How to Prepare for an Interview
The interview process can be the most nerve racking aspect of the entire job application. You are really at a disadvantage when walking into an interview. The cards are all in the interviewers hands if you will. So when preparing for any interview you want to try to stack the odds in your favour. Strengthen your hand, and your chances of interviewing well!
The first step to preparing for an interview is research. You did some during the application writing process, so pull this back out. And add on, go deeper into the company. Check out how this company is active in the community, look up news articles that mention the company and Google both the company and your interviewer. Make up a “cheat sheet” of facts you feel are important or interesting about the company, review this frequently and on the day of the interview.
Once you have a firm grasp of what the company does and who they are you can work on your general interviewing skills. There are more than enough resources out there on general questions interviewers will ask, write out your response to these. Then ask a friend to interview you using those questions, have them throw in some others as well just to test your skills while thinking on your feet. Inevitably the interviewer will ask you a question you have not prepared for, you should practice how you handle this. Try to avoid the dreaded “ummm”. It’s a natural instinct for most people to use ummm as a way to buy themselves time while thinking. It may take some time but work on avoiding it.
While “pretend” interviewing with your friend don’t forget about your nonverbal ques. Watch your posture and fiddling. Keep yourself still and confident, even if you don’t feel that way. This can be a case of “fake it till you make it”. A tip to helping you stay calm is giving yourself a mantra to repeat in your head when you’re nervous. Something like “Breath, I am well prepared and this is going to go great!” However you get yourself into a calm, confident state of mind doesn’t matter, just make sure your head is in the game.
Another inevitable aspect of the interview process is the interviewer giving you the opportunity to ask them some questions. Make sure you have some ready, and not only questions about pay rate and vacation time. Use these questions to show your interest in the company and position you are applying for. Use the research you have done to formulate these questions. Show off your effort to learn about the company.
Once you have rehearsed your interviewing skills and know your potential future employer through and through, there is still another aspect of the interview to concur. An often overlooked and highly important aspect of the interview is your appearance. Your mother may have told you not to judge a book by its cover but you are trying to make a good impression here. If you want the employer to take you seriously as a candidate, take yourself seriously. Get out the iron and press that dress shirt. Take extra time to style your hair and brush your teeth. Make sure the you they see is the best possible you! And take the old adage “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” to heart. A person is much more likely to remember what you looked like than your name, so make sure you’re a positive memory.
Lastly you should be prepared to give references at the time of the interview. Make sure to have 3 – 5 references lined up and ready. Have their contact information written down and make sure to give them each a heads up. Never give a reference without previously speaking with the person. And if you have used someone as a reference in the past you should still speak to them again now. You never want to chance a negative reference.
Check back next week for how to accept the job offer!
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