The job interview may be the KEY step in the job search process. (First, you write a great resume to secure interviews!) With that in mind, this post tackles job interview preparation tips.
These are a few prior posts on the job interview. Being Real on a Job Interview! Be on Your BEST Behavior When Interviewing. A Graduating B School Student Talks About Her Job Search.
Background
“The interview is scheduled! You are ecstatic, as you should be. But now what? Begin preparing and practicing! How will you perfectly prepare for the interview? Perhaps you need an interview preparation guide. You’ve already done some preliminary research on the company. But now it’s time to dig deep. The more you know about the firm, its competitors and the overall market, the smarter you’ll appear. Too often people fail to thoroughly prepare the job interview for this specific job at this company. In other words, they tend to treat each interview as generic in nature.”
Job Interview Preparation Tips: 10 Steps to Success
- “Get a Copy of the Most Current Job Description — What they’ve posted online may not be the full description or most recent version of job requirements. It isn’t unusual for a firm to have a different version of the job description for internal use. It may be more descriptive.”
- “Prepare a Story for Each of the Job Requirements — Go through each requirement listed in the job posting and develop an answer for how you meet the requirements.”
- “Prepare Answers to the Most Common Interview Questions — You shouldn’t sound rehearsed. You should sound natural! Practice!
- “Craft Your Opening Statement — You can pretty much count on this question. Prepare the best 1-minute response. Answer as if you were asked, why should we hire you.
- “Research the Company — Look at the company Web site and career page. But don’t stop here. Google the firm and see what news is mentioned.”
- “Know Something About the Interviewers — Thank goodness for LinkedIn. Go ahead and see where they used to work, what organizations and groups they belong to, and recommendations others have written.”
- “Prepare Smart Questions — To understand the job and firm, ask questions! So, ask questions to learn expectations, how the team functions, and more.”
- “Know the Format of the Interview — Will you be meet one-on-one, as a panel, via phone, Skype, or online video, and how long will the scheduled to last?”
- “Bring Copies of Your Resume for Everyone — Don’t assume everyone will have a copy.”
- “Know Exact Dates –If you haven’t completed an application, don’t say “see attached resume.” Fully and accurately complete the job application. It is a legal document. Do not lie, exaggerate or embellish.”
Interview’s can be very intimidating and it is important to be fully prepared when showing up for one. I think many of steps above are definitely helpful for preparing for an interview. I think an important one is to research the company. You should know a little background information about what the company is and what they stand for. Knowing something about the interviewers is also important, and LinkedIn seems like a great tool to find out this information!! And lastly, being prepared and bringing extra copies of your resume is a good option in the case that the interviewers don’t have a copy.
I believe the most important part of successfully having a job interview is making a connection with the interviewer. Whether it be getting them to laugh, finding something in common, etc, having a connection for them to feel and think about when going through the potential candidates is very important. Someone that shares their values for hard work and dedication is also definitely a plus.
I never thought about researching the competition in the market to be able to fully answer questions, I’ve always just done in depth research on the company that’s hiring. It’s also a great idea to find personal information about your interviewer because maybe you have something in common that you can bring up so that, like Jessica said, you can make a connection.
Prior to coming to college, I never thought there was much planning or strategy that went into interviews. This is an excellent post that details strategies that can improve your interviewing skills. The interview is essentially marketing yourself to the employer. It is their first impression of you and therefore it requires this much planning and practice to feel confident. One of the most important tips I agree with is to prepare smart questions because usually people do not ask questions. You will stand out.
As an individual who has yet to be on a job interview, the idea of going on one is very nerve-wracking to me. But the tips in this post are actually very helpful. There are several points that I had never considered to do before I ever go on an interview, such as knowing some things about the interviewers. I have never realized how impressive knowing a few facts about your interviewer would be and make you stand out as an individual to the company. Hopefully these tips will help me be successful in any upcoming interviews I may have.
