We’ve written extensively in this blog about things you should do during the interview and after the interview. But of course, what you do before the interview is just as important, and some people may say that it’s even more important.
That’s because what you do prior to the interview is all about preparation. If you don’t prepare properly, then you may hurt your chances of getting the job. To put it another way: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”
And when it comes to your face-to-face interview, the last thing you want to do is perform poorly. With that in mind, below are seven things that you should do before your face-to-face interview:
#1—Get directions.
Yes, you might have GPS navigation on your smartphone, but why take chances? Don’t just fire up your GPS on the day of the interview. Find out the exact address and approximately how long it will take to get there. You might even consider a “dry run” beforehand, driving to the address on a day before the interview. You never know, there could be construction or other unexpected factors.
#2—Research the company.
You should know as much about the company as possible, and a lot of that information can be found on the company’s website. In today’s technological age, there is almost no excuse for a job seeker to not know anything about the company that’s interviewing them.
#3—Research the people who might be conducting the interview.
Your ability to do this might be somewhat limited, depending upon how much information is available. However, the company website and its social media channels could prove helpful. At the very least, research company officials at the same time you research the organization itself.
#4—Pour over your resume.
If you were a hiring manager, what questions would you ask? Which parts of the resume are strong? Which parts are weak? Be sure to address any weak areas before the day of the interview. Your resume is the blueprint from which company officials will operate.
#5—Pour over the job description.
Make sure that you know the description inside and out, including all of the prerequisites, requirements, and day-to-day duties. Ideally, you’ll want to line up what is on your resume with what the job description contains. That’s the easiest way to be considered a good fit for the position.
#6—Prepare to answer questions.
This is an interview, so of course, questions are going to be asked. You must be prepared to answer them.
In fact, you should be prepared to not just answer them, but to answer them well. You can start by reading this blog post: “Questions You’re Most Likely to be Asked During an Interview.”
#7—Prepare your own questions.
Not asking any questions during the interview is the “kiss of death.” You must have questions prepared and you must ask them. Keep in mind that you do not have to save all of your questions until the very end of the interview. If the opportunity arises, ask an appropriate question during the course of the interview. Pick and choose your spots. Also read this blog post: “5 Questions You Must Ask During the Interview Process.”
Time Staffing can help you with many aspects of your job search, including the face-to-face interview.

In our previous blog post, we addressed the “#1 Trait That Makes You Hire-Worthy.” We identified that trait as the ability to solve problems.
This week, we’re going to “flip the script,” so to speak. That’s because we’re going to address the #1 trait that job seekers want. And once again, there are many things that job seekers crave when they look for new employment:
More money
Better benefits
A flexible schedule
Better work-life balance
Etc., etc.
And while those things are attractive, there’s something else that job seekers (and employees, for that matter) crave. They want to work for an organization that listens to what they have to say and values their opinion. In other words, they want to be heard.
You might have heard this edict: “People don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.”
And why do they quit their bosses? Many times, they do so because they feel as though their boss or immediate supervisor doesn’t listen to them or value their opinion. When that happens, they feel that what they’re doing doesn’t matter, that they’re not taken seriously, and that they’re not part of an organization that truly cares about them.
This entire topic speaks to company culture, which has become more important for employers over the past several years. We’ve touched upon the topic before in this blog, most recently with “Hiring with the Company Culture in Mind.” In that post, we discussed hiring job seekers who will mesh well with the current company culture.
However, this is not a one-way street. An organization must cultivate an appealing company culture for a number of practice reasons, two of which are as follows:
To ensure the satisfaction and engagement of current employees
To attract job seekers who might become future employees
The bottom line is that job seekers and employees want to feel as though they’re part of something and that they belong. They don’t want to feel like outsiders. (When you think about it, who does?) They don’t want to feel as though nobody is interested in their opinion and nobody wants to hear what they have to say.
With this in mind, it’s important that all managers and department heads approach their teams in a positive fashion and deal with them accordingly. That means listening to what they have to say, considering their input, and providing respectful feedback.
It also means communicating this message to job seekers during the interviewing and hiring process and letting them know how the organization deals and operates with its employees. While a flexible schedule is appealing, job seekers want to work for an organization that they know value their input and respect their commitment.
As an organization, you want employees who are going to solve problems. As job seekers, they want to work for a company that treats them with respect and values their contributions. When both find what they’re looking for in each other, it’s truly a win-win employment situation.
Time Staffing has the experience and expertise to help you find quality employees to meet your hiring needs.