How to prepare for a job interview?

Nowadays, many companies organize online job interviews, but face-to-face interviews are also coming back after the dying down of the Covid pandemic. I would like to give you some hints on how to prepare for online and face-to-face job interviews.

1.???? Prepare! - Yes, it’s so simple.

In my experience more and more candidates don’t devote time and effort for the interview preparation and believe me, recruiters and hiring managers notice it.

Preparing for a job interview doesn’t require many days in most cases, you only need a couple of hours on the weekend.

Unless you want to improve your foreign language or technical skills before the interview. This could take more days if you currently work in a full-time job.

2. Read the job description / job ad again before the interview!

What skills are required for this role? Everything is in the job description.

Ask yourself: What skills do I have compared to the position requirements in the job description?

You can emphasise these soft/hard skills at the interview to stand out.

What experiences of yours could be interesting for the interviewers? What questions could be asked by the interviewers to check up on these skills? Think about these possibilities in advance.

Answer these questions while preparing or even write down your answers to be more self-confident. You will see this will decrease your stress level at the live interview.

3.???? Wear nice and comfortable clothes in the case of both online and face-to-face interviews!

No, you don’t have to wear high heels or tie, let’s keep it simple, but neat and tidy.

Most companies are fine with wearing jumpers or T-shirts at online interviews but note, that this may differ from company to company.

You’d rather be overdressed than be adversely affected by your inappropriate clothing.

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4.???? Tell the interviewers if you’re nervous!

Most candidates are nervous at job interviews. Interviewers are used to anxious candidates. These feelings are natural and understandable.

Although the interviewers can see that you’re excited, if you transparently put your emotions on the table, you can create an intimate and honest atmosphere, which can be to your advantage.

On today’s job market companies must also sell their roles to candidates because of the lack of skilled workforce. Not only companies interview you, but you also interview them, you can also decide freely if you want to work for the given company or not. It’s a mutual decision between you and the company.

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5.???? Ask your own questions!

I would repeat my previous statement: job interviews are mutual conversations nowadays, therefore ask every information you need in order to be able to decide to take a job, or not.

Don’t be afraid of asking stupid questions! It’s better to clarify misunderstandings during the selection process than later after you’re already hired.

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6.???? Ask back if you’re not sure you’ve understood something correctly or answered the question the interviewer’s asked!

Asking for clarification will be a valuable skill during your training period as you start to work for a new company and later too.

Being able to ask the right questions is also a big plus.

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7.???? Answer all questions, don’t fudge, don’t speak in a vague and inadequate way to avoid the direct answers!

Interviewers have limited time for your interview, and they would like to have answers at the end and I’m sure you do too.

Being able to answer the question shows that you’re a precise and attentive person who can focus on more complex questions (/problems) and details.

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8.???? Show respect for everyone during the whole recruitment process!

Regardless of the position, nationality, age, gender, appearance, and technical/language knowledge, you must show respect for everyone not only during the selection process (from the recruiter’s phone interview until the personal interview), but also at your future workplace. You'd think it's basic for everyone, but unfortunately, in my experience, it's not.

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9.???? Don’t panic if you can’t remember the position details at the interview!

Take notes from the early stage of the recruitment process, even during the phone interview!

If something is not clear for you, admit it honestly and ask about it again at the interview! Recruiters know, you can’t remember everything especially if you’ve applied for more positions.

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10.?????Tell the interviewers if something bothers you at the interview!

It's essential that the company you apply for creates a comfortable and positive atmosphere for you. But it can happen that something is inconvenient for you during the interview. But what should you do if this happens?

I would recommend to tell it the interviewers proactively, so they can contribute to your wellbeing at the interview and you can show them your honesty.

Giving feedback is a really important skill in a business environment, most companies appreciate it.

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11.?????Check the most common interview questions on the internet before the interview!

Many companies conduct personalized interviews and assess the skills required for the given role.

The typical interview questions (like What are your strengths/weaknesses? What are your career goals?...etc.) provide a good basis to think about yourself and to get to know each other.

These questions won’t be boring if you answer them honestly, even if they might seem difficult to answer. But they help you start an honest conversation with your interviewers.

Improving your self-awareness is crucial if you’re applying for positions and it starts with being able to answer these personality and motivation-related questions you can find on the internet. You could easily encounter some of them at your interview.

In my experience some candidates can’t answer these typical HR questions because either they’ve never thought about it or they might struggle with self-awareness.

You can ask your current colleagues and leaders for feedback or even your friends, on how they see you as a person.

There are many good online courses and books related to self-awareness but seeking the help of a psychologist or coach could also help you develop these skills.

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12.???????Practise in the given foreign language and think about the most common interview questions in the given foreign language too, before the interview.

If you are a super hard-working person, you can also collect the questions from the internet and work out your possible answers in every foreign language you speak. You only have to do it once in life, later you’ll just need to make minor modifications.

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13.????????Check the video conference tool, your screen and audio before the online interview!

Interviewers have limited time for your interview and so might you. It’s better to know if a device or network doesn’t work beforehand.

However, technical problems can happen sometimes, which is normal, so don’t panic if they occur. Keep calm and apologize, ask the interviewers for patience, and try to fix it. In the worst case, they’ll reschedule your interview.

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14.??????Check the exact location of the company you’ll have the interview with and check the traffic conditions before heading off to the face-to-face interview!

Arrive 15 minutes earlier. Registration at the reception and the orientation between multiple office buildings could take some time.

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15.???????Use social media for good reason!

Check the professional background of your interviewers before the interview!

If you are under stress, you might not remember the position of the interviewers who are asking questions from you.

It can even be to your advantage of knowing about your interviewer’s professional background by asking the right questions from the right person.? You can even create an intimate atmosphere by calling interviewers by their names.

I hope I’ve helped you with my article. ?

I wish you many successful job interviews! ??