I wish I had access to this post years ago! I started working when I was 15 years old and had applied for many different positions at a number of places. With that said, some of these companies did have interviews and even then, the idea of an interview turned me into a nervous wreck! Now that I am in college, my interviews are for jobs and internships relevant to my future career…I think that should make me more nervous than ever! These tips are extremely helpful and from my experience with interviews for internships and other accounting related programs, I know how important it is to be prepared! I think researching the company is one of the most important things to do before the interview (and maybe before applying). Questions about culture to an interviewer may come off as a cue that you didn’t do your research, as many companies have information on their websites about the firm’s culture. By doing research and knowing what the firm is about, you set yourself up for an engaging conversation about things such as the culture and the firm’s vision or mission as opposed to asking about it and hearing it for the first time. I have found this to be helpful for me in my interviews! i will certainly consider these interviewing tips in any future endeavors.
Remember the value of deep breaths before entering the interview room. 🙂
I have my first interview this Friday so this article was extremely helpful. I never thought about crafting a opening statement until after reading this article. I think thats a great idea because during interviews people get nervous and stutter and blank out. If you craft and practice you opening statement this will start the interview on a good note making the rest of the interview much easier.
Good luck!!!!
This post does have a lot of great points, it is important to “do your homework” before walking into the test. I like the idea of learning company history and really studying your role in the work force. A clear idea of your job goals gives you a better focus when talking to a potential employer. However I think some of this should be used in moderation. Yes, research your potential job and history but at some point I believe a fully rehearsed interview is not going to happen. They are going to ask you question you may not expect to answer. The key is not to expect everything they say but to rather have the communication skills to answer what they ask to the best of your abilities. If you don’t know, don’t lie! They’re human too and will most likely appreciate honesty.
Agreed
This post is super relevant considering college undergraduates are all preparing for future job interviews. This post resonated with me more than other interview tip lists because it organizes the steps in the order they should be completed. The steps also provide detail to what extent people should be prepared. By researching the people who work at the companies, it is a useful tip to look up the activities and organizations the employees are involved in because it could potentially establish common ground between the interviewer and potential employee. The post even mentions minute details like having the one minute elevator pitch down, and to always come prepared with a copy of your resume, which you’d be surprised by how many people forget.
Though interviews can be intimidating and nerve wrecking it is important to keep calm and remember all these tips. This article is a great way for university students and people in general to get tips on how to make yourself more memorable and calm! I will be going on job interviews soon and will reference this list! You can never get rid of a first impression!
I think this article does a great job of breaking down everything that it is important to have done and keep in mind before walking into your interview. Just showing up is not enough, and this is something a lot of people do not really understand. I really think that researching the company fully and preparing questions and an opening statement are key to having a successful interview. The interviewer wants to feel a connection with who they are interviewing, not just anybody who wants a job.
i enjoyed this article because i myself try to always be as prepared as possibly. The opening statement idea is a good idea because its the interviewers first impression of you and you want to sound confident. Also having questions is definitely important because you should show the employer that you are interested in learning more about the company.
I’ve been through a good amoun of job interviews and each time they’re still daunting. Everyone seems to deem themselves as an interview expert but realistically, interviews are always incredibly subjective. I try to follow my instincts and be bold when being interviewed.
Interviews are always nerve racking, being prepared as much as possible is the only way to go. All of these tips are extremely helpful and it is always good to know as much as possible about the job description, requirements, and about the company. However as prepared as one may be, the most important thing to remember in an interview is to be yourself. An interviewer can spot someone putting on a show. Going into an interview, know as much as you can about the company but remember to relax and put your best foot first.
The key to having a successful job interview is in the preparation of it. Before going on my first job interview this past summer, my parents told me it is imperative to research the company and know vital information about it before the actual interview takes place. After reading this blog post, that piece of advice was reiterated to me. Moving forward, I will definitely keep in-mind Hannah Morgan’s “job interview preparation tips: 10 steps to success” the next time I’m getting ready to speak with an interviewer.
These are all great tips! However, I also think it’s important to do the following – Look NICE!! It’s a sad but true fact that employers do care about your own personal presentation. If you can’t keep yourself clean and in order, then how can I expect you to take care of your job duties? Humans are visual creatures. That doesn’t mean you have to look like Cindy Crawford or Tyra Banks but it does mean that you should be dressed in clean clothes, have your nails done (no chipped polish), sit up straight and most importantly smile! If you look good, you’ll feel good and if you feel good, you’ll be confident and ace the interview!