When filling out a job application, you are thinking like an employee. When going to the interview you must think like the employer. Your main consideration is what the employer wants, and how you will fill it. You can help answer this by considering five questions which an employer might think of.
What else do you bring to the job?
What about you might cause an employer to question your sincerity at an interview?
Do You Have the Skills for the Job?
This should be one of the first questions you need to ask yourself before applying to the job. Each job has different needs and different skills needed for that job. What the employer wants is a person who does not need training, or very little training, so the employee can simply start without any time lapse.
What Other Things, Beyond Skills, Would an Employer Look For in an Employee?
Will you do the job you are assigned?
Will you be dependable and reliable?
Will you meet the employer's expectations?
These are three things which the employer must be able to answer positively for you to get the job.
Why Does the Employer Care If I Am Staying for Any Length of Time?
Employers spend time, money and energy training new hires. While in some fields constant turnover is to be expected, having to replace someone after only a few months to an employer is a waste of resources. What an employer wants is someone who is willing to invest some time into the position.
What Positive Characteristics Do You Bring to the Workplace?
When Is an Employer Likely to Think You Are Conning Them at the Interview?
If you do not seem to show a willingness to be at the interview or can't answer questions directly then this will raise red flags at any interview. If the employer sees a different person at the interview than what is in the resume, this will also raise red flags. Not being able to give complete and meaningful responses is the biggest sign that there are discrepancies.
Employee Performance: What is Your Boss Looking For?