Interview Checklist

Pre-Interview Checklist

• Do you know how people dress where you’re interviewing?
• Is your interviewing outfit clean, pressed and ready to go?
• Do you know where the interviewing site is located and how long it takes to get there?
• Did you research the position, company, and industry?
• Have you contacted and coached all your references? Have you neutralized any potential damaging references?
• Have you memorized a short commercial to highlight your best-selling points?
• Have you rehearsed everything, from small talk to answering potentially dangerous questions (tense questions)?
• Have you practiced your answers to anticipated questions?
• Have you prepared and memorized a list of questions o ask?
• Have you researched the market salary for the position?
• Did you gather everything you needed? (Five copies of your résumé, list of references, and samples of your work, if necessary?)

Post-Interview Checklist

• Were you on time?
• Did you use storytelling, examples, results, and measurements of achievements to back up your claims and convince the questioner that you have the skills to do the job?
• Did you display high energy? Flexibility? Interest in learning new things?
• Did the opening of the interview go smoothly?
• Did you frequently make a strong connection between the job’s requirements and your qualifications?
• Was your personal grooming immaculate? Were you dressed like company employees?
• Did you forget any important selling points that you can put in a follow-up email, letter or call-back?
• Did your smile? Did you make eye contact?
• Did you convey at least five major qualities the interview should remember about you?
• Did you make clear your understanding of the work involved in this job?
• Did you show your understanding of the strategies required to reach company goals?
• Did you use enthusiasm and motivation to indicate that you’re willing to do the job?
• Did you find some common ground to establish that you’ll fit well into the company?
• Did you take the interviewers clues to wrap it up?
• Did you find out the next step and leave the door open for your follow-up?
• After the interview, did you write down names and points you discussed?