NO ‘DO-OVERS’ ON FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Some recruiters have said that they make a decision about a candidate in less than five minutes. They go on to say that they are surprised how many people come in for interviews unprepared.

Everything you say and do tells a potential employer who you are and what value you bring to a company. Here are three things to do so you are prepared before an interview:

• Review the company website prior to any interactions.  Learn critical key messages that are repeated on that website so you can ‘speak the language’.
• Go into the meeting understanding the corporate mission, vision, and goals. 
• Most of all, understand who their core customer is and incorporate that into your conversation.

Exhibiting how quickly you can fit into an organization, will better allow you to seize opportunities.

The contributor of this career tip is Susan Caplan, a career keynote speaker, consultant, teacher, and author.