On the Hot Seat: Preparing for the Job Interview

By Brad McGuigan

Information Professional, Information Centre AGRA Engineering Group & WCC Employment Chair

It seems there are more jobs today than there were a few years ago as library school graduates move beyond the traditional role of information provider into new and exciting arenas. Information and knowledge have become hot commodities and their respective management is critical to any business, big or small. Landing a plum position in the evolving world of information provision and management requires a combination of education, acquired skills, and of course, being the successful candidate in the job interview. A recent perusal of the web, the local library and book stores, uncovered a plethora of texts and websites dedicated to the subject. There is no prescribed format for today's interview, so the better prepared an interviewee is, the more likely his or her chance of success.

Prepare Yourself

If you land a job interview, preparing for it is of paramount importance. Find out as much as you can in advance about your prospective employer. A recent article in The Vancouver Sun (Newton, 2000) highlighted the benefits of research before the interview. You may be able to match the goals of the company with personal or professional goals, and expand on that during the interview. Aside from reading about the business of the company, research may help you identify any information gaps, any procedures that could be improved, or monies that could be saved. The opportunity may arise during the interview to discuss these points tactfully, showing how you could improve on the status quo. It might also be a good idea to benchmark your prospective employer in the industry or industries it serves, to see how well it is doing, identify its main competitors, and bone up on any industry news or developments. Research also provides an opportunity to uncover anything negative about a prospective employer, allowing you to bow out of an interview gracefully and avoid a painful work experience.

Information on public companies is much more readily available than information on private companies because of their fiduciary responsibility to release material. Always check to see if the company has a website. Annual reports are a great source of background material. They may outline where the company has been active, what it has been doing, and where it is headed. A more detailed profile of a public company can be found in its 10K report. Along with financials, profiles of the company's major business activities are usually given. Information on subsidiaries and other news, such as any class-action lawsuits, or major financial write-downs will also be included. If the company does not have a website, try some of the wire services such as Canada Newswire or CCN Disclosure. Filings for Canadian public companies can be found at SEDAR as well.

Information on private companies is harder to come by and will test your detective skills. Local newspapers can be a good source of material on private companies as can the local branch of the public library which may have clippings files. Commercial services such as Dun & Bradstreet may have information on the company, but it will more than likely be pricey.

The more you know about your possible future employer, the more comfortable you will feel during the interview. Questions may arise about your suitability for the position. Being able to match your skills set with an employer's information needs is the obvious answer, but an interviewer may be looking for more. Providing concrete examples of work done in the past where you have added value to a position that resulted in streamlined procedures or monies saved shows critical thinking "outside the box".

Dress for success

Dressing for the job interview is almost as important as preparing for it. While I do not purport to be a maven of fashion or a guru of business etiquette, common sense would tell me to dress appropriately. Outward appearance can reveal telltale signs about an individual's personality, such as attention to detail, what they think of themselves, and what they think of the position for which they are applying. The corporate culture of a prospective employer may influence your choice of clothes. For example, applying at a dot-com may see you dressed in more business casual attire, whereas interviewing for a position in a law or engineering firm may require a more traditional look. Use your best judgement. Remember that the impression you want to leave behind is of you, not your clothes.

Useful websites

The American Library Association has a list of sources available for cover letters, resume writing and interviewing at http://www.ala.org/rusa/brass/jobsbib3.html.

CareerJournal.com contains fulltext articles on how to survive interviews as published in The Wall Street Journal, as well as original articles from CareerJournal. The site is located at http://public.wsj.com/careers/resources/documents/cwc-interviewing.htm.

Ehow.com contains useful tips on how to dress for a job interview including specific tips for men and for women

Max Messmer, Chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, Inc., the world's largest staffing service, gives a list of dos and don'ts for your job interview. The article is located at www.headhunter.net/Jobseeker/careerbytes/hints0500.htm

Other useful employment resources can be found on the SLA WCC website at http://www.sla.org/chapter/cwcn/employ/index.htm

References

Newton, Elizabeth. "It's More Than Just a Job". Vancouver Sun. (September 2, 2000): D11.