Before the Interview
Searching for employment after separating from the military can be one of the most pain-staking experiences for Veterans. Succeeding in the process is dependent upon your performance during the interview. There are three important steps in the interview process: preparing for the interview, your performance during the interview, and your follow-up after the interview. Each step is important. However, preparing for the interview can have a big impact on how well you do during the interview. The better prepared you are, the less anxious you’ll be, which will give you a greater chance of a positive interview.
One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to do the homework. Employment seekers should conduct thorough research on the prospective company or organization that they are applying to, paying particular attention to the job description. Simple internet searches and browsing the employer’s website should be sufficient. Make sure that you are familiar with the company’s mission statement and goals. Keep in mind that if a company’s goals don’t coincide with your own, you might not be a good fit for one another. Veterans should try to include their knowledge of the company into their interview responses, in a natural way.
Veteran interviewees should also research the desired position, including what duties and qualifications are required, and what the pay scale for that position is. A great resource for this is the US Department of Labor’s website for their Bureau of Labor Statistics. Just enter your position or title into the search window from the homepage. Many of the major job search sites also provide some helpful information, including average salary; just make sure that region or zip code are used in figuring out wages.
After you have researched all that you can about the company, be sure to conduct a web search on yourself. Be cognizant of the images and social media that can be linked to you within seconds. You might consider deleting some posts and images from your social media profiles.
Being well informed at an interview shows employers that you are intelligent, capable and serious about working for them. Veteran employment seekers would be wise to research the company and position that they are interviewing for.
