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Interviews. Sounds fairly easy, all you have to do is talk about what you’ve done and how that relates to the job opportunity. In fact, the interview is the hardest part of the job search process and the single largest reason why people don’t get the job. Yes, you must have a great resume with relevant experience, but can you interview? But interviewing is not just talking about yourself, it’s asking the right questions, giving the right answers and expressing yourself in the right way.
You must have a great resume with relevant experience, but can you interview?
Tweet ThisThis post focuses on the interview process, providing some links to job search advice and resources to help you nail that interview. What is clear from the links below is that the overall theme is consistent (without being repetitious).
There are a few critical things you need to prepare in order to have a successful interview:
Company Research
When you are asked “and what attracts you to XYZ Corp?” you should know the answer to the question. A lack of a basic understanding of the company will probably cost you the job. Employers not only want the right person for the job, but they also want someone who selected the company for specific reasons. You must do your research on the company before you interview. This will allow you to be proactive in the interview process.
Study the Job Description
Spend time comparing the job description, specifically the skills and experience, to your resume. To the extent that your resume does not explicitly list the skills or experience, ensure you speak to these during the interview. Convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job because your experience and skills are a great match.
Practice Questions
Read a list of common (and uncommon) interview questions and ensure you have thought of the answers. Leverage the Internet to see if you can find interview questions related to your industry. Most importantly, have a list of your own questions that you want to ask. You should have a list of twenty (don’t use all twenty) so that you have some spare questions in case the interviewer answers some of your questions before you get a chance to ask.
Know Your Interviewer
It’s always helpful to know as much about your interviewer as you can. This will help you understand the interviewer’s education, experience, and background. LinkedIn is a great source, but sometimes a focused Google search will provide some key information. Don’t bring up any information you may have found (like – “I see you were a swimmer in college:), this can be a bit creepy.
Additional Resources:
- 5 Simple Tips that Will Help You Ace that Job Interview – There are ways you can prepare for the dreaded interview and make the right impression. Many articles on acing your interview will tell you to research the company, but you’ll help your case even more by researching your interviewers as well.
- How to Ace your Telephone Interview – Telephone Interviews have become very popular as the first step in an interview process. Unfortunately, telephone interviews are probably the toughest type of interviews. Without visual cues (from both the interviewer and the interviewee), it is very difficult to know when to pause for the next question and when you’ve nailed the answer. Telephone interviews require even more preparation than in-person interviews. One important advantage to telephone interviews is that you can (and should) refer to your notes during the interview (just be careful to pay attention and not pause for too long).
- 7 Uncommon Interview Questions – Be Prepared – Some interviewers like to get a little creative and put their interviewees in the hot seat by asking questions that break the classic interview mold. The purpose of these questions is to put you in a pressure situation where you are required to think quickly without losing composure. The benefits of these unusual interview questions are twofold for the interviewer.
- Here’s How to Shine at an Interview – The first thing to be aware of is that often it’s not your lack of ability that leads you to defeat – it’s your nerves and mindset in how you approach the interview, so let’s look at some friendly advice on shifting your paradigm to tackle your tense state.
- 5 Reasons Why You Won’t Get a Job Offer – If you’ve been rejected when you thought you were sure to get an offer, then you need to figure out went wrong and adjust your approach to be more effective and eliminate reasons why you have not been successful
- Interview Opportunities – Find more interview opportunities here.
