Interviewing

In my search for my prior internships and, more recently, for a full-time position, I've gained my fair share of interview experience. I've interviewed with small PR agencies, a mixed marketing/communication agency, nonprofit organizations, and even the corporate office of a large, global PR agency.

I've found that interviewing often takes a similar process, no matter the type of company the interview is with. Most of the time there's a screening process, either in the form of questions you must answer via e-mail or through a phone interview. Obviously a company doesn't want to waste its time (or your time, for that matter) bringing you in for an interview if you're unable to communicate well. A resume and cover letter can only convey your qualifications to a certain extent. It's likely those are documents you've spent a lot of time drafting and revising. They don't demonstrate your ability to think on your feet or articulate your thoughts and ideas as well as an actual conversation.

The most important thing I suggest is to keep up the job search, even if you land an interview. An interview is not a promise for a job. Don't hang your hopes on a single opportunity. If things don't go well, you'll feel like you're starting all over again once you get notice that it's a no-go.

That is, if you even get notice. These days, many people and places don't have the common courtesy to let a job candidate know that he/she is no longer in the running for a position. It's understandable to not be able to contact every person who sends in a resume, but contacting each person who took the time to come in for an interview should be standard practice.

Here are CNN's tips on how to avoid lying about things that may pose a problem in an interview (lying is never a good move), and here are a few tips on how to cope when you don't get the job.

Update: Here's another related article I read today (8/25) from Culpwrit.com about what to do when a prospective employer doesn't get back to you.