How to Prepare for a Job Interview

There are two documents you'll want to have in your briefcase, easy to pull out. The first is your resume. Believe it or not, interviewers do misplace resumes. Or perhaps they've never seen it except as an html document, or got it pasted into an email. You may even want to have a few extras. The extras will be handy when your interview – unknown to you – turns out to be with a panel. Many times people have walked into what they believed would be one-on-one interviews to discover themselves the subject of a panel interview, or you might be interviewing individually, but with several different people in sequence.

The second document you want at the ready is a list of people who through work, volunteer work or school can speak of your abilities and your work ethic. After the interview, the next step could be checking your references. Your list of recommenders should be designed in the same style as your resume, with the same typeface, paper and use of any colors. Your list of recommenders should include the name of the person, your connection to that person ("Mr. Johnson was my supervisor at ACME Consultants" ... or ... "Ms. Rose was a colleague with whom I partnered on several projects"), the person's title, email address, the company name and address. Also, include the person's most direct office phone number (you don't want your prospective employer getting bogged down in a company's massive voice-mail system), and, if possible, the person's cell phone number, especially if that person is out of the office a lot and is agreeable to providing it. Include at least three references. Make sure the people you list will enthusiastically recommend you for employment! (See our recommenders page for more information on this topic.)

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