Interviewing Process Paper

The interviewing process begins, when an individual submits a job application, résumé, or cover letter to a company. Once someone in the company reviews any or all of these items, evaluations begin. It all starts with the content of the application, résumé, and cover letter; interviewers look at the content of the information to see if the applicant aligns with the qualifications the job requires. Next the interviewer will look for basic spelling and grammatical errors, if applicants do not take the time to proofread their application, it tells interviewers that the individual is careless, and has an interest in the position. After reviewing the application materials, 91% of employers will research potential hires through social media websites

The most important aspect is to research the company and the individual that is conducting the interview, learn about each as much as possible (Kramer, 2011). Researching the company avoids the interviewee coming across as a “clueless candidate” and as an individual that is careless or not worth the company’s time. By utilizing the company’s website, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) an interviewee learns information about the company such as the mission and vision statement of the company, the company’s history, and its major competitors. Another way to research the company is to ask past and current employees to gain insight about the typical day at work, the culture of the company, and important individuals in the company. Equally as important to researching the company, the interviewee should find information about the interviewing panel, such as the names of the individuals on the panel, individuals’ goals for the company and themselves, information about work history, and interactions these individuals have had online. Learning about each interviewers’ backgrounds helps an interviewee find common interests to help connect with these individuals and give the interviewee an opportunity to stand out from the

Mock interviews are constructive because they get the interviewee in the correct mindset by thinking about the actual interview plus interviewee receive feedback on things to improve for the actual interview. An interviewee needs to remember the interview is actually what the company needs (Achler 2017). Interviewees are able to think about potential answers for popular questions that may come up in an actual interview such as: “Tell me about yourself.” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” “Tell me about a time you provided great customer service.” “What major challenges have you handled?” “Describe a difficult experience at work and how you handled it.” Most of these questions require an interviewee to provide an example to back up his or her argument. Questions like these are behavioral-based questions, interviewers want to know how interviewees have reacted in previous situations. Most of the time, individuals act in similar ways if the situation repeats in the future. If interviewees do not have someone else that can conduct a mock interview, there are several sites on the Internet that can provide an interviewee with a virtual mock interview. Simulations like these can be just as useful as a face-to-face mock interview because they provide interviewee with the correct mindset before the actual interview. Some of these sites