There are many good guides on the net with decent advice on how you best to prepare for an interview. We suggest you go beyond our site and read up elsewhere as we’d like to keep things rather simple and actionable. So if you want in-depth, elaborate essaying on exactly what to do when you are preparing for an interview, “Google it”.
If you wish to follow our advice, do following:
Take basis in the common mistakes mentioned here and reverse prepare. This is your single best approach to being fully prepared to concur the interview and hopefully get the job you seek.
In a bit more detailed manner:
1. Preparation is key. Make sure you are fully prepared going in. Know the company, know the people you know you are to meet. Contemplate the position you have applied for and for which you are now being interviewed. What is it really about? What is the company really looking for? What is it that will be expected of you? Know this, map it against your skills set, expertise and experience and you are off to a really good start.
Failure to prepare ranks very high on the list of mistakes by most job seekers.
The key to success is research – and more research. Use online means like LinkedIn, the website of the company, national archives, the library, press releases, corporate brochures (especially profile ones), staff news letters, product brochures etc. etc. etc. Most of this is available online. Do an online check as well on the company and the people you are to meet and you may just be surprised about the value of information you can actually find.
Check in your network if there is someone with inside knowledge. Very often, that someone will be willing to share privy information and this can help you immensely in your preparation efforts.
2. Tell your story. Your are not just a walking resume. Practice telling your story as captioned in the resume. Elaborate on you as a person, your background, education, experiences, skills, successes etc. and use elements of a story wisely. Do not kick off with a one way monologue. This is not what we are proposing, but do practice the verbal version of your resume and provide elements of it as required, in the dialogue with the interviewer(s) and/or in answer to questions being asked or clarification requested.
This is in addition to whatever other questions you anticipate answers for. This is “just” telling who you are and what you are capable off.
3. Questions and answers – this is key indeed. No interview without a string of questions. Do yourself a favor and think long and hard what these might be. See this for possible inspiration.
List 20 questions you think could be asked and list your intended answers. Make sure you answer relevantly, concisely and convincingly. Be specific, honest and to the point. Do not lie, “not even” a little white one. You may well “be spotted” as inconsistencies often happens.
Practice your answers so that they seem natural, flowing and NOT rehearsed. Make sure you pause a tad before answering a given question. Assure the interviewer that you “seem” to contemplate your answer instead of reading it from a notepad per se.
Note: Be open to all questions that could be asked – also some that you may not wish to answer like:
- Why did you decide on a gap year?
- Why is your GPA only 3.2
- What is your single biggest failure in life
- What are your main weaknesses etc.
Again, be prepared and be honest.
Now we promised to keep this brief so go back to the mistakes overview, go though them one at a time and do make 100% sure that you do not make any of these.
Every interview is a learning experience. You will always leave the session with something, that being experience and knowledge. This will definitely allow you to learn and further improve your ability in preparing for the next interview.