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How to best prepare for the job interview

We spend so much time and energy in our job searches. Getting a powerful resume together, networking, doing research on the Internet, identifying employers, getting names and addresses of hiring managers, writing cover letters, mailing resumes, doing follow up, and wondering why we get so few responses. And, when we do get a phone call, we start stressing over something we haven’t even thought about - the interview! What to wear, what time to leave, where to park, what to say if I live long enough to get into the interviewer’s office? There are so many worries before we even get a chance to shake hands, sit down, and try to look calm. Inside you feel like that stand-up comic yelling, “Somebody help me - I’m dying up here!”

There is help, and even though you are still trying to finalize a resume, it’s not too early to begin preparing for what must happen before you get hired.

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There are a couple of great new books out there and I want to tell you about them. One I’ve already mentioned before, but I’ll do it again. I really like “Savvy Interviewing,” by John Van Devender and Gloria Van Devender-Graves, and published by Capital Books, Inc. The Van Devenders/Graves are a father and daughter team of HR experts who tell it like it really is in a no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes fashion. In addition to practical tips on interviewing, this book includes examples of actual interviews, tips on how to prepare, the scoop on testing, and information on how to handle the “salary dance”, or what I call the “salary ping-pong game.”

You should also check out “The Career Coward’s Guide To Interviewing,” by Katy Piotrowski, M.Ed., and published by Jist Works, America’s Career Publisher. Piotrowski is a career counselor in private practice in Colorado, and the author of the weekly career advice column, “On The Job” in the Ft. Collins Coloradoan.

You have worked too hard on your job search to blow the most important step - the interview. Check out these two new books in your public library, quality book store, or contact the publishers directly. These books belong in your personal library.

Marvin Walberg is a job search coach and can be contacted at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net, marvinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO Box 43056, Birmingham, AL 35243.