Wednesday focus: The workplace

Don’t look now, but you’ve already blown your interview. You arrived too early. You winged it. You told the interviewer everything she already knew about her company. You were too informal. Jobs are scarce and competition is fierce. Nailing the interview is key to separating yourself from the pack.

“Never go into an interview winging it,” said Kristin Mortensen, the city of Sacramento’s career coach for city employees. Jess Bushey with the employment agency Roth Staffing Cos. said some job seekers “think they know what they’re going to say, but they haven’t articulated it out loud. Preparation: People still don’t do enough of it.”

Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you ace that interview.

Practice: When rehearsing, avoid buzzwords and empty phrases, Mortensen said. Trouble comes when “you feel that it’s somebody else’s words you’re regurgitating,” she said.

Bushey of Roth Staffing said she is often surprised how little interviewees know about their own work histories. “You want to know that résumé inside and out,” she said.

Beyond prior job experience and dates, Bushey tells prospects to prepare three universal examples of how they overcame challenges at work.

Arrive in a timely manner: Being a few minutes early is fine. More than that is awkward – and a little rude.

“The biggest one that sets interviewers off is definitely when you’re more than 10 minutes early,” Bushey said. “It’s one of the biggest things I see – 25 minutes early? Unacceptable.”

Keep it businesslike: Even if the interview’s going great, don’t let down your guard. Be cordial, professional, polite and engaged. But also be careful. This is an interview, not a night out with the pals.

Hold the attitude: Bone up on the company by checking business Web sites like Hoovers and Manta, Bushey said. Show the interviewer that you’ve studied the company, but don’t be boastful about it.

Review the interview: After it’s over, breathe and debrief. The results will help build your database for the next interview. Write down the questions and answers you remember to help for the next interview.

Keep the faith: People get nervous, especially before an interview, but Bushey says: “Know everything will be fine. Nothing bad will happen. The interviewer’s just as nervous as you are.”

McClatchy Newspapers