​In order to have a successful interview, it’s essential to direct the interviewer to your strengths. When thinking about how to answer interview questions, keep a simple idea in mind:

Match needs now

Always match your skills, abilities, and personal qualities:

• to the company’s or interviewer’s needs (as developed in your prior research and during the interview)

• as they exist now (not at some time in the future)

The interviewer wants to know if you can perform the specific functions and meet thetechnical requirementsof the job, if you will becommitted to the company’s businessand goalsand if you willfit in with co-workersand others in the company.

Obtain as much information as you can about each of these three areas either before or during the interview. Your primary task is to establish a match between your skills and abilities and the employer’s needs.

Your Interview Attitude

Your attitude should be to put the interviewer’s needs ahead of your own until you have demonstrated that you can meet the requirements. Realising that your objectives and those of the interviewer are basically the same should put you at ease and remove any idea that the interviewer is an adversary. For example, information about company benefits of any kind should never be discussed during the first interview process, but it can make up part of your questioning at the final interview stage to help you decide whether the company meets your needs.