Make or break: The fact that you have received an invite for an interview is great. However, it also means that you are battling it out with other equally (or superiority) qualified individuals for the same spot. This means you have to bring your ‘A’ game to the interview or it could turn out to be a situation where you were so close. So, just like players train harder for the finals, you need to make sure you are at your best in preparation for the interview.
And here’s how you can do that…
Whether you are interviewing for an hourly job or a full time job, you need to take care of some things as you prepare for your interview.
Map out the day
Whether the interview date was your choice or the prospective employers, you need to make sure you are there in time. If you have never been to that part of town, do a run through from your house to the venue a few days earlier to make sure you don’t get lost and also to estimate how long it would take you to get there.
Choose your preferred means of transportation and get the times for buses and trains if you will be using that. If you will be using your car, make sure it is in good working conditions to avoid any mishaps.
Take care of you
You need to be clear-minded and calm so make sure you get some rest the night before the interview. You don’t need to be showing up looking tired and unable to think quickly because you are so tired. Also, choose what you want to wear and get it ready on the night before.
Research your role and the organization
Make sure you are clear about what you are going to contribute to this organization. Understand the role you are interviewing for and where it fits in the grand scheme of things. It is important to know how your skills, training and natural aptitudes fit into this role because that is your greatest selling point.
What’s happening?
Keep your finger on the pulse of your industry of interest. This may be good as a general practice but it is very essential for the interview. You need to know what changes are happening in the industry, how they affect the organization and how your role in the company could make an impact in these changes. Have this information on your fingertips; you’ll be asked about it for sure.
Stick to the point
Whether the people being interviewed are four or fourteen, the interviewer doesn’t have the time to listen to a lot of stories. Keep your answers short and sweet. How? Anticipate the questions as much as you can and prepare brief answers for them. You can ask current employees for tips on the kind of questions to expect to make sure you are ready for them.
What ties all these together is confidence (not cockiness). Trust that you have something to bring to the table and that you are worth their time and even if you don’t know everything, your confidence will make a mark.
