Career Change Job Search: Job Interview Tips!

Career change job search: job interview tips to elevate your interview performance.

In your career change job search you've learned that preparation is everything. From the job search itself, to networking, to drafting a consistent quality resume and cover letter.

Now you've survived a telephone interview and have a job interview scheduled. Aside from looking and dressing for success, showing up ten minutes early, having prepared 50 great answers to 50 tough interview questions, role-playing the interview with a friend, carrying the right materials with you and doing the research on the company the job and the person interviewing you, you have one key thing yet to do.

If you want the job interview to be a conversation rather than an interrogation you have to prepare to hold up your part of the conversation.

Many job candidates neglect this small but important part of the interview process. Often it's not how you answer the interview questions that have the greatest influence on those interviewing you but rather what questions you ask during the course of the interview.

Early in the interview the outline of the job and its position in the company will be reviewed with you. Now is the time to ask what the most immediate challenges are involved in the position? Longer term challenges that you will be expected to resolve? Don't start solving the problems right now but you should relate from your experience where you were faced with similar problems, the actions you took and the positive results achieved.

Demonstrating that you will hit the ground running should suitably impress the interviewer.

An ancillary question is to inquire how the company sees the future growth of the position and what are the plans being implemented for future company growth. Listen carefully to the answers as they may dictate how you will answer additional questions from the interviewer.

In addition, most interviewers at the conclusion of the interview ask you if you have any additional questions. This is your chance to close the deal and put yourself ahead of the other candidates.

If not fully covered in the course of the interview you should inquire if the interviewer has any concerns about your skills, experience and abilities that might keep you from being successful in the position.

Depending on the answer now is the time for you to clear up any concerns the interviewer may have on your ability to effectively do the job. You also want at this point to show your enthusiasm for the position and if offered you would make a favorable decision on their offer.

As soon as possible after the interview complete your notes of the conversation. If there are any gaps in your answers or if you can profitably add more weight to your answers now is the time to promptly write and mail a focused thank you letter.

Now you've done all you can to elevate yourself about the other candidates. Is the job offer going to be far behind?

By John Groth