Setting Yourself Up for Interview Success With These Prep Tips

Your networking, branding and resume did their job and you have landed that interview you have been working so hard for.

An interview can be very stressful and at times, very intimidating. As your prepare for your interview it is time to really do the homework that is needed so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Below I have shared some tips and recommendations that have worked for myself and others within my network. These will help you ease your anxiety and feel more confident going into the interview.

The goal of the interview is to sell yourself, have a more conversational approach and to also interview them, after all, you have to see that you will fit with their team as much as they are looking to see if you fit with them.

Research (the company and the people who will interview you) - As you go into the interview, it is important to know as much as possible about the brand as you can. When was it founded, how many employees work there, is the culture good, are they in good financial health and so on. It is also important to research the people that will be interviewing you - how long have they been there, what does their career ladder look like and what is their history. Checkout any mutual connections and reach out to them on their views and perspectives.

Prepare your questions - Based off your research from above, develop questions around the brand, the position and the people that are interviewing you. Ask those questions that are important to you - how is the departments set up, what is the reporting structure, what are things they think about that is concerning, what could they be doing better at, what are their processes and so on. I look at questions that won’t come up unless you ask them.

Define your selling points and why you want the job - Really know and understand your selling points front and back. Use data and facts to share why you are the one for the job. Share how you would approach the position, the team and what your approach would be based on your selling points.

Identify tough questions you could be asked - Look at your work history, your resume or even LinkedIn profile. What are things that stick out that might be asked - this could be a resume gap, short employment stints or even lack of requirements needed for the position.

Try out the companies products or services - Being a customer of the company will give you a different perspective that will help in the interview process. Things I look at; What was the customer experience? How was the online experience? How did you feel? How were you treated? Was the product worth it? How does the experience impact the position you are interviewing for? What would you do differently? Share it.

Practice, practice and practice some more - Can say this one enough. Practice until you feel comfortable with your message - use a mirror, practice with your kids or even your dog…just practice so you feel good about your message and why they should hire you.

Video yourself (body language is important) - Watching yourself on video talking can show you areas in which you can improve your posture, the way you answer questions and even your facial expression. Your body can tell it’s own story, make sure that story is a positive one.

Plan your route & wardrobe - Plan ahead with your route and wardrobe a day or two in advance. The interview is stressful enough, these are two areas in which you can limit that stress by planning.

Take work samples - Depending on the role you are applying for, if you have work samples, take them and be prepared to share. I have interviewed designers before who didn’t have work samples or their portfolio with them and it isn’t a good look.

Test your technology - if you have a computer or online portfolio, ensure that everything is working as planed the night before.

Get a good nights sleep - this one is simple enough…be rested.

Show up on time - Plan to get to your interview at least 15 minutes early - you don’t want to be that one person that makes the interviewer wait.

Best of luck in your interview and stand apart by being prepared.

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Resume tip - Keeping your resume brief

Your resume should be kept brief and between one to two pages in length. You will want to personalize the resume for the position you are applying for and only include the relevant experiences. Use bullet points to pull out the successes and avoid long sentences. Create the interest to get the interview, and within the interview, share the details.

Some of what was included in mine…

• My objective/experience summary
• General experiences going back 15 years (my skills and focus)
• Top achievements for each experience (highlights and data) For example, my team drove 1.5 billion dollars in sales or we improved profits by 60% year over year).

Job search tip of the week

Easy ways to land more job interviews from Chris MacLean ??

1. Pick a skill that you know extremely well.
2. Write about how you learned and used that skill in your career.
3. Talk about the outcomes you achieved with that skill.
4. Repeat with a new skill tomorrow.

Learn to showcase your skills in tangible ways.

Career Events...July 12, 2022, 1:00 PM (your local time)

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More about Bernie…

Director of Consumer Strategy and over the Marketing Agency Team at Confluent Health - Provides direct oversight to our corporate marketing agency team that delivers print and digital creative, website design & development, paid media, email marketing, performance marketing, social and SEO to our portfolio of 44+ partner brands.

Chief Cheese - Strategy & Engagement at B2The7 - Helping brands Reach, Retain & Regain customers with Omni-Channel data-driven strategies and tactics that focus on increasing sales, transactions, comps and customer engagement.

B2The7 Photography - Sharing experiences with photography: nature, landscapes, sunsets, flowers, animals and more.

Helping job seekers & recruiters daily…Founder of Careerbarn.com - Bringing jobseekers and employers together since 2000 and why I do what I do each day to help.