Job Application and Interview Preparation

It is so easy to sit down to complete an application and suddenly your mind goes blank. You
cannot even remember dates or names or telephone numbers. If you have a varied work history,
you are not able to recall which job came first. If you have worked for the same employer for years,
you forget when your duties changed or when you received a promotion.

Do your research on work-related paperwork at home and make up a list of everything you might need.
List every job for the past 10 years including the company name, address, telephone number and the
contact person to call, usually your immediate supervisor. Have a list of education, formal college and
any special courses, seminars, or in-house trainings you completed, with dates. Have a list of five
personal references with names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Carry the sheet with you so you are prepared at all times. Not only will it make completing applications
a breeze but it will ensure that the information you provide is accurate and consistent. That will avoid the
embarrassment and negative reaction in an interview when you realize there are errors on the application
the interviewer is using as a guide and you have to make quick verbal corrections.

An interview almost invariably closes with the potential employer asking if you have any questions. Often
an applicant will ask for clarification on benefits -insurance, vacation time, etc. While these are obviously
important for you to know, they plant a seed in the interviewer's mind that maybe you are more interested
in what the job can do for you than in how you can help the employer.

Try to have three or four questions ready to ask that demonstrate your interest in the company and your
desire to be a problem-solver.

If you have been able to do some research, trot out a question or two that came to mind. If you have been
able to come up with some ideas that relate to the problem, throw them out to see how the employer reacts.

If you have been able to identify some trends or problems in the industry, ask how that is going to affect the
company and what they are doing to deal with it. Show your concern about industry developments and what
that may bode for the future.

If some current challenges have been brought up earlier in the interview, ask for clarification and more detail.

The more the interviewer interacts with you as if your concerns are mutual, and that possible solutions are
something you could consider together, the more you will be seen as a valuable future member of his team
and the more likely you will be asked to join that team.