Interview Preparation...
The job interview is the place where you get to show yourself and why you are the right fit for the job. For some it might be easy for others it might be hard. Whatever the case, a little preparation goes a long way. While a job interview is a conversation, you must remember that what you show and say is what will distinguish you from other candidates.
You can never know exactly what the job interview questions will be, but through experience and the right research you can find out what questions to anticipate. And much more important, with good preparation you can always be ready for that cliché and common first question of "tell us a bit about yourself"
Create a Checklist
Prepare for an interview! Either by preparing with an expert consultant, by having your friends or family ask you questions or even by talking to yourself, will build up your confidence and have you ready to the possibility of those questions coming up. At this stage you have to think of your competitive advantage against other candidates and preparing for an interview is a big part of it. Some of the common general questions that are being used during interviews are the following:
- What are your weaknesses?
- Why should we hire you?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What are your long and short-term goals?
- Why did you leave (or why are you leaving) your job?
- When were you most satisfied in your job?
- What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?
- What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
- What salary are you seeking?
A step Ahead
Do your research! Research the company and the industry, who are they, what are they doing, what are their advantages and their disadvantages etc. Research the person who will be interviewing you. You might feel like that is too much or that you are stalking them, but hey, they are doing the same thing for you, so have that in mind. It might give you some valuable information of what that person is like and where they focus on. Usually, their LinkedIn profile might give you details that you can use in an interview.
Your turn for Questions
Now it’s your turn to ask the questions and you must do! Asking questions shows that you are interested and that you have thought things through. However, your questions needs to be targeted and relevant, otherwise you will receive some strange looks and probably do more harm than good. This is also your chance to see if the employer is the right fit for you!
Some of these questions could be:
- How does this company define and measure success
- What is the culture and the values of the company?
- What is the working environment like?
- What will my first/second week be like ?
- What is training like in the company and are there training opportunities throughout?
