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• Getting to Mutual
• Your Interview
  • Ten Rules
  • Online Application
  • Assessments
  • Behavorial Interviews
  • Screening Process
• Mutual at Job Fairs

Ten Rules of Interviewing

1. Keep your answers concise. Try to limit your answer to about two to three minutes, unless asked to provide further explanation. Practice answering questions and timing yourself to see how long it takes you to fully answer the question.
2. Include concrete, quantifiable data. Often interviewers ask general or open ended questions. Be sure to include information that will provide details about your specific background and strengths, which will also relate to the position.
3. Repeat your key strengths three times. It's vital to articulate your strengths. Make sure to explain how your assets relate to the team or the position and how they will benefit the potential department. If you explain your strengths and account for your accomplishments they will be believed and more likely remembered.
4. Prepare five or more success stories. Making a list of your qualifications and skills will help you prepare for the interview. Be sure to look back at past positions and identify a few situations when you used those skills successfully.
5. Put yourself on their team. Envision yourself working for the prospective team by using their name and products. For example, "Working for ______, I would efficiently examine ______ and ______." Let them know that you are thinking like a member of the team and will mesh with the existing work environment. It may be wise to do some research on the background of the department to be adequately prepared.
6. Pay attention to your image. Image is often as important as content. "You only have one chance to make a first impression." Your appearance and grammar are just as important as the information you share during the interview. Studies have shown that 65 percent of the conveyed message is nonverbal; gestures, physical appearance and attire have a lasting impression throughout the interview.
7. Ask questions. Toward the end of the interview, there will probably be a chance for you to ask questions. If you ask the right types of questions and are careful in how you ask them, you could make a tremendous impression on the interviewer. However, good questions require preparation. While planning how you would answer an interviewer's questions, also write out detailed questions you want to ask the interviewer.
8. Maintain a conversational flow. By maintaining a conversational flow, you'll be perceived more positively. Use body language and voice intonation to provide a conversational interchange between you and the interviewer and use feedback questions at the end of your answers.
9. Be knowledgeable of the company, product lines and competitors. Research will help you be prepared and give you data to relate to during the interview. It will also provide you with advanced information to help you decide whether or not you're interested in the job.
10. Follow-up. Send a brief thank you letter thanking the interviewer for their time. Restate your qualifications and pinpoint how they can benefit the department.