The Best Way To Prepare For A Job Interview

There are countless reading materials with the traditional piece of advice that you should be prepared for a job interview. The truth is the preparation for a job interview has never been totally enough, and that feeling of nervousness will always creep back to you once you get to the interview venue. There is nothing much one can do regarding this. In conclusion, a job interview, after all, has the capability to be a life-changing event.

However, there is something one can do. You can take a few proven measures to ensure that you deal with the tension that emanates from interview stress.

Checklist to Prepare Your Job Interview

1. Research extensively

The moment you get that invitation to the job interview, it makes it your mission to find out as much as possible about the company, the interviewer, and the senior figures at the company.  Try to know the history of the company and the structure of management.

During a job interview, there is always that tricky question on why you should work there, phrased in many ways. When you research the company, you understand the things you will say to convince the interviewer that you have whatever it takes to be a perfect fit for the company. Information about a company is always available on the company pamphlets and website.

When it comes to the interviewer, you have to understand that they might not necessarily be members of the company, but they hold your fate in their hands. Furthermore, find out what they have asked in previous interviews and the answers they expect. Find out about the outfits they don’t like and what impresses them.

The common ways of knowing all these include visiting their LinkedIn profiles and personal websites if they have any. You can also try and get reading materials on reviews they did during previous interviews.

Try to know as much as you can about your potential employers and bosses. There is a high chance that the people you will be reporting to will be on the interview panel. Find out the things they expect from their employees or people working in their departments.

With all this information, your confidence is boosted, and you are ready to have the interview.

2. Understand the selection criteria

It is very important to find out which other people were selected for an interview and the qualities they possess. This way, you can know what the potential employer saw in you and maximize it. Every interview candidate is a potential employee, and you have to know what you have more than the others to edge them out of the competition.

3. Understand the interview process

Sometimes an interview comes in very many parts.

• The phone interview
• The questions and answers section
• The auditions section or
• The physical demonstration section.

It is crucial to find out the format the interview process will take and how they will be interlinked. So, try to find out the part the interviewer will place more emphasis on.

Normally if they are included, the auditions and the physical demonstration sections bear more weight and should be taken more seriously. This is not to suggest that the other aspects should be ignored. Sometimes a decision comes down to fine margins, so one should be totally committed in all aspects.

4. Anticipate the questions

It is obvious that the questions are always the interviewer’s secret, but there are inevitable questions that have been repeated in interviews everywhere. It is very good if one can anticipate some of these questions and come up with perfect unique answers. The questions are:

• What do you consider to be your biggest weaknesses and strengths?
• Why should we hire you?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What is your greatest inspiration?
• Tell us about yourself.

Some of these questions have been discussed extensively in reading materials with good accurate formats of answering.

5. Prepare a list of questions for the interviewer

Some candidates lose their job when the interviewer sits back and launches the wrecking ball of a question. Do you have any questions? Always have questions. Not having questions creates a very negative impression leaving the interviewer with unwanted conclusions on how unsuitable you are for the job because you appear to be disinterested and not confident. You can prepare a list of questions containing, for instance:

• What are you looking for in a candidate?
• How did I perform?
• When can I report to work?

In addition, it is advisable to provide quick responses to the answers you get like:

• I believe I am the right candidate
• I look forward to working with this company
• It was enjoyable to engage you

6. Make sure you follow the company dress code

You might be meeting absolute strangers, so your grooming should be on point. Dress for a great first impression. If the job relates to modeling and fashion, you should pay greater attention to how you have done your grooming and avoid overdoing it. Try to find out about the company culture, and the interviewer’s opinion on how what impresses them regarding dressing interviewees.

7. Always follow up

Once the interview is over, try to follow up more on the details regarding the criteria that will be used to determine the winning candidate. In addition, try to find out when the successful candidates might be contacted.

This goes a long way in managing your expectations and planning for the future. It will help you know, if not successful, the areas you failed in or the qualities the other candidates possessed over you.

Conclusion to Prepare for A Job Interview

With all these preparations in place, what remains is for a candidate to employ the necessary interview skills and techniques to get the dream job. Furthermore, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. It does no harm to invest some of your time to ensure that you are ready for an interview. If one is suffering from interview anxiety, it is always advisable to visit coaching experts to ease them through the preparation process.

Common Job Interview Questions & Answers

Below you can find a list of common job interview topics. Each link will direct you to an article regarding the specific topics that discuss commonly asked interview questions. Furthermore, each article discusses why the interviewer asks these questions and how you answer them!

1. Accomplishments
2. Adaptability
3. Admission
4. Behavioral
5. Career Change
6. Career Goals
7. Communication
8. Competency
9. Conflict Resolution
10. Creative Thinking
11. Cultural Fit
12. Customer Service
13. Direct
14. Experience
15. Government
16. Graduate
17. Growth Potential
18. Honesty & Integrity
19. Illegal
20. Inappropriate
21. Job Satisfaction
22. Leadership
23. Management
24. Entry-Level & No experience
25. Performance-Based
26. Personal
27. Prioritization & Time Management
28. Problem-solving
29. Salary
30. Situational & Scenario-based
31. Stress Management
32. Teamwork
33. Telephone Interview
34. Tough
35. Uncomfortable
36. Work Ethic