Talk your way into a job

Wenn Sie zu einem Vorstellungsgespräch gebeten werden, haben Sie eine wichtige Hürde schon genommen. Carol Scheunemann sagt Ihnen, wie Sie jetzt den bestmöglichen Eindruck machen.

You’ve been invited to a job interview. Take a moment to congratulate yourself. Applying for a job requires a great deal of effort, even more so when everything has to be done in English. Companies often receive hundreds of applications for each vacancy, and invite only a handful of people to interviews.

Your application has given your potential boss or co-workers information about your qualifications and experience. Now, the interview will allow them to learn more about you and to decide whether you will fit in at their company. It will also be your opportunity to find out whether the job really is one you want.

Following our nine-point plan will help you to increase your chances of success:

1. Do your homework

Ideally, you will have collected information on the company before sending off your application. If not, do so now. “If someone makes it to the interview, it’s because their qualifications match what we are looking for,” says Clare Sup, creative director for the Los Angeles Times web site. “But when I ask them what they think of our site, some applicants admit they’ve never even looked at it. I generally cross them off the list right there.”

Before your interview, you should be able to answer the following questions: What are the company’s products? Where is the parent company located? How many people work for the firm? Who are their competitors? This preparation will also give you valuable vocabulary. “The way someone has prepared for the interview tells you a lot about their initiative and general attitude to work,” says Sup.

TIP

Find trade journals or magazines in English, and look at the company’s web site, to find key terms and recent developments in the industry or job field.