How to Prepare for an Interview
March 15, 2018
Searching for a job can be a long and complicated process. You can spend weeks, if not months, finding the right places to apply to, sifting through job ads for keywords, and crafting the perfect resume. It’s a major accomplishment just to be called in for an interview but that’s only the beginning. Interviews are the most important part of the interview process. No matter your qualifications or past work experience, an interview is typically the deciding factor in whether or not you get the job. To most people interviews can feel more like interrogations. They say interviewing for a job is one of the most stressful things that we do in adult life. There are some things you can do, though, to ensure that you get the job and that the experience is painless as possible.
Research
The key to making interviews less stressful is to prepare. There are a few different ways that you should prepare before going into an interview. The first thing you should do is get to know the company. Spend as much time as possible searching the company on search engines and social media and be sure to take notes as you do. You want to get an idea of what the company does, how they do it, and who they are. It’s important to know about the goods and services provided by the company so that you can answer industry-specific questions that you may be asked in the interview. You also want to know about the company’s values and company culture, so that you can make sure that the company is a place that you would want to work.
Prepare
Once you’ve got your research together, you can start preparing and practicing for the interview. You’ll want to know as much about the interview process as you can learn. You should prepare a list of potential interview questions and have insightful answers to each of them. You can predict questions that will be asked by looking up typical interview questions, knowing what is important to the company. You can even find questions from interviews with a particular company on some sites.
Execute
Once you’ve done your homework and prepared your answers, the interview is the easy part. The best thing you can do the day of your interview is focus on setting yourself up for success. You should do something relaxing the night before and get to bed early. Wake up with plenty of time to get ready and eat a nutritious breakfast. In interviews, most people focus on saying the right thing and leaving a good impression on the interviewers but that can cause unnecessary stress. You should focus on showing the interviewer who you are and getting to know the company. An interview is an opportunity for you to screen a company, as much as it is an opportunity for them to screen you.
If you’re job searching the first step is to find the right place to work. Check out our listings on GetHiredLocal.com!