There is nothing more important to a job interview than being prepared. Interview preparation will make or break your chances of success. From something as simple as knowing where you are going so that you don't arrive late to having thought out and be able to answer questions directly and succinctly Interview preparation will prepare you for what is one of the most important meetings in life. Interviews are enormously stressful and Interview preparation will show you that you need to arrive fully mentally, physically and psychologically prepared.
The first step to interview preparation is to research the company you are interviewing with. Good interview preparation will recommend that you find out what they do, who is doing it and where they are. Interview preparation will have you know their product and customer base and where you will be positioned based on the job description. Go there. To be fully primed for interview preparation plan to actually go in the door prior to the interview so that you will be familiar with the surroundings and not feel disoriented and unfamiliar.
Prepare yourself. This is a major aspect of interview preparation. You need to become comfortable with the position that you are pursuing. If it's a position that you already have experience with interview preparation will enable you to get better. You need to go through all of the interview preparation questions that might be asked and have answers fully formed and readily available - a fundamental part of interview preparation. Behavioral questions play a big part in today's interview structure so make sure that you are aware of what these might be and use interview preparation to practice answering them. In interview preparation an example of what might be asked is "Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills" or "Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem". Interview preparation questions like these allow the interviewer to get an idea of how you react to circumstances. Whether the position is familiar or entirely new to you knowing your strengths and weaknesses is paramount to interview preparation. Developing keywords to describe your strengths and examples as to how you overcome your weaknesses is a key part of interview preparation. If possible, hiring a professional Interview Coach or even getting a friend to work with you on interview preparation is a great way to go over questions and answers and work on your presence until you feel confident and self-assured. Mock interviews will keep you on your toes and groom you to become comfortable with your interview presentation.
In addition to how you express yourself, your appearance and manner during an interview is crucial to interview preparation. Do not wait until the night before to plan your wardrobe. Overdressing for a job interview goes over better than arriving looking too casual. A part of interview preparation is to make sure you and your clothes are clean and pressed. Anyone from interview preparation will advise you to be respectful and arrive on time, turn your cellphone off and shake hands with a firm, dry hand. Your body language will say what your words don't and interview preparation will ensure that you display alert and attentive mannerisms.
You only have one chance at an interview so get it right. Interview preparation is your key to success. The more interview preparation you undertake, the more knowledge that you have about a company, the job posted and yourself - the more likely you will be the Key Candidate!
The Career Council is the #1 person-to-person solution for Job Interview Coaching. We offer the answers to your interview questions, share with you the "Secrets of Successful Interviewing" and teach you the "30 Second Sell". Face-to-face or via Skype we will give you the skills training needed to transform you into a Key Candidate. Check out how we can help you at www.careercouncil.ca
|
