As professional recruiters, we have learned over the years there  one question we can ask of almost any job candidate prospect to  determine their level of willingness to cooperate with the hiring  process, and their ability to adapt their preconceptions of the hiring  process to the practical aspects of a professional job search. Everyone  answers that one question pretty much the same. The question: "Who can  present your credentials best, you - the person who actually lived your  experiences, or me?" Well the obvious answer is "you," the person who  lived your experiences. But that is the wrong answer. Which illustrates  why so many folks have difficulties with job interviews, often wondering  later why things didn't turn out better. Why would your recruiter be a  better person to present your credentials than yourself? Because a  recruiter will organize your credentials so they appear as a solution to  the employer's needs. Typically, when job candidates present their own  resume and supporting credentials in an interview, they present their  background in a way that is the most flattering, not necessarily the  most effective or logical for getting the job at hand. This article  reviews how a job candidate can organize and present their credentials  in a job interview so it is to their best advantage. The best way to  prepare for a job interview is by learning which questions will likely  arise in a job interview, and having some predetermined answers for  those questions - answers that both illustrate your skills and successes  and present your experiences as the solution to the job you seek.
Often,  face to face interviews are preceded by a telephone screening, whereby a  key Human Resources or other representative contacts the job candidate  directly by phone to ask some basic questions. While the strategies  described herein apply to phone and on-site job interviews, the  objectives differ. In the telephone interview, the objective should be  to quickly illustrate your interest in the job and skills you bring to  bear so as to generate a job interview. With the face to face interview,  the objective should be to lead to a job offer. Attempting to get a job  offer differs from actually getting the job. A job candidate who asks  for the job offer by selling themselves to the company as the best fit  and most motivated candidate, will likely leave the job interview with  an offer in hand.
MOST IMPORTANT JOB INTERVIEW CONSIDERATIONS:
DON'T BE ON TIME - BE EARLY
It  is important you arrive at the interview 20-30 minutes early.  Obviously, being late sends a negative message about you to the  interviewer. Many interviewers don't meet with candidates who arrive  late. Plan ahead. Investigate traffic patterns relative to the time of  your job interview. Don't expect the interviewer will be sensitive to  delays caused by traffic congestion or an unexpected traffic accident.  They expect you will allow for those eventualities, just like they do.
DRESS & LOOK PROFESSIONAL
Women:   A skirt, dress or dress-suit or pant-suit are the most appropriate for  the female candidate. Make sure your clothes are neat, clean and well  pressed and make sense. Avoid controversial garb, anything too revealing  or too trendy. You want to look professional, not like you are there to  get a date or express a fashion statement.
Men:  A dress suit,  shirt and tie is the most appropriate clothing for the male candidate.  Make sure your clothes are neat, clean and well pressed. Avoid flashy  colors, jeans, T-shirts or tennis shoes. Wear your hair neat (including  facial hair), clean and well groomed.
Oh yeah, and please cover  tattoos and body piercings. While your private friends may enjoy the  current fad of body art, most likely, a new employer isn't impressed, in  fact, may look upon those expressions as somewhat immature - regardless  of how you may feel about them. If such corporate attitudes are  uncomfortable for you, find another prospective employer who is more  open to such un-requested expressions of personality. Otherwise, be  professional, dress professional, behave professionally.
PREPARE
Have  a pen, notepad and extra copy of your resume and references with you.  Make notes of questions you want to ask that relate to the job and  company. Put those items in a place that will be easy for you to get to  when you need them in the interview. If you currently use a daily/weekly  planner, bring that with you too. You should try to arrive at your  interview well rested, with a clear mind and a plan for presenting your  credentials and supporting materials like references.
GREET JOB INTERVIEWER ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Smile,  be friendly, not nervous, offer a solid handshake and say something  friendly, like:  "Good morning, pleasure to meet you, and thank you for  the opportunity to visit with you today." Show your enthusiasm about the  opportunity to work for their company. Remember, they are interviewing  you for a job that requires specific skills and genuine enthusiasm -- if  you don't express that at the interview, they many not be convinced you  have the stamina required for the job.
DON'T HIGHLIGHT NEGATIVES
For  the job interviewer, it is all about filling the job with the right  person. Believe me, most job interviewers don't want to hear about your  antique tin can collection, or how you landed that elk last year on your  vacation. An interviewer wants your undivided attention on their job  needs. Your personal habits distract from that focus. Such personal  comments may include topics like: smoking, chewing gum, nervous finger  or feet movement, tapping a pencil or a fork, humming, whistling,  stretching, cleaning finger nails, clearing your throat, excessive "ums"  in conversation, or focusing too much time on unrelated topics. Don't  make negative remarks about your past or present employers or workmates.  Negative remarks will not help your cause, and will seem as though you  are blaming others for poor results.
RESEARCH THE COMPANY THOROUGHLY
Learn  as much as you can about the company and the duties of the job position  which interests you, like income range and associated benefits. Family  and friends are sometimes sources of information about the company you  seek for employment. But don't rely on hearsay, try to talk to someone  in the company about the requirement and expectations of the job you  seek. And utilize more than one source of comments about the company you  are considering. Any positive things you learn about the company, make  sure you mention them to the interviewer as a way to express your long  term interest in the job you seek. Be prepared to answer questions about  why you want to work for their company, offering sensible reasons that  are practical in results.
PREPARE TO ASK QUESTIONS
You don't  want to confuse the interviewer with too many questions. Remember, they  are interviewing you, so be prepared to answer all their questions  smartly. But challenge the interviewer with some of your own questions -  determine those questions before you arrive to the job interview. Keep  good eye contact when you ask your questions. Don't get into lengthy  discussions. The idea is to engage the interviewer, to show them you can  take charge when required and get the information you need. You should  strive to create a list of questions that go to the heart of the job you  seek.
KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE
Be confident and knowledgeable  and you will express a good attitude. But don't seem over confident in  your abilities. Remain relaxed, answer questions sincerely. Be  interested in the job and the company. Lighten up some and use a little  humor! Your job interviewer should be made to feel you really want the  job and their company. Show serious interest so that you will be  considered a serious candidate. Do not mention offers of interviews with  other companies, unless asked.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO EXPECT
When  answering questions that have a pre-determined answer, remember to  offer a straight forward and immediate answer, and keep it simple. Avoid  yes/no answers, unless you are offering an example to illustrate your  answer. In fact, as much as possible, try and offer your key answers in a  format of :  Strategy-then-example. In that sense, if you were to  discuss aspects of how to build a team of your workmates, you could  answer with a short comment about your overall strategy of how to build a  team, then follow that up with a quick real-time example of how you  recently utilized that strategy and the results you got. Something like -  "I build a team by making sure everyone involved understands our mutual  goals, the timing, and their influence on those goals. When I did that  last Spring, as we were introducing a new product, the goal was to sell  more product by training team members to up-sell the new product to  existing customers - we increased sales over 20-percent in one month."
"TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF"
Most  people feel their personal lives are important, so when this question  is asked they talk about everything from their children to their wives  to their religion and even their favorite hobby or television show. Job  interviewers want to hear some of that, or they don't feel they did a  proper interview. But, the truth is, the job interviewer is more  interested in getting the right skills and experience for the job. So  keep your personal comments superficial, and in answering those personal  questions, spin your answers in a manner that your answer reflects the  skills and knowledge required for the job. After all, you are  interviewing for the job, not a hobby partner.
"WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS"
This  is your primary time to express how your experience and skills match up  to the requirements and needs of the job you seek. Be specific, but  don't spend an hour. Keep your words simple. Write out as many of the  answers as possible before the interview, so you can be comfortable when  you explain your skills. Again, be brief and use examples.
WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Mature  thinkers tend to know their weaknesses. That is why most job  interviewers ask this question. Will you admit you have weaknesses, and  if so, how do you manage those? Is the weakness too major to allow you  to be successful in the job you seek? Meaning to say, know in advance  how you will answer this question. For instance, many hard workers are  accused of working to many hours. Sometimes it's to do with the  workload, sometimes it's just a matter of poor time-management. So if  you say you are accused of being a "workaholic," temper that answer by  admitting you do work hard, but that you always maintain a reasonable  workload for you and your team, so you and your team (if there is one)  are active, but you are not really behind in your work. So admit a  weakness or two, but express how your results don't suffer.
DESCRIBE YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE?
If  you are seeking a management oriented position, describe your  management style. Is it more hands-on? Is it analysis based? Do you  delegate and verify results? Whatever your style, describe it  specifically, not generically. Don't offer hourly-wage answers, offer  management oriented answers; hourly wage answers include comments like:  "I'm always to work on time; I always get my work done; I get along with  others;" and such. Those are the attributes a manager expects of the  people who report to them. Make your answers relative to management.  Describe your ability and success when you delegate; your success with  smart, accurate analysis and reporting and how those reports lead your  activities; outline strategies you use to motivate or influence team  members. Be detailed, but in short answers.
"WHY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR CURRENT JOB?"
There  is nothing wrong with leaving one job for a better one. Make sure the  interviewer sees you as being in that mind-set. If there are serious  issues afoot in your current or recent job, don't spend time discussing  those, keep the focus on how you are a good match for the job at hand,  and how you are motivated to improve and advance. A good response might  be something like: " I am always looking to better myself. I heard  positive things about your company and this job in particular, so I  wanted to explore my options".
"WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN FIVE YEARS"
This  isn't a trick question, like most people believe, having two sides: 1)  To show how ambitious are you. 2) Are you loyal.  It's okay to say you  want to advance, if that is the case. But do it politely, a good generic  response may be something like: "I want to be a better manager than I  am now." Or, "I would be actively working towards promotions in this  company."
OTHER QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO ANSWER:
Obviously,  there are too many hiring scenarios to try and cover all pertinent job  interview questions here. But, there are some basic questions that may  likely arise, and for which you should generate pre-fabbed answers, so  you can offer an intelligent and job related response if such questions  come up in conversation. Write out your answers to each of these  questions.
How will you be an asset to our company (good opportunity to mention prior achievements, without being boastful.)
Why did you pick this industry?
Describe a unrelated leadership role that you held.
What has been your greatest challenge in your career?
Give me an example of a problem that arose in your job, and how you solved it.
Tell me about a project you initiated and the results.
What types of situations put you under pressure and how did you deal with it?
Give me a situation in which you failed, how did you deal with it?
How do you work with difficult people?
What was your greatest accomplishment?
What challenges are you looking for in a position?
What motivates you?
If I asked people who know you to describe you, what three words would they use?
Describe a situation where you had to work with someone who was difficult. How did you handle it?
What traits are most important for a good manager?
Tell me a about a team project of which your are particularly proud of. What was your contribution?
What type of environment appeals to you the most?
What characteristics are most important in a good manager? How have you displayed one of them?
What makes someone a good leader?
What are your expectations of a good employer?
What do you do in your spare time?
The  whole idea here is to leave nothing to chance. Literally write out your  answers in advance. Most job candidates do not follow this good advice,  believing they already know how best to present their credentials.  Don't make that mistake. Organize your answers in advance, put them in  perspective of how your skills and know-how best fit the job for which  you are interviewing. By organizing these simple tasks to prepare for  your job interview, you will greatly increase your odds of getting  hired. Don't leave your next great job to chance. Prepare for it now. 
by Mark Baber