Eliminate the Competition 

  I use the term "down streaming" to represent the process of receiving information about a desired  job prior to the actual interview. During my  independent IT recruiter days, many candidates that I interview by phone prior to bringing them in for the face to face interview fail to take advantage of our  initial  phone conversation. Whether an HR rep or an IT recruiter contacts you initially about potential employment with their company, you need to find out as much as you can about the open position before the live interview. This opportunity may not always be available ;however,  when it is you can increase your chances greatly in getting the job  !

    In short ,  you are eliminating your competition. You know, the "other" people who are in your way of getting the job offer ! If you have a chance to talk to someone prior to the live interview, here are some valuable suggestions.....

  Prior to the interview, ask the HR rep or recruiter detailed questions pertaining to the applied position. This will only show that you are extremely interested in the position. They won't know our little secret ! Ask them about what technologies the position utilizes. What are the job responsibilities ? What kind of software applications they are running in their environment. Even a little about the internal structure of the IT department. You may be surprised on how much information you can obtain prior to the actual face to face interview. This of course depends on who you have on the other end of the phone. iT recruiters are more likely to be able to provide you with better details compared to an HR representative. 

  Now by obtaining this information, you can focus your upcoming "live" interview responses around the information you collected by phone. In other words, tell them exactly what they want you to hear ! Apply your current knowledge and experiences  to match their current needs. If you are able to convey this point to them successfully, you will outshine all the other  candidates they are interviewing. Even those who have better technical skills than yourself. 

  One final note, you can also apply this "down streaming" technique during the live interview process itself.  If you are interviewing for an iT position, you are very likely to talk to 2 individuals.  The first person you talk to  may not be the decision maker. Most likely one of the techies or someone outside of the current department.  Use the    " down streaming" technique on them the same way as you would by phone.  When you are given the opportunity to talk to the second person during the live  interviewing process,  you will be ready!  Once again, by utilizing the facts obtained from the first  interviewer, you will be ready to convince the second interviewer that you are the best fit candidate ! Who knows? You may even get a job offer out of it  !