How to Prepare for an Interview
Facing the interviewer for the first time can be daunting; unless you do a bit of homework, you will not get confidence for the important day. Get down to details and get organized before you walk through the door. Wear an air of confidence as you face the whole of questions. Your preparedness for the interview will get you through. Here is how you prepare for an interview to increase your chances of being successful.
Create a good first impression: The first thing that the interviewer notices about you is your physical appearance. Be conscious of your posture and avoid slouching while sitting or standing. Keep the clothes you are going to wear during the interview ready. Dress soberly, wear comfortable shoes, and stick to minimum accessories. Make sure your hair, nails, and any accessories you wear, give you a professional look. Rehearse your greeting with a friend so you are confident when you meet your interviewer. All this adds to the first impression you create.
Be prepared for the common questions: The interviewer is keen to learn about you and will pose a series of questions related to your background, and experience, your soft skill and technical skills, your career ambitions, etc. Answering honestly and confidently is the key to being successful during an interview. To get that confidence you can prepare for commonly expected questions in the interview in advance. Preparing in advance will allow you to work on your examples and help you convey your story in a better way.
Learn about the company, team, and role: Review the company profile, group profile, and job description. Talk to people in your network who are associated with the company to get more information than what you can get online. This will give a sense of the skills you have to highlight in the interview. You should also structure one or two questions related to these topics (company, team, and job responsibilities) and bring them up at the appropriate time. This will show that you have done your research
Brush up your general knowledge: Expect the interviewer to ask you questions related to current affairs as well. Reading the newspaper daily will keep you abreast with the latest happenings and help you form opinions on current affairs. Include a variety of other reading material- periodicals, magazines, books, and best sellers. A well-read person is also the most informed.
Review your resume completely before going for an interview: Your resume is not just a required document for most job applications; it is the piece of paper that will help you guide your interview. You should structure your resume to have a proper flow. You can get professional help to make your resume, use tools on the web, or work with someone who has more work experience than you. Before the interview, go over the resume you submitted for the job and think about questions that can come up based on the information in the resume. Make sure you have answers to these questions. If there are any changes to your profile (promotion, change of responsibilities, completion of new courses, etc.) since you applied for the position, bring in updated resume copies. Print copies of the resume for everyone you are expected to meet and also keep some spare copies, just in case you have to meet more people than you were informed (which happens all the time).
Get a friend to interview you: Ask a friend to help you with your preparations and go through a round of rehearsals for the final day. This is a sure way of avoiding the nervousness that can hit you at the interviewer’s table. Answer your friend as you would to an interviewer and at the end take their feedback.
Be positive: Your positive attitude and confident demeanor can help you through a stressful interview. You will make an impression on your future employer with your calm manner and find yourself relaxing as the interview progresses. Your positive attitude will help you maintain your self-esteem even if your first attempt is unsuccessful. Take your interview as a practice if you do not clear and get yourself ready for the next one.
Hope these tips help you be successful in your next interview. Do you have any other ways you prepare for an interview that have worked for you?
