The Interview Success Plan is a step-by-step plan that helps you:
* Identify the requirements of the job that you're interviewing for.
* Review interview questions and identify the question you'll most likely be    asked.
* Build a series of practice job interviews
* Develop answers for both expected and unexpected interview questions
* Highlights the keys to interview success.

Each job announcement or job advertisement may include any combination of a description of the job, job applicant qualifications and desired qualities. The description, qualifications and desired qualities are the keys to preparing for the interview. On a job announcement or job advertisement, these keys may be found under headings such as:

* Position
* Qualifications
* The Duties
* The Requirements

Review the tips below from the Interview Game Plan so that everything you do becomes second nature.

* Make a positive and professional first impression by being assertive and giving a firm handshake to each interviewer and addressing each interviewer as they are introduced.

* Reinforce your professionalism and your ability to communicate effectively by speaking clearly and avoiding "uhs", "you knows", and slang.

* Use positive words. Instead of "if", "I think", "I feel" and "I wish" use "when", "I am" and "I would"

* Establish rapport by relating to each interviewer. Note the wording that is used by each interviewer and when appropriate use similar words. Maintain eye contact with each of the interviewers throughout the interview.

* Sit comfortably. Sit erectly, but don’t sit stiffly or sprawl over the chair.

* Don't expect the interviewers to have confidence in you, if you don't have confidence in yourself. Project confidence and a positive attitude. Maintain awareness of your voice, posture, energy level, and enthusiasm. Make hand gestures to emphasize important points, but avoid distracting gestures or making too many hand gestures.

* Smile confidently, but not to the point where you would appear to be too casual. Smiling will also help you relax and establish a rapport with the interviewers.

* Manage weaknesses or barriers so that they appear to be indications of your strengths.

* Be attentive. Listen to each question carefully and don’t interrupt. If you aren't sure of what is being asked, politely request that the question be repeated.

* Close the interview with a strong closing statement of your qualifications for the job.

* Thank the interviewers. Shake their hands individually and thank each interviewer by name.

* Practice, practice, practice. One practice interview is not enough. If you have somebody help you, have at least three practice interviews. You'll be able to use their feedback to correct mistakes, strengthen weaknesses, and build upon strengths. Review your Interview Wraps from previous interviews. Use your experience from previous interviews to help you on this interview.

Note: The underlined words in the Interview Question Bank are words that may be interchangeable. For example, instead of the word "job", the word "position" might be used.

The interview focuses on "what you say" and "how you say it". In this step, we focus on "what to say".
Let's keep it simple. You're going to be asked about: * What you know - about your work experience, education, training, goals, character, personal qualities, the job that you're seeking, the company that you're interviewing for, and the knowledges required to perform the job that you're seeking.

Identify a problem or issue - given a situation, find the problem or issue. The question may focus on a situation that you've handled in the past or how you would handle a hypothetical situation. Identify a solution - given the problem or issue, how do you proceed? The question may focus on a problem or issue that you've handled in the past or how you would proceed in a hypothetical situation. The questions may be straightforward or combine the above. For example, "Tell us about a safety issue at your current job. How did you handle the issue and what reports were you required to file?"

Your goal is to provide an answer that not only answers the question, but also reinforce your qualifications for the position.

With practice, you will hit all the important points and although your answer will be slightly different each time, your answer will come across naturally and with confidence. The key is to be able to think during the interview and adjust your answer to fit the question. For example, take the category of "General Experience". The answer to the question, "How does your current position qualify you for the job?" is simply a variation of your answer to the question, "How does your experience qualify you for the job?".

Key success points to remember: The most qualified person to do a job is someone who has already done the job. If you were to hire someone to fix the plumbing in your house, who would you hire? Someone who has never fixed the plumbing or someone who has? As you answer the interview questions, cite your work and life experiences in examples to reinforce to the interviewers that you've already done what they're looking for, and you've done it successfully. The interview will typically focus on the KSA's you've identified. If the interviewers start the interview with a description of the job, you may learn more about the job.

Try to use the same wording as the KSA's. If you use different wording, then you are depending on the interviewers to make the connection between the words you use and the KSA's. For example, if the job requires someone to supervise, use the word "supervise" and not the word "manage".

Do you know the company and the job that you're interviewing for? Check financial sources, annual reports, and news media for information on the company, their culture and current events. If possible, visit the company, their stores or offices to get a sense of the culture and dress code.

Don't use limiting words, such as only or just. For example, I "only" supervise five employees. You're making an assumption that five employees is a small number. The fact is that you don't know what the interviewers consider as a small number and what is a large number. Use appropriate wording. You won’t receive extra points for every word that has more than 10 letters. Use technical terms only when appropriate to the question.