You only have one chance to make the right first impression. Nowhere is this more important than when presenting yourself for your first interview.

Following are some easy to follow insider tips on hitting it out of the ballpark.

#1 Know Thyself, at Least in Relation to the Job Your Applying for.

Start by identifying the top 3 skills you think will make you a great hire in this specific role.
Then if/when the interviewer asks why you think you’re the right person for the job, or why they should hire you, or they want you to tell them about yourself… you’ll have it nailed by telling them about your experience as they relate to the top skills this employer is in need of.

#2 Know Yourself as Others See You.

Here are some favorite topics, and sample first interview questions, employers like to ask in order to learn what you’re like as a person … when you’re working inside an organization, and how well you get along with others.

• Values
  “What are your top three wants in a new job?” Be prepared to explain ‘why’ for each of them.
• Motive and Drive
  “Can you tell me about a time where you excelled or went above and beyond for a customer or to ensure business closed was in everyone’s best interests? Why did you do this?”
• Conflict Resolution
  “What has been the mo

  ---

  st difficult employee or upper management situation that you’ve had to deal with? How did you deal with it?”

• Team Building
  “Give me an example of where you were a key contributor in getting people to work together effectively. How did others respond to you in the process?”
  “What would others you’ve worked with say about you if I asked them?”

#3 Compensation

NEVER bring up the topic of money, benefits, vacation or other percs in the first interview. This first interview is purely to determine if there is a fit for you, the company, the hiring manager, and the specific opportunity.

IF THEY ASK YOU what you’re looking for, again, be prepared by having your homework done.

“I’ve done some online research with sites like Payscale.com, Salary Wizard Canada and Glassdoor and found that a role like this can go anywhere from ___ to ___. I understand that your budget on this role is somewhere around _____. With my skills, experience and track record I feel that a good starting point for me would be ____. Does that sound about right to you?”

There you have it. It’s not rocket science learning how to make a great first impression, but it does take work and preparation to be able to make your first interview one that leaves them wanting more.

The ideal end result is to get them calling you back for another look, to make sure you’re the Rock Star they think you are.

GOOD LUCK!

Ashton & Associates are specialists at identifying right fit candidates on the basis of values alignment, ambition and drive, skills, competencies and need.

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Barbara Ashton is the President and Founder of Ashton & Associates Recruiting.

Ashton & Associates Recruiting… Hiring Right. Every Time.

This post has been approved for public release by Barbara Ashton. All certified posts carry this Google Authorship link to Google.