Willory Interview Tips / Suggestions
PRE-INTERVIEW
A. Get a good night’s rest and enjoy the interview experience. Be yourself and keep a smile on your face.
Arrive 15 minutes prior to appointment time.
 Do a dry run of trip if unfamiliar with area or ensure driving directions accurate and exact
location
 Bring ample copies of your cover letter, resume and references (at least two more than the
number of people you are interviewing with).
 Preferably store these items along with a pen and paper in a professional looking portfolio
B. Review company’s website along with financial statements and other pertinent information
 Google company and interviewers
 Check out profiles of interviewers by typing their names in People Search box at
www.linkedin.com
C. Prepare a one page summary of how your skills and experience align the details of the key job duties
 For each job duty, describe in fifty words or less in a bullet format your skills, experience, # of
years you in this area, what companies you worked for when you had this experience and
results that you have achieved.
D. Prepare at least ten interview questions (some samples are below). Use your judgment to ask the
right type and # of questions and it is IMPERATIVE WHEN YOU ARE ASKED, “DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS,” NEVER SAY NO. ASK A MINIMUM OF TWO QUESTIONS:
o Tell me a little bit about yourself and your position?
o What do you see ahead for your company in the next five years?
o How do you see the future for this industry?
o What do you consider to be your company’s most important assets?
o What happened to the last person who held this job?
o What were the major strengths and weaknesses of the last person who held this job?
o What types of skills do you NOT already have onboard that you're looking to fill with a new
hire?
o What is the overall structure of the company and how does your department fit the
structure?
o What are the career paths in this department?
o What have been the department's successes in the last couple of years?
o How do you view your group/division/department?
o What would you consider to be the most important aspects of this job?
o What are the skills and attributes you value most for someone being hired for this position?
o Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to within the
company?
o Could you describe a typical day or week in this position?
o What are the most immediate challenges of the position that need to be addressed in the
first three months?
o What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
Avoid asking questions that may easily be found on the company website
Avoid asking questions about compensation and benefits unless you have received a job offer
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E. Professional attire with details below:
a. Business Professional Attire for Men:
 Men should wear business suits if possible; however, blazers can be worn with dress slacks or nice
khaki pants.
 Wearing a tie is a requirement for men in a business professional dress code.
 Sweaters worn with a shirt and tie are an option as well.
b. Business Professional Attire for Women:
 Women should wear business suits or skirt-and-blouse combinations.
 Women adhering to the business professional dress code can wear slacks, shirts and other formal
combinations.
 Women dressing for a business professional dress code should try to be conservative.
 Revealing clothing should be avoided, and body art should be covered.
 Jewelry should be conservative and tasteful. “MINIMUM- Stud earrings or NONE at all.”
c. Colors and Footwear
 When choosing color schemes for your business professional wardrobe, it's advisable to stay
conservative.
 Wear "power" colors such as black, navy, dark gray and earth tones.
 Avoid bright colors that attract attention.
 Men should wear dark-colored dress shoes.
 Women can wear heels or flats.
 Women should avoid open-toe shoes and strapless shoes that expose the heel of the foot.
d. Good Hygiene
 Always practice good hygiene.
 For men, adhering to a business professional dress code, this means good grooming habits. Facial
hair should be either shaved off or well groomed.
 Clothing should be neat and always pressed.
 Men should avoid too much hair gel
 Women should avoid makeup that stands out in a distracting manner. Hair should be wellmaintained.
 Men and women should avoid wearing too much cologne/perfume
e. What Not to Wear or Do During an Interview
 Never wear jeans, athletic apparel or athletic footwear.
 Offensive T-shirts, distracting jewelry and rips in clothing are not appropriate in a business
professional dress code.
 Women adhering to a business professional dress code should avoid shirts that expose cleavage and
back areas.
 Shorts are never allowed in a business professional dress code.
 Women should wear pantyhose or stockings as not to expose their bare legs.
 Head wear is not permitted in a business professional dress code unless it is for religious
significance.
 DO NOT chew gum or mints during the interview
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DURING INTERVIEW
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Be courteous to everyone you meet. This includes the secretary, janitor, etc. Anyone you come across
before or after you meet your interviewer (the interviewer may sometimes go back and ask these
people you’ve interacted with if you were kind to them).
When meeting your interviewer, greet them with a firm handshake and eye contact
Sit up straight and use eye contact at all times during interview
Take notes during the interview
A. Be prepared to answer these standard questions:
 What are the biggest strengths you will bring to this organization?
 What are the things you do not like to do, and not want to work on?
 Please walk me through a typical day at your current/previous job and about your boss and your
relationship?
 What adjectives would your references use to describe you?
 Tell me what are the first 5 things you would do if you got this position?
 What accomplishment in your career to date are you most proud of?
 Where would you like to be in 3-5 years in your career? What would you like to be earning?
 What do you think are the most important five things for you to be successful in this position?
 What are some things your current employer could do differently to be more successful?
