How To Prepare For Your Interview?

Jobseekers or professionals could often be biased by preparing for interviews, believing their resumes and achievements speak for themselves. But in today's ruthless job market, there is little room for self-approval.

So How Do I Prepare?

Of course, you should research the company beforehand. But guess what? Many people don't. I still remember one time I went for an interview with a prospective employer and the first question that the interviewer asked was "What is our company vision?" I was stunned and could not answer that. And when he revealed that the statement could be found on the first page of their website and its only simple 7 words to remember. That shows truly how "interested" I am in that role. At that moment I knew that I am disqualified straight away from that position.

You need to do more than just visiting their website and read about them. Try to read their annual report, press release, and social media post. The tip is that you need to go with unexpected information that will really make you stand out. With this information, you need to gather a list of "ready and prepared" speeches that you can deliver with confidence.

How Do I Structure My Answers For The Interview?

Personally, I always love to go with this flow; 1) Task Oriented - How do I deal with a given task and deliver, 2) Thought Leadership - How can I serve and inspire? What kind of creativity I can share to add value? 3) People Management - How do I work with internal and external stakeholders?

Once you set this framework, you then give the interviewer what they ask for. If it's questions related to the task, don't start rambling about people or other stuff. Above all, anchor your answers with concrete examples. Many of the times, job seekers just give generic answers but what the hiring managers really want are detailed, specific examples of what you have done and how it relates to the role you are applying. That's how you become memorable.

When nearing the end of the interview, you also want to have some decent questions that you can ask. And when its time to go, show them gratitude and let them know that you want the job. In this way, you will leave them feeling better when you came in.

Improving My Presentation & Delivery

I know you are nervous. I did too, many times and it is normal especially when you need to deliver your presentation. One thing that you should focus on is to make sure you are rested well. Don't rush to your interview and make sure that you build rapport. Connect with the interviewer on a human level and put on the mindset to always add value. Remember to not overdo it, don't just talk about yourself all the time but show modesty, be a good listener.

Take notice of your body language. Sit up, be open, and keep your face up. You need to be present. When there's more than one person in the interview, try to make sure you look at every one. My tip is to do mock interviews with your friends or your mentors if you have any that can help you with it. This will give a better sense of how does it feel to be in a room for an interview.

How To Deal With Tough Questions?

When dealing with your weaknesses, you should acknowledge them and tell the interviewer how you manage them. Be as honest as is sensible. You need to go in with the right attitude - that it's a discussion about a job. The idea is not to make you put on the spot but to assess how aware are you about yourself and manage those weaknesses. Remember to always look for what interests them.

The Bottom Line

You must always think about how you can differentiate yourself from others, adding value every step of the way in your interview. Remember to always answer those questions - boring or not, in a positive way so that you will be memorable. And be prepared to give your best answers to any behavioral interview questions by structuring it wisely beforehand. All the best!

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Hey, thanks for reading this post up to this sentence. Now, I know you're probably wondering, "Why do you post this article?" 

Well, I first started my career journey as a headhunter and the reason why I jumped into recruitment is that I didn't know what I want back then. I thought the best thing to do is to interview thousands of people, understanding their roles and industries. With this exposure, I was able to understand the mind of the recruiters, hiring managers, and years later had the privilege to be in various roles with top global companies.

I am forever grateful to all the people that came into my life and showed me that I have what it takes to pursue my goals. Today, I am on a mission to help driven & ambitious people to get in front of global leaders & world-changing companies.

If you think you have benefited from this sharing, I hope you can pay it forward by sharing this article and connect with me to always inspire each other. Stay tuned for more brewing on #rioslab. God bless!