Nail The Interview: 5 Tips for Veterans

by Jennifer Renee Pluta

Congratulations!  Your hard work has paid-off: you’ve created an effective resume and cover letter and now you have a job interview. Your dream job is within reach, but you need to nail the interview first. Know this, regardless of your military rank or level of expertise, you must prepare and practice for the interview; your veteran status alone is not enough to get you hired! Getting started may cause you a bit of discomfort at first, but with practice and preparation, you can interview with ease!

So, what do you do to prepare?  Where do you begin?  To prepare, start with the following steps:

  1. CREATE A CHEAT-SHEET
    Pepare as well act a guide during the interview. To get started, section a piece of paper into six boxes to cover each of the following topics:
    • Points to Discuss:
      Remember when you first read the job description you must’ve thought that you were a qualified applicant because you possessed the required skills, experience, and knowledge. In this section, write your qualifications for the job to use as examples during the interview.
    • Core Competencies:
      When interviewing, be prepared to articulate your core competencies as outlined in the job description.  Use this section to identify your core competencies such as your strengths and character traits.  For example: Lean Six Sigma, Branding, & Marketing Strategies, Program Management, Data Analysis, Team Building, Critical Thinking, Strategic Planning, Process Improvement, etc.
    • Common Interview Questions:
      Common interview questions are questions you can expect an employer to ask during the interview regardless of the job description, such as: Tell me about yourself; What are your strengths; What are your weaknesses; Why do you want this job; Where would you like to be in your career five years from now; Tell me about your proudest achievement; etc.  Try to anticipate what common interview questions the employer will ask; list them in this section and prepare answers.
    • Specific Interview Questions:
      Specific interview questions are just that, questions specific to the job description.  Evaluate the job description for questions the employer may ask during the interview.  In addition, research employer to understand their work environment, culture and values via the employer’s website, LinkedIn, and industry related websites.  Write down questions and prepare answers in this section.
      Note: When using examples from your military experience, be sure to structure the answer so a civilian can understand, i.e. lose the acronyms and translate the position to its civilian equivalent.
    • Questions to Ask:
      You’re expected to ask questions during the interview; you are interviewing the company to assess whether it is a good fit for you too!  Employers love candidates with insightful, purposeful questions and asking such questions will illustrate how prepared and interested you are in this job.  Use this section to write 5-8 questions to ask the employer.
    • Notes:
      Use this section during the interview to write your thoughts or interview questions, you can refer to the notes during the interview.

HINT:  You can build your own cheat-sheet using the directions from above, or use this template.

  1. ANSWERING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
    There is a lot of information and methods on how to effectively answer an interview question, which can all be broken down to this: Tell me what you did, how you did it, and the result.  If possible let the employer know how this example relates to the needs of the position.  It will help the employer see that you are a perfect match for the position.
  1. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
    Practice interviewing so you can develop your interview skills and get feedback on how you handle everything.  Again, do not perceive that just because you achieved a certain rank or level of military expertise, you are guaranteed a job offer. If you are not prepared, it will show in the interview.  Therefore, practice, practice, practice, it is never too early to prepare!
  2. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
    Other than preparing interview questions, there are a few additional steps to take to make the best impression during the interview.  First, recon the location or the interview, remember you don’t want to arrive on time, rather you want to arrive early.  Make sure you are appropriately dressed for the job interview as the industry dictates.  If your clothes are new, be sure to remove tailor tabs used on pleats and pockets, be sure to remove tags and iron out folds.  Utilize a pad-folio to carry copy(s) of your resume, cover letter, job description, and cheat-sheet as well as take notes and collect business cards.
  1. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
    Finally, the interview is over.  Before leaving the interview, be sure to ask when the employer plans to make a decision and how you will be notified.  In addition, send a thank you email to the interviewer(s).  If there is going to be a few weeks before the employer makes a decision, send a thank you note in the mail thanking them for the interview and restating your interest.

For many veterans, interviewing may be a completely new experience.  Follow the tips above and remember to prepare and practice, to successfully interview.