Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy ... And Pays the Bills

CHAPTER 15

Great Job Interview Tips

You can make all the great impressions in the world on paper, but where the rubber meets the road is when you meet someone face-to-face. Once you get the nod for an interview, it’s show time.

Here’s some interviewing advice that can boost your image and your chances of nabbing the position. There are no do-overs in the interview process, so you have to get this right the first time out of the gate.

Before you start the process, practice your patter. One way is to have a friend or partner act as an interviewer and run through a dress rehearsal in your living room. You can also rig up your own mock interview with Skype (see Chapter 14), a smartphone that has video capability, or a video camera and tripod stand. Ask a friend to lob questions your way. If you have a videotape, you can review it to see where you can improve your delivery and responses.

Some university and college career centers, including Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business’s Office of M.B.A. Career Services, offer their alumnae InterviewStream (interviewstream.com), an online interactive simulation program that allows you to hone your interviewing skills. Once you create an account through the center’s web site, you can practice answering interview questions at home using a computer with Internet access, a webcam or ...