Prepare for a Job Interview with Mackay's Sweet 16

Prepare to win! Use this questionnaire to get ready before you go to your first job interview. If you want to hit the ground running, read and answer these sixteen questions... you can't be over-prepared.

1. Describe your ideal job—the position you would most like to have. (Include title, responsibilities, who you would report to, who would report to you.)
2. Describe your ideal company (size, industry, culture, location, structure).
3. Where do you want to be in your career in three to five years?
4. What do you want your next job to do for you that your last job didn't do?
5. What kinds of growth should a new job offer (promotions, training, challenges)?
6. What skills will you be able to add to your resume while you have this job?
7. Why should a company want to hire you? (What is special about you as a job candidate?)
8. What personal and professional accomplishments are you the most proud of?
9. What do you least want to be asked in an interview—the questions you dread the most?
10. How will you handle the tough questions?
11. What compensation, including salary and benefits, do you want to earn and can you legitimately ask for?
12. What are the most important benefits other than salary that would prompt you to go to work for a new company?
13. What tools and resources can you draw on to help you through your job transition?
14. What can you say in an interview that would really set you apart from other candidates for your ideal position?
15. What could your current employer do for you that would prevent you from looking for another job in the first place? (Have you asked?)
16. How will you know when you have become a success?