The best interview question

When I go for a job interview, I try and anticipate what they’ll ask. Then I not only think about the answers, but rehearse if I can, usually in the car. With speaker phones, who’s to know you’re talking to yourself?

The other thing experts will tell you is to research the company where you’ll be interviewing. For me, that means doing Internet searches, thoroughly exploring the company’s Web site, and calling anyone I know connected with the company to find out what they may be able to tell me.

Still, you can’t predict what the interview will entail. Which brings me to one of the best interview questions I’ve ever been asked — and the one that I think should be a guide to anyone preparing for a job interview. Right out of the gate, the hiring manager on my last job interview asked me, “So what have you done to prepare for this interview since we set it up a week ago?”

The answer to that will be revealing. If you stammer and can only say that you took your best suit to the cleaners and got your hair done, that won’t cut it. If you can’t say that you did your homework, and share some of what you learned, and how it shaped how you prepared and some of the questions you want to ask as a result, that would not be a good thing.

As it was, before this particular interview, there wasn’t a lot of information available about the function for which I was applying. There was company data online. I knew someone who worked for the company and called her to pick her brain. But beyond that, specific details about the department this job would be part of and the products it produces were limited. Truthfully, going in, I didn’t feel as adequately equipped with information as I would like.

I also realized I’d made a mistake when the interviewer asked me if I’d brought a resume. Because I’d submitted all of that prior, and in my haste to pack to go to this interview out of town, it didn’t occur to me to bring an extra copy, I had to lamely say no. She said it wasn’t a big deal, it was just that I needed to fill out an application and it would be easier if I had my resume at hand. And she had extra copies of my resume. Still, I felt it a careless oversight on my part and you can bet I’d never do that again.

Back to the question of how I’d prepared. I told her what I’d done to research the company, and what I learned, but that I’d hoped to find out more. We proceeded to have a very good interview in spite of my resume misstep. I’d come with a lot of questions, and in the end, I did get the job.

In the future when I’m interviewing people, though, I will probably ask that question out of the gate as well.  I think it’s one of the best questions to keep in mind for anyone with an interview coming up. Get ready as though you know you’re going to have to tell them how you did it, and you can’t help but be prepared.