1.       Make sure you research the company before you go in for the interview.  If the person conducting the interview asks you why you want to work for their company be as specific as possible. 

2.      Make sure to have your references, employment history, and salary information with you when you go to the interview.  Some companies will require you to fill out a pre-employment application before you start the interview process.

3.      Learn the name of the person who is conducting the interview and use it throughout the interview.  People love to hear the sound of their own name.

4.       Always stay positive. Never say anything negative about your former employers no matter how unpleasant the experience may have been.  You don’t want to leave the impression that you might speak negatively about this company in the future.

5.      Practice, Practice, Practice.  Go online and practice as many interview questions as you can no matter how absurd they seem.  I was once asked in an interview “if you were a super hero who would you be?”  The more you prepare the more confident you will be. 

6.      Take your time when you are asked a question.  I have interviewed many people who start talking as soon as the question is asked.   When people answer questions that quickly they tend to ramble and their answers are not always clear.  

7.      Make sure to have specific examples of problems solved, money saved, awards won, or any recognition you received while at the company.  

8.      Do not ask questions about benefits and salary during the first interview.

9.      At the end of the interview you can ask the client if they have any concerns that would prevent them from hiring you.  This way you can clear up any concerns that they have before you leave.

10.  Prepare several questions to ask at the end of the interview.  It’s always good to ask the person interviewing you what their experience has been with the company.  People love to tell their story.  Another good question to ask is “what are the three most important things you are looking for in an employee?” The reason I have my candidates ask this is because they can then incorporate the responses when they write their thank you card.   You want to use this to reassure the client that you are exactly what they are looking for.

By Mark Bernecker - President, Business Development

Bill gates recently spoke to a group of High School Students and gave them some insight into what they needed to know about the real world but wouldn't learn in School. He talks about the harsh realities of what's out there waiting for them. As a manager you need to ask yourself "How do you plan to get this message across to your “Generation Y” Employees?".

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 5: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

 
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.