Interview Tips – 7 Powerful Job Interview Preparation Tips
When I interview candidates for an open position in my company, I can tell one thing very quickly! I can tell who’s prepared to interview and who’s not. People who come prepared to do an excellent interview usually do. And it’s no surprise those who are not prepared, don’t make it far in the interview process.
After you receive a call asking you to come in for an interview, start researching and preparing for that interview right away. Trust me, you’ll be glad you know this little trick.
Listed below are 5 simple things that you can do to improve the way you interview. These simple tips will help you show your real value to anyone who interviews you.
1. Think like an entrepreneur. Do your best to think like a company owner. When you communicate with a hiring manager, talk in terms of how you and your skills can help maximize profits, cut expenses, or strengthen customer satisfaction. Think about your skills and experience in a way that shows them your real value!
2. Find out who’s who in their company. Find out who the important players are in their business. Especially focus on finding out who the VP’s, Directors, and Managers are for the team or department you are interviewing for. You can get this type of information from their Employee Relations Department, the net, by calling the front desk, and any other sources you can find. Try to read between the lines and figure out the types of challenges they face as a company and as a department. Try to get hints of their corporate or departmental direction. When you interview focus on the things you bring to the table that will help them solve problems and that will help them meet their objectives.
3. Research and understand the hiring company’s business culture. Learn from news papers, their website, and from anyone you know (or can find) that works for them, exactly what their corporate culture is. Do this all before you interview, find out everything you can about them. Then, during your interview relate with them and show how you fit in with their beliefs and direction.
4. Keep all your responses and conversations relevant. Everything you think, say, and do in an interview needs to deliver serious value to them! If you’ve prepared, you’ll be aware of their challenges and goals and have ideas, abilities, and practical experience that will help them. Everything you discuss in an interview is about how you bring value to them! At least if you want to win them over it is!
5. Interview to win the job offer. You’ve heard it before, “You can’t win if you don’t play. The truth is, you won’t get a job if you don’t win the interview game! Prepare so well that you’re confident you will give this interview your absolute best effort. The better you prepare, the better you’ll do.
6. Practice, practice, practice… After you’ve gathered as much information as you can find, practice answering interview questions in front of a mirror. Write out a list of questions they will probably ask you (or search the web for common interview questions), and practice answering those questions until you feel good about your answers. Keep in mind everything you’ve learned about the hiring company.
7. Be natural and be yourself. Ok, the last thing to remember is to be natural. Don’t can your answers and respond to them like a programmed robot! Just know what you know, relax because you’re prepared, and answer naturally. Just be yourself and try to have fun. Make a game out of it, with your only goal being to give your best interview ever!
If you follow this simple advice, you’ll see more job offers coming your way fast!
To your success!
Mark
Tags: Career Change, Career Change Advice, find a job, interview, interview skills, job change, job search
Leave A Reply (4 comments So Far)
Uma
766 days ago
My recent taste pof success in a job interview had all the right ingredients as stated by you..I sincerely accept all your points…
Junaid Jafri
766 days ago
Dear Mark,
This is an awesome article and yes the points which you have raised were very important. One think i must add in this that you should know the organizational chart of an organization this will help you to visualize your position and your work importance.
Regards,
Junaid Jafri
Chris
765 days ago
In the process of moving up in my field of expertise, I have had lots of practice in the interview game. I’ve even been on the hiring end a few times.
What you have here really hits a lot of key points. A few more things I would mention are this.
1. Be sincere. This means that you might have to say you don’t know, or are not sure while you’re in the interview. Just have a positive attitude and let the prospective employer know that you’re not going to let that lack of knowledge stop you. You may still lose some positions that you could have gotten had you stretched the truth a bit, but trust me, you’ll be happier, since the expectations won’t be higher than your abilities. You will find more opportunities for advancement in positions that you landed by being sincere.
2. Decide who you are. I’ve been a sort of jack of all trades, and while I am adept at most of them, I have found that prospective employers often prefer a person who knows who they are. Specialize in something and really get to know it. When people think of you, they should think of you as “the [your specialty here] person”. If you have different skills, make sure your resume and your interview target those specific skills that the position you are going for are interested in. If the interviewer wants to know if you have other skills, feel free to let them know that you do, but don’t make a big deal of them, if they are not specifically relevant to the position you are applying for. Don’t say, “I can do anything you want”, most employers will see it as a red flag.
3. Okay, here’s probably the biggest thing. Believe it or not, in my own experience, what you know is actually less important than who you are. Someone hiring wants to see that you have at least the minimum skills to do the job, but after that, they really want to see if you are the kind of person they can stand working with. You want to come in with a “Can do” attitude, but don’t be all sappy. Be confident. This may mean psyching yourself up first and imagining yourself impressing the hiring managers and landing the job before you enter the interview. Imagine them offering you more than you had in mind to ask for and see yourself accepting calmly and smoothly. Imagine working in an environment of mutual like and respect. Cement this image in your mind before entering the interview and feel it as you interview. Feel as if the right place for you to work can’t help but hire you because you’re the perfect fit.
Navya
760 days ago
Thanks for your valuable suggestions !! Most of the candidates try to focus on the technical aspects of job, but what you mentioned is absolutely right !! I will definitely pass this on to my friend who is looking for jobs right now.