After all the job and applications, you have finally been shortlisted for a role. The next step is the daunting interview! To help ease your stress, we have some important tips to make the interview process go smoothly from start to finish.
When it comes to job applications, the interview is often the most daunting aspect. It’s important to remember that most of the process can be managed well before the interview begins. Read on for our three best tips.
Research your prospective employer and industry
This is a step that too many people don’t take full advantage of before job interviews. It is vital to consider looking at every available resource. This includes social media, Google/Google News, and public documents that are available. This research helps you get a proper feel for the culture, values and morals, and overall path of the business.
An informative and in-depth blog on how to research potential employers and where to look is this article from Career Sidekick.
Once you’ve done this, you can begin to analyse how your skills and attributes would fit into the business. This takes us onto our next major tip.
Be positive and confident in your selling points
The best way to be confident when you sit down for an interview is to be certain of what you are sitting down to talk about. Your research helps you apply your skills to the job requirements before the interview. Rather than trying to work it out on the fly, you need to have this thought out. Interviewers won’t appreciate somebody who isn’t aware of the role and why they would fit it.
In addition to knowing how your skills fit a role, have examples prepared of when you’ve displayed these skills. Try to make sure they are pertinent, concise, and applicable to the prospective role. General answers such as weaknesses, work-life balancing, and your professional future should all be ready.
These common interview questions from Michael Page are a fantastic place to start when considering what answers should be ready to go.
Practice makes perfect
Something else which not enough people spend time on is practicing your interviews beforehand. This is a short and sweet tip, but you need to make time to do it! The ability to recall and recount information accurately is the key to confidence. If you can show a prospective employer that you are prepared and excited for an interview, they get immediate insight into your commitment to the role already.
Other than your own personal practice, it is vital to try to sit down with a couple of people. Firstly, a family member who you can be comfortable around is a great sounding board. Secondly, a colleague who can access your interview details is a vital balance to your own input.
It is great to think of it like public speaking, because you are practicing and rehearsing something you are an expert on: yourself! Here’s a great link to some helpful public speaking practice tips that carry across to job interviews.
No matter what your profession or your experience, practice and preparation are the keys to success. All the best for your interviews, and remember: you’re the expert on yourself–so sell it!