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Educational Philosophy Paper | Miscellaneous Course Handouts and Other Items of Interest
The 22 essential things that you should take away from every job interview
By HARVEY MACKAY
After a job interview, the person who interviewed you takes out an evaluation form or a recording device and passes judgment on your future.
I'm astonished at how few job candidates record or organize their notes about interviews that so affect their lives. You have your own evaluation to make about your performance and about the company.
To help you, I've developed the Mackay 22 Job Finder to fill out after each job interview. It and my other checklists are available free at www.HarveyMackay.com, including a questionnaire I call the Mackay Sweet 16 that will help you prepare before you go to your first interview.
Obviously you don't flip the Mackay 22 out or refer to it during interviews. The job interview is a corporate ritual, and your role in this mating dance is not to take control but to react intelligently and creatively to the signals you get from your interviewer. Getting the job is priority No. 1, but getting the answers to the questions about the job is a close second.
Here a sample of the information you should gather:
1. Date of interview, name of firm, phone number, address, interviewer, title.
2. Describe the position.
3. Last person left because ...
4. Position reports to: title. Who reports to this position?
5. Key duties of job.
6. Whether the last person in job succeeded or failed, and why.
7. Chances to get ahead? Describe: Can you move laterally within the company? Does the company encourage educational and training programs? Describe those.
8. Would relocation be necessary now? In the future?
9. Describe the ideal candidate.
10. Important information about pay, benefits, etc.
11. Expect a decision when?
12. Five most important questions you were asked.
13. Three most difficult or embarrassing questions asked.
14. What three things about you did the interviewer seem to like most.
15. What reservations or concerns did the interviewer reveal; what did you say or do during the interview that you wished you hadn't?
16. New company information that you learned.
17. How would this job/company be a good or poor fit?
18. Did you mention any references? Which ones, and have you alerted these people?
19. How did the interviewer describe your potential boss?
20. Is this the kind of person you would trust and feel comfortable working with?
21. Any special conditions for getting the job? Did you mention any conditions for accepting it?
22. What would be the biggest attraction and the biggest drawback in taking this job?
Complete the form as soon as possible after an interview. Research says we forget half of what we've heard within four hours. Then use your information as a reference toward getting the job you've always wanted.
Mackay's Moral: The info you gather from your first interview is invaluable for your second interview.
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