Job interview preparation techniques

On Friday, all of my colleagues wanted to know why I was wearing a tie to work. Although I always try to dress professionally (see my previous post), I do not usually wear a tie to work. The reason I was doing so on Friday was that I had a job interview.

Today I'd like to talk about job interview preparation. I'm certainly no expert on the matter - in fact, I haven't even been interviewed all that many times. But while it's fresh in my mind, I'd like to tell you how I psyched myself up for it, and I'd like you to leave a comment with your own preparation techniques.

I did not have much time to prepare; I only found out about the interview about 24 hours in advance. I'm sure this situation would cause some people to panic, but I found it reassuring for two reasons. First of all, it meant the Selection Committee wasn't expecting me to have spent weeks preparing (and I didn't have to worry that the other applicants had put more effort into their preparations, since we all had the same amount of time). And secondly, it saved me a week or more of obsessing over which stories I should plan to tell, which of my qualities I should attempt to highlight, and how many times I should rehearse my 5 minute presentation. So my advice here is to make the most of whatever time you have, and look on the bright side if it's not much.

I was given a topic in advance and asked to give a 5 minute presentation at the interview, so this is where I started. I worked all the way through it, until I had something resembling a finished first draft. Then I put it aside (being careful to hit "save") and started thinking about my recent accomplishments. I've been keeping a list in Google Docs of all the projects I've been involved with since starting my current position, so I went over this list while thinking of common interview questions. Which of these projects involved teamwork? (That was an easy one; the answer was "almost all of them") Which were examples of times I've demonstrated leadership? Which ones involved innovation? When have I gone above and beyond while serving clients?

Once I'd taken stock of my recent accomplishments, I returned to my presentation and found that the break had given me some new ideas. I finalized the presentation and began rehearsing. I kept an eye on the clock as I went through it, then went back and made a few slight modifications to ensure I wouldn't go over the time limit. Once I was happy with the presentation, I spent a few minutes going over previous interviews in my mind, and thinking about what went well and what I'd like to do differently this time.

That was pretty much the extent of it, though I made a point of doing two other things as well: I got a good night's sleep the night before and I had a snack before the interview. Since it was scheduled for late in the afternoon, I knew I wouldn't be in the best frame of mind unless I was well rested and had a full stomach (but not *too* full - I wouldn't want to suddenly become queasy!).

I'll have to wait to find out whether my approach paid off (though obviously there are many factors involved in a hiring decision), but I feel I did a good job of preparing. Of course, there's always room for improvement, so please share any tips you might have in the comments. And wish me luck!