 Why are you interested in this job? What do you know about our company?
 What have been the biggest failures and frustrations in your career?
 Why have you decided to leave your current position?
 What risks did you take in your last position?
 Why should I hire you?
 Why do you want this job?
 Ask the interviewer to restate a question if you are not certain of what is being asked
B. Be prepared for the “behavioral based” interview questions or scenarios described below:
Behavioral interviews are based on the assumption that the best predictor of future behavior and
performance is past behavior. Behavioral interviewing is an approach that allows employers to assess
the job-related competencies of candidates in a structured and predictive manner. Behavioral
interviewing requires the interviewer to ask a predefined set of questions which are often organized
around core competencies. These questions challenge candidates to describe, in specific detail, how
they have handled similar situations in the past. This gives you the opportunity to describe situations
you have successfully handled in the past. Use the STAR story format in your answers to the behavioral
questions, starting with describing the Situation or Task, than proceeding to the Action taken and the
Result. Please review the following examples of typical questions:
a.) WORK STANDARDS
Types of Questions:
 How do you define doing a good job?
 How do you know you are doing a good job?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Setting high goals or standards of performance for self, subordinates, others, and
organization. Dissatisfied with average performance.
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b.) PLANNING AND ORGANIZING
Types of Questions:
 How have you determined what constitutes top priorities in scheduling your time?
Examples?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Establishing a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal; planning
proper assignments of personnel and appropriate allocation of resources.
c.) INTEGRITY
Types of Questions:
 Some individuals bend the truth a little when dealing with a particularly difficult customer,
peer or boss. Give me some examples of when you had to do this?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms in job-related activities.
d.) JOB MOTIVATION
Types of Questions:
 What are your work/career goals in the next five years?
 What have you done to accomplish them?
 What would be your normal career path to reach that goal?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 The extent to which activities and responsibilities available in the job overlap with activities
and responsibilities that result in personal satisfaction.
e.) JUDGMENT/DECISIVENESS
Types of Questions:
 Give me two examples of good decisions you have made in the last six months.
 What were the alternatives?
 Why were they good decisions?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Developing alternative courses of action and willingness to commit oneself and make
decisions based on logical assumptions and reflecting factual information.
f.) PRACTICAL LEARNING (INTELLIGENCE)
Types of Questions:
 What did you have to learn to be effective at _______________?
 How long did that take you?
 Which parts took the most time? Why?
 Which parts were hardest?
Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Assimilating and applying new, job-related Information in a timely manner.
g.) TOLERANCE FOR STRESS
Types of Questions:
 Were there any time pressures on you in your job at __________________? Tell me about
them.
 How did you deal with them?
 Tell me a time when you came across a problem with a co-worker and how did you
overcome this obstacle?
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Thoughts to consider when responding:
 Stability of performance under pressure and/or opposition.
 Staying calm and always working towards finding a compromising solution
C. Always end interview with:
 Thanking interviewer for their time.
 Asking a few final questions:
 How did you think the interview went?
 Do you have any concerns regarding my qualifications?
 What are the next steps in the interview process?
 Express your interest in position and appreciation for interviewer’s time (if applicable).
 Collect person’s contact information for email / thank you follow up.
 If asked, “Do you have any question?” NEVER SAY “NO. Ask a minimum of two questions.
D. Items to consider for a phone interview:
 Have the following items readily available, your resume, pen and paper, glass of water.
 Do not use a cell phone or older model cordless phone. Your already at a disadvantage by not being able
to see the interviewer don’t compound the issue by making the connection less than crystal clear.
 Close the door, turn off the TV and music, quarantine the dog, and turn off call waiting. It is critical to
have a quiet place, without distractions.
 Smile, it improves the timber of your voice and will help you sound upbeat.
 Stay enthusiastic and positive about the job opportunity
 Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
 Stay clear of using word fillers such as, “Um,” “Ah” and “Uh.”
 Be prepared, anticipate lines of questioning and prepare answers, have a short list of accomplishments
geared toward what you know about the job. Create ‘word pictures’ that offset the interviewer’s inability to
see you.
 Listen carefully to the interviewer’s question. Don’t interrupt. Be concise, don’t ramble. This can be a
challenge when talking on the phone, without visual cues we keep talking hoping to get the response we
need. Practice being brief.
 Again, if you do not understand the question, ask the interviewer to restate it
 Ask where they are in the process and the time frame. Let them know you are interested.
 Potentially, your goal is to get an in-person interview. After thanking the interviewer, ask if they would be
willing to meet in-person.
 Thank the interviewer for their time. Send a thank you note within 24 hours.
 Analyze the call and look for ways to improve your presentation for the next one.
POST-INTERVIEW
Collect business cards and ALWAYS send a follow up, thank you email or personal letter the next day.
GOOD LUCK AND CALL YOUR WILLORY CONTACT AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW IS COMPLETE
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info@willory.com / 1.855.WILLORY
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