How do you prepare for a job interview? Part 1
Job Interview Preparation is the one area where candidates spend the least amount of time. Candidates will often spend days or weeks contacting their referrals, using their network, however, when the job interview comes around, spend less than a few minutes preparing for it.
Candidates need to realize their resume is just the start and only permits them to enter the interview room. Once you’ve made it into the interview room, the real decisions are made.
Hiring manager and recruiters are well versed to interviewing candidates and can easily tell the difference between those that have prepared and those that have not.
Preparation can be split into different sections as shown below. While some parts might be obvious, it’s essential that you do your homework to assure yourself of a successful job interview.
- Creating the right first impression
- Building rapport with the interviewer
- Job Interview Body Language
- Company preparation
Creating The Right First Impression
Dressing for a job interview should be simple, but it’s amazing how many candidates turn up looking a mess. According to The Ladders.com, 37% of hiring managers say they have decided against hiring an applicant because of the way they dressed. There is no excuse to not looking smart and professional for every interview that you attend.
Building Rapport During Your Interview
“People BUY People NOT Products” is an old sales technique that can be very useful in the world of job interviewing. The idea is that you think of yourself as a person rather than a product. If your interview likes you as a person you have more chance of being successful.
The easiest way for your interviewer to like you is t build rapport. Five-to-Ten minutes of chit-chat before your interview begins will make sure your interviewer likes you and makes for a much easier job interview.
It’s vital that you do the research beforehand on topics to talk about and that you ask open-ended questions to encourage the interviewer into a conversation.
Interview Body Language
What’s the best way to make a complete mess of your interview? You get your body language. It’s often said that less than 10% of what we say comes out of our mouth. The rest comes from factors such as how we speak, how we sit and what we look like. Slouch in your chair, and you look bored, cross your arms, and you will look defensive, while looking at the table shows that you lack confidence.
Body language is not something you need to spend hours mastering, but it’s good to know the basics and what to look out for, so you don’t make a mess of your interview. Remember, positive body language comes from confidence, which you can only do if you are prepared for your job interview and therefore able to show off your skills.
Company Preparation
Hiring Managers and Recruiters always want to know what you know about their company, so you need to prepare a good answer to this question.
It’s not hard to construct a one-minute presentation about the company you’re interviewing at and below should give you some pointers to help you. You need to find out the following information as a minimum:
Company Information:
- What does the company do? How big is it? How many employees? Where else to they have offices?
- Do they own other companies or Brands?
- How do they make money? What services of Products do they have?
- How successful are they?
How do you find this information:
- Company Website
- Related Websites – PRNewswire, Bloomberg, Reuters, Google
- Social Media – Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Hoovers,Vault, Glassdoor and Careerbliss
- Professional Associations, Newspapers, Magazines, Trade Journals.
Find out some questions you might be asked and how to respond in Part 2!