, yes? Sit
up, focus on the interviewer, and start responding. Enthusiasm is what the interviewer wants to
see.
4. No smoking, no gum, no drinking. This is all comfort stuff for you, and none of it helps you
here. Employers are more likely to hire non-smokers. At a lunch or dinner interview, others may
order drinks. You best not.
5. Research failure. The interview is not the time for research. Find out the company's products
and services, annual sales, structure and other key information from the Internet, the public
library, professional magazines or from former employees. Show that you are interested in
working for the prospective employer by demonstrating knowledge about the company.
6. Can't articulate your own strengths and weaknesses. Only you can recognize your most
valuable strengths and most hurtful weaknesses. Be able to specify your major strengths. Your
weaknesses, if such must come up, should only be turned around to positives.
7. Winging the interview. Practice! Get a friend, a list of interview questions and a tape recorder
and conduct an interview rehearsal. Include a presentation or demonstration if that will be part of
the real interview. Start with introducing yourself and go all through an interview to saying good-
bye. Write out any answers you have difficulty with, and practice until your delivery is smooth (but
not slick).

2. MedSearch Corporation
Excellence in Medical Staffing… Since 1936!
241 Cleveland Ave S, Suite A2, St Paul, MN 55105
(651) 528-8992 info@medsearchcorp.com, www.medsearchcorp.com
8. Talk, Talk, Talk. Rambling, interrupting the interviewer and answering to a simple question with a
fifteen-minute reply - all of these can be avoided if you've thought through and practiced what you
want to communicate. Good answers are to the point and usually shorter.
9. Failure to connect yourself to the job requirements. The job description details the company's
needs - you connect your experiences, your talents and your strengths to the description. It
answers the essential reasons for the interview - "How my education/experience/talents/strengths
fit your needs and why I can do this job for you."
10. Not asking questions - and asking too many. Use your research to develop a set of questions
that will tell you whether this is the job and the company for you. This will help you limit and focus
your questions. But don't overpower the interviewer with questions about details that really won't
count in the long run.
11. Bad-mouth anyone. Not just your present employer, or former employer, or the competition. You
don't want to look like a complainer.
12. Asking about compensation and /or benefits too soon. Wait for the interviewer to bring up
these issues - after the discussion of your qualifications and the company's needs and wants.
13. Failure to ask for the job. When the interviewer indicates the interview is over, convey your
interest in the job and ask what the next step is.
Here are 11 questions you should always ask in a job interview, if they weren't already
answered, to help you get a better sense of the role and the company, and to help you
prepare for the next steps:
1. Who do you think would be the ideal candidate for this position, and how do I compare?
2. Who held this position previously? Why is he/she leaving the role?
3. What do you like most about working for this company?
4. Can you walk me through the typical day of someone in this role?
5. How do you evaluate success here?
6. How would you describe the company's culture?
7. Will I have an opportunity to meet those who would be part of my staff/my manager
during the interview process?
8. Can you tell me what steps need to be completed before your company can generate an
offer?
9. What distinguishes this company from its competitors?
10. Is there anyone else I need to meet with?"/"Is there anyone else you would like me to
meet with?
11. What's your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back from
you?
Here are 16 questions you'll want to avoid during the first job interview, as they may do
more harm than good:
1. What does your company do?
2. What will my salary be?
3. Will I have to work long hours?

3. MedSearch Corporation
Excellence in Medical Staffing… Since 1936!
241 Cleveland Ave S, Suite A2, St Paul, MN 55105
(651) 528-8992 info@medsearchcorp.com, www.medsearchcorp.com
4. How soon can I take a vacation?
5. When will I be eligible for a raise?
6. How quickly could I be considered for a promotion?
7. Will I have my own office?
8. What happens if I don't like the job or the people on my team?
9. Will I have an expense account?
10. Can you tell me about [your personal life]?
11. Can I make personal calls during the day?
12. Do you do background checks?
13. Do you monitor emails or internet usage?
14. Can I arrive early or leave late, as long as I get my work done?
15. How did I do?
16. Did I get the job?