Preparing for the Interview

1. Know the exact place and time of the interview, the interviewer's full name, the correct pronunciation and his or her title.
   
2. Learn pertinent facts about the company such as annual sales revenue, principal lines of business and locations.
   
3. Find out why the hiring manager and/or client representative is interested in your qualifications.
   
4. Determine how the opportunity will impact your immediate and long-term career development.
   
5. An interview is a "two-way street." Know what questions to ask during the interview. Your questions allow the hiring manager to evaluate your professional and personal needs. Insightful questions help both of you determine if your relationship will be mutually rewarding. Lastly, the better you understand the opportunity, the more you will be able to communicate your interest in the position.
   
6. Put your best foot forward. Always wear proper attire and greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and an enthusiastic smile.
   

The Interview

1. For hiring managers, the "right match" means they have identified individuals capable of performing the immediate challenges. More importantly, they hope the individuals have the potential to be future resources and assets to the firm.
   
2. The interviewer is the mechanism used to determine the "right match."
   
3. You are being interviewed by the hiring manager to determine whether you have the qualifications necessary to do the job and whether a mutually rewarding professional relationship can be formed.
   
4. Similarly, you must determine whether you can be successful in the available position and whether the company will give you the opportunity for growth and development.
   
5. Present yourself in the best possible light. However, be yourself; everyone has the same goal - the "right match."