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Operation Patent Law Job: Preparing for Your Interview
You've sent out all the resumes and cover letters you could and waited and waited for the call. Finally the phone rings, and you've got an interview! Relief and anxiety pass over you as you realize...
Once you get the call for your interview, the next thing you must do is prepare for it. You really can never over prepare for an interview. The more prepared you are, the less likely it will be for you to make mistakes. It is best to prepare yourself emotionally as well as intellectually. Giving a great interview is not as hard as some may think, but not as easy as others do either.
Remember, during an interview, you are a salesperson. You are there to sell yourself to your prospective employer. You want to market yourself in the most interesting way possible. Great preparation for the interview is your best bet. A salesperson that is knowledgeable, friendly and positive always gets the close.
Here are a few things that must be done in order to prepare for your next interview…
Do Your Research
It doesn’t matter how much knowledge or experience you have about the position you want in a company if you don’t know who the company is or what they do. It is disastrous to enter an interview and not be able to tell your interviewer what their company is about. How else are you going to tell them why you feel that you would be a good addition to their firm?
So where do you begin on your quest in researching a firm? Well a good place to start is to look up their website. You can get all of the general knowledge about them right off a website, including the names of key people and their job titles. You should sift through most of their pages, including the pages that show samples of their work.
You can also look them up in media files if there are any. They may have press releases or articles. Read any articles written by any employees or by the company in general. Soak in as much information as possible. Vault.com does offer information on the top law firms in the nation. You may be able to find some valuable insights from their site.
You can also check out the area surrounding the firm as well. It makes for a nice ice breaker during the interview. You can make a comment about a particular monument or resting place nearby.
A trickier way to get a little extra information about the firm is to call them on the phone and ask general questions, without referring to yourself as a potential employee. Ask them questions as though you were a potential client.
Know Your Contact
When you are called in for an interview, ask who you will be speaking with. It is nice to be able to greet your interviewer by name at the beginning of the interview without first being told who they are. It shows that you are on top of things, and have prepared before hand.
You will also want to do some research on the person that will be conducting your interview. Learn what they do for the firm and try to get some samples of their work or achievements.
If you know what department you are going to work in you may want to get the names of your potential colleagues and superiors prior to the interview as well. This way you can get some information about their roles in the firm and the type of work that they have done.
Mention some of the things that you learn about your potential colleagues in the interview and how much you look forward to working with them in the future. If you can, provide an example of their work so that you will appear more sincere.
Practice Your Responses
If you are prone to nervousness, it is best to practice giving your responses to any questions that may be asked of you. You should practice your wording and your tone of voice. It’s best to try keeping your responses as brief as possible, but with as much detail as you can. You don’t want to ramble on, but you want to be sure to answer the question. Be clear and concise in your answers.
When you are trying to work out the proper responses to the interviewer’s questions, you will also want to practice the art of getting your nerves under control as well as ridding yourself of any other odd habits while talking; like expressing yourself with your hands.
Practice answering your interview questions with a friend. Get his or her opinion about your delivery and gestures. Perhaps your friend will have some nice insights for you to use during the real interview.
Dress the Part
Pre-select your attire the day before your interview. You want to make sure that your clothes do not have any wrinkles or stains on them. Pick an outfit that best suits the type of job that you are applying for. Since you are going to work in an office setting, you should dress conservatively. Soft earth tones are best for women. Avoid mini skirts, low-cut shirts and hats. A nice, dark suit is a good choice for a male.
Get Organized
Make sure all of the things you will need for the interview are prepared the day before. You may even want to make a checklist if you feel it will help you remember. For starters, you should always have an extra resume handy during the interview. You should also bring a note pad to take notes during the interview if needed. (Only write down the important things that you think you will need to remember – you don’t want to spend the interview staring into your notepad or writing feverishly).
Bring along a business card if you have one; it makes it easy for them to contact you later. It also shows that you are professional and it may help the employer to remember your name.
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