Preparing for a Great Interview - Part 5

Welcome to part five of a short series dealing with some tips on preparing and having a great interview. As a reminder, if you are just finding us at this part, you may wish to go back and read the early postings also, starting HERE. Also, as I mentioned previously, many of these tips can be applied to not only a position in customer service, but to almost all job interviews in general.



So, you're sitting there, and the question is thrown at you, "why should we hire you?" What kind of response are you prepared with? This is important to have ready, and do not just stumble through with less than useful responses like "I am a hard worker," or “I am a fast learner." A couple things are needed to properly answer this question. First off, what exactly is the skill set needed to properly perform the position you are interviewing for? This requires you to know what the position is, know what the position does, and it is always great to know the overall function of the company and their target audience.



Secondly, what exactly are your skills that would benefit and enhance the position and the long-term goals of the company? Know the company, know the position, know yourself; sell yourself as the best candidate with the best qualifications for the position in question, and include how you can be a long-term benefit to the company overall. Know these things before you walk into the interview and spend a few moment formulating a good response to this line of questioning.



You will almost always be given a chance to ask questions during the interview. Most of us tend to just stay quiet and listen, especially if it is the first interview. But this is always a good opportunity to show you have true knowledge and interest in the company. So, asking questions is more of a positive action, than a negative one. If you know a bit about the company you may be able to formulate better questions about the position and goals of the company, as well as the potential for growth within the company.



If it appears to be getting closer to the end of the interview, and you are given a chance to ask questions, go ahead and ask the interviewer questions about the interview experience. Ask them how many candidates have applied and their initial impression of how you would rank in the process so far. Let them know you are simply looking for constructive criticism on how you did in the interview, and how they think you could have done better. Use each interview session as a learning experience, and encourage the interviewer to speak freely and act as a type of coach to assist you in learning and preparing better. Act professionally and be sincere and you may find yourself receiving very helpful answers.



As of this time, I am preparing one additional part to follow this one, but if you have any additional tips or suggestions that you'd like to share, feel free to post in the comments below, and I may expound further on them in a future post, to help others out there.



Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Customer Service Jobs blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.