Ready for Your Next Interview? Take the “I” Test

A large part of the job search process is going on interviews. Before you head out to your next appointment take the “I” test and see if you’re really prepared or just pretending.

Answer true or false to the following statements:
___ I feel confident in the amount of preparation I have done.
___ I understand the company mission statement and how my role would fit into it.
___ I know where the interview is and how to get there on time.
___ I have most if not all of the skills the position requires.
___ I have researched the job title’s pay range for people with similar experience in my area.
___ I have a suit and shoes that are clean, pressed/polished, presentable and professional to wear to the interviewer.
___ I printed out several crisp and current copies of my resume to hand out.
___ I made a list of questions to ask the interviewer that don’t involve pay or vacation time.
___ I know specific examples to cite when asked my strengths, weaknesses and why I left my last job.
___ I wrote a thank you note to leave with the receptionist/interviewer after my appointment.

So how many trues do you have?

0-3 Consider if this is the job for you? It’s been shown a bad job is worse than no job. If you don’t want to put the effort into the interview odds are you won’t get the job so why waste the time. Take a look at how you can bring your score up if you want a chance.

4-7 If your interview isn’t in the next ten minutes you still have time to increase your number of true answers. It may take a couple of minutes to get the things you need together but it will be worth the effort in the end.

8-10 Good job, you’ve done your homework. Get an even bigger edge by figuring out a way to go the extra mile and set yourself apart from other candidates. Sky writing maybe? Leave your ideas in the comments below.


By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for TechCareersBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.