This document provides advice for preparing for a job interview. It recommends creating a personal profile by inventorying your attributes, education, experience, accomplishments, skills, community service and more. It also advises researching the position, organization, typical interview questions, legal versus illegal questions employers may ask, and general tips like arriving on time and being prepared. The overall message is to thoroughly research the employer and position and know yourself and what you bring to the role.

2. Your interview starts before you walk
into an employer’s door..

4. Who are you?
1. Education
2. Experience, both paid and unpaid
3. Accomplishments and achievements
4. Skills and competencies
5. Community service
6. Clubs and organizations
7. Extra-Curricular activities
8. Work ethics
9. Values
Take an inventory of your attributes

6. Create Your Personal
Profile
Create a professional CV.
Create a powerful, competent and experienced
image by using action words to describe
yourself and your accomplishments.
Be totally honest, but don’t minimize your
accomplishments.

8. Know the Position
Make sure you and the position match.
Duties of the position
Salary
Location
Work schedules
Benefits
Drawbacks

10. Know the Organization
Organization’s name
Private or public
What products or services
Where can you find information about
the company?
Organization’s website
Search engines like Google

12. General Tips
Map your route to the interview site so you’re
not late.
Appropriate business attire is a must.
Make sure you know all the details included
in your CV before your interview, so they’re
fresh in your mind.
Know your answers to probable questions
before you walk in the door.
Think about questions you need to ask.
Write them down to jog your memory.

13. Legal versus Illegal
Questions
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!
Arrest or police records
Sex
Disability
Age
Military service
Race/Color
Child care
Religion
National origin
Marital status
It is important to understand the concept of legal versus illegal questions.
Any company wishing to avoid charges of discrimination knows that
there are some legal minefields to avoid with respect to interview
questions they may ask applicants for positions.

14. Legal versus Illegal
Questions
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!
1. That’s an unusual name. Is it Polish?
2. Would you have trouble working for a
supervisor who is younger than you?
3. What are you, about 50 or so?
Question Legal Illegal

15. Legal versus Illegal
Questions
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!
4. Do you have children?
5. The job requires frequent overnight
travel. Will your family obligations
prevent you from meeting this
requirement?
Question Legal Illegal

16. Typical
Job Interview Questions
1. Why do you want this job?
One of the most predictable questions and very important!
You need to prove that you have researched the
employer.
2. What has been your greatest achievement?
To say that your greatest achievement was getting your
degree will do nothing to distinguish you from all the
other candidates. Try to say something different that will
make you stand out.

17. Typical
Job Interview Questions
3. Describe a situation where you worked in a team
The interviewer needs to assess how well you relate other
people, what role you take in a group and whether you are
able to focus on goals and targets.
4. What do you expect to be doing in 5 years time?
This question allows you to demonstrate that you have
done your research on the career routes open to you
within the organisation and so you should try to be
.specific.

18. Typical
Job Interview Questions
5. What are your weaknesses?
The classic answer here is to state a strength which is
disguised as a weakness, such as “I’m too much of a
perfectionist”.
6. Who else have you applied to/got interviews with?
You are being asked to prove the consistency of your
career aims as well as your interest in the job. However,
you have to make clear that the present employer is
your first choice

19. Typical
Job Interview Questions
7. What are your strengths?
This allows you to put across your “Unique Selling
Points”.
8. Why do you want to leave your current employer?
(Positive, positive. A prospective employer doesn’t
want to hear a litany of grievances against your
current employer.)

20. Typical
Job Interview Questions
10. Have you got any questions?
At the end of the interview, it is likely that you will be given
the chance to put your own questions to the interviewer.
Ask about the work itself, training and career development:
not about holidays, pensions, and
season ticket loans! Prepare some questions in advance.

21. So, if…
You know yourself and what you have to offer.
You know you and the position match.
You know the organization’s history and the
benefits you would bring to it.
You have prepared a professional CV.
You’ve selected appropriate attire.
You know answers to probable questions
You’ve practiced your smile, eye contact,
and firm handshake.
THEN, this organization can’t live without
YOU.