Getting ready for your interview: U of Chicago offers step by steps

Sometimes my clients do an enormous amount of work to finally land a job interview, then back off and figure their work is done. Your goal is not getting an interview, its landing a job.

So how can you prepare? There's some great toolkits out there to walk you through the process. Take a look at the University of Chicago's Career Advising and Planning Service site. They offer a whole series of detailed handouts to guide you in every step of the job search process. And you don't have to attend one of the best universities in the world to have access to them.

Their 8-page Employment Interview Handout walks you through the 4 step process to:

1. assess what you bring to the job
2. do you research on the industry and the company
3. prepare your responses
4. practice and dress for your interview

To help you relax into the interview, they suggest that you use the STAR Method by preparing mini-stories for possible interview questions. For example you're likely to be asked, "What can you add to our team or company?' You can have a mini story ready to highlight how you made a difference as a reporter on your school paper by adding an environmental column. Using your story, you can demonstrate how you were on top of trends and were able to create something innovative that improved circulation.

Remember, you're in the home stretch when you arrive at a job interview. It's time to put forward your best effort by going in totally prepared.