Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Job Interview Preparation
Part II: At the Interview
What to expect when face-to-face with your interviewer
It's something most job-seekers both eagerly anticipate and sometimes dread: the invitation to spend
a day or two interviewing at a company's office after an initial interview at a job fair, a screening
telephone interview, or after an on-campus recruiting interview(s).
The good news is that you made the cut; the employer thinks highly enough of you and your potential
from your initial interview to invite you for the visit. The challenge that lies before you, however, is mastering
the informal and formal interviews that await you on the visit.
The purpose of the on-site interview is to allow both you and the employer to gain a more in-depth knowledge
of each other -- to see if there is a "fit." The employer, through the multiple interviews that occur during your visit,
gains a greater understanding of who you are and how you interact with numerous potential co-workers and
supervisors. You get firsthand exposure to company's work environment and corporate culture -- and prospective
co-workers.
An on-site interview is also a great chance for you to really get a snapshot of the organization's corporate culture.
The corporate culture is the environment or personality of an organization; it dictates acceptable business
practices, the treatment of employees, and much more.
Take the time to get a feel for the corporate culture so you can decide whether it's the type of environment
where you would feel comfortable working because if you do not fit in with the culture of an organization,
you are simply not going to last long there (or not want to last long there).
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