Do you have the skills, knowledge, and training to successfully perform the job?  These questions are usually very black and white.  Either you have what it takes to succeed in the position or not.  Have you analyzed the job description and fully understand the job requirements?  Do you really have what it takes to succeed in this position?  If yes, then be prepared to answer specific questions about your qualifications. And if you don’t, then wouldn’t you rather know now in the interview than have the stress of being stuck in a new job where you can’t meet the expectations?  

You should have pre-selected “personal career stories” that highlight your professional successes.  Practice saying out loud what your skills, strengths and areas of expertise are.  Your answers should be specific and focus on results and accomplishments.   

For most job openings, about 90% of the work has been defined.  In other words, a hiring manager knows about 90% of the work that the new employee will be responsible for, but not the remaining 10%.  That is because they want to know, “What can you (the new employee) ADD to the position?”  
What specialized skills or areas of expertise do you have that can ADD VALUE to the company?  For example, if you’re going for a job as a Pubic Relations manager, you may have some experience in marketing or desktop publishing that is not required for the job, but might be valuable to the company.   This “extra” skill may position you as the TOP candidate for the job.  

Before you go into a job interview, think about the additional skills and talents that you can bring to the position.  Be sure to work these skills into the conversation, but only after you have discussed those skills and qualifications that are REQUIRED for the job.

Every new employee is a risk to a company.  Whether it’s a specific requirement that you don’t meet, or a skill you don’t have, or potentially being overqualified for the position, or a potential risk for relocating, or potentially being sick or pregnant and at risk for taking a medical leave of absence, etc.  So, spend some time thinking about where YOU are a risk. 

This is an area that you really cannot take personally.  Either the culture and the team are a good fit for you, or they aren’t.   Again, it is better to know up front during the interview, than to have a pit in your stomach every day as you walk into your new office.

 
I was once interviewing with the VP of Sales at a TV station.  After 1 ½ hours of interviewing, I really couldn’t tell if he wanted me or not for the position.  So, I simply asked, “Do you think I would be a good fit with your team?”  He told me that he didn’t think so because he allows his team to vent, kick the garbage can and curse like sailors in the office since they get beaten up outside of the office so much.  I appreciated his candor because the reality is that I would not be happy or successful in an environment like that. 

During your next interview, be prepared to discuss your professional style and work ethics.  Your interviewer is trying to get a clear picture on whether you would be a good “fit” for her team.  Also, be sure that the ways you dress, speak and act align to the company and the position for which you are seeking.  Is the company formal (think Wall Street, a top law firm, or a hospital), or is it more informal (think Google, Starbucks or the YMCA)?  Perhaps the company is informal, but the position is formal (think sales, human resources or executive management.)