Chicago Tribune Article – May 13, 2001

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW, DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Many companies or careers may have skill or experience requirements that don’t fit your current qualifications.  The best time to figure out what is important is BEFORE you are actually interviewing for the position.

Do your homework; find out about the position requirements by reading similar job descriptions on Internet job sites or trade association sites.  Check the newspaper, trade publications, industry newsletters or individual Web sites of companies within the industry that you have targeted.  Your college alumni office can be a wealth of information and should be utilized.

Try to set up some informational meetings with people in the field you have targeted.  For that type of fact finding mission, you can talk to someone in Human Resources, someone who has the position, or a hiring manager to inquire about what skills are required, and more important, what are needed.  If you do not have the contacts, find out who would be a good contact.

Have questions ready so that you can get detailed information about how much experience or what level of proficiency is required to be successful in the position. Ask about all areas of the position to assure that you are getting the whole picture. Ask what a typical day is like, what duties are performed, and if the work is team-oriented or individually performed?  What are the expectations of the position? Is a special degree required?  Are there entry-level positions that get promoted into this position?  What are the requirements for that level?

These are all keys to educating yourself on how to best set yourself up to be qualified for the position you desire.  Without this knowledge, you will not be prepared and will have a harder time proving your worth to the hiring manager.

If you find you are lacking some key skills, find out how you can gain them or improve on what you have. If it is a technology or software type skill, invest in a course to get you the proper accreditation.  If you need a specific degree, then lay out a plan where you can take the courses, to get you to your goal or the degree you will need.

If you are used to working on your own, volunteer for committee work to gain some team experience.

If practical experience is what you are lacking, try to create a game plan on how you can satisfy that need.  If you have a great working relationship with your current company and they are proactive in helping employees further their growth, see if there are any opportunities internally that will get you additional experience.  Check around with some non-profit companies to see if you can volunteer your services in return for adding that experience to your resume.  Try to “moonlight” by taking a part-time evening or weekend job that will expose you to the skills you need.

Most important, once you have that experience and are interviewing for that new position, do not be shy about letting the hiring manager know what you did to get prepared for this position. Let them know that your goal was this job and you had that in mind when you worked that extra job, or took those additional classes or did that volunteer work.

You should be proud of your effort and it says much about your desire to be successful. You did the work, you need to share that knowledge and toot your own horn!  Itwillwin you extra points.