01
The first step is to confirm the dress code of a company (there always is one). If this hasn't been mentioned in the job ad or when you're notified of your schedule, make sure to call or email the right person. Aside from that, take some time to research the company culture. Get the details on the work setting and office style it abides by.
02
I'll be blunt here. If you don't see the value of coming in early – don't bother with the rest of this list. Unless you can prove you got up caught in an unlucky situation out of your control (NOT bad traffic) – tardiness is application suicide.
03
It's good to spend an hour researching the company. Make sure you look into its history, its structure, financials, mission and vision statements, and any notable news about it over the past year. Now, this may not be the most important tip when you apply for an entry-level position.
04
This is a similar deal to joining the school football team. Some guys try out aiming to become backs and receivers (they enjoy throwing the ball), but they should be open to taking a defensive position if the coach thinks they're better for it. They shouldn't limit themselves to one role.
05
This is where you must give a concrete description of your skills, and how you see them translating into a strong return on assets (ROA) for your employer. In simpler terms – what can you do to bring in MORE money for the company?
06
Allow me to amend the old adage “Practice makes perfect.” No – PERFECT practice makes perfect. And that applies to preparing for interviews. Do some research online and make a list of different possible questions. Print it out and write a draft of your answers. Then compile them all into another document as a script.
07
If you're going to say “I communicate well with people” – you can't just end it there. You need a concise story (under 1 minute) to back it up, such as the time you worked on a given team project back in college or your previous job. Always have 3 stories ready to share.
08
There are 2 booby traps that you may fall in if you're not careful: – Mentioning something that isn't a real weakness but a cliché type of answer – Sharing a flawed personality trait of yours that raises a red flag to the interviewer
09
Maybe it's part of human nature, but many of us tend to give BS answers every now and then. It's an ego-related thing. We'd rather “gamble” on pretending we know something than being honest. The problem with that gamble is when it's a bad one – you lose way more than you would've had you told the truth.
10
Only do this if you feel that answering isn't going to help things. Maybe you're uncomfortable with the question, your mind draws a blank or your instincts tell you to move on. Whatever the case – it's okay. Politely ask the interviewer if you can skip the question (no matter how aggressively they asked it).