28 Sep Ace Your Job Interview with these 15 Easy-to-Follow Steps
Perhaps one of the most stressful parts of the job searching process is the interviews. A job interview can come in many different forms, making them very difficult to prepare for. If you’re like the many, many other people who struggle with this, then check out these 15 helpful steps to ensure you have the best possible interview.
How to Prepare Before a Job Interview
Leading up to your job interview, there are quite a few things you can do to prepare. From practicing your answers to checking all of your equipment for a remote interview, here are the biggest steps you can follow.
Research the Company & Job Description
Firstly, you should be doing a lot of research on the company you’re applying to. This will help you understand what exactly the company might be looking for in a worker and give you many starting points for a conversation.
A hiring manager might even ask you questions as to why you applied for a job at this company. If that happens, it’s best to know exactly where your professional goals align with the company and how you can benefit from each other.
The same can be said for the job description. Understanding the full extent of the job you’re applying for will better prepare you to answer specific, job-related questions and give you many starting conversation points throughout the interview.
Understand Your Resume & Past Experiences
This might seem a bit unnecessary, as you lived through the experiences you have on your resume; however, it is best to refresh your memory regardless. If you’ve utilized a professional resume writing service, you will especially need to understand exactly what your resume says.
What responsibilities did you hold in each of your past experiences? Which technical skills do you have? Do you remember how long you spent at each job or promotion? What major accomplishments do you have to show?
Being fluent on your resume can make the job interview go much smoother and show the hiring manager that you’re being truthful (as you are not scrambling to think of something when questioned about your resume). It will also provide the interviewer with a lot of content to base questions on.
Practice Typical Job Interview Questions
Again, this is probably something that’s implied. Going into a job interview without practicing beforehand can cause the interview to become choppy and more of a failure than a success. Your answers may become stiff and not quite hit the mark hiring managers are looking for.
So, practice the most common interview questions before your interview. Here are a few to help you get started:
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- Tell me about yourself and your past experiences
- Why do you want this job? / Why do you want to work for this company?
- What are the biggest reasons we should hire you?
- What are your major strengths and weaknesses?
- How do you overcome these weaknesses?
- Detail the greatest accomplishments of your career and how you accomplished them
- Have you experienced any major difficulties/mistakes? What were they and how did you overcome them?
Write Questions Ahead of Time
While there will be many questions that come to you throughout the job interview itself, there are plenty of questions you may have going into the interview. After doing your research on the company and the job description, see which areas you may want to know more about—company culture, employee benefits, job expectations, etc.
Do not assume that questions are unnecessary on your end for the job interview. This interview is just as much about discovering if the company is the best fit for you as it’s for the company to see if you’re the best fit for it. If you don’t ask questions, it may seem like you don’t care about the company or will just go along with anything the company says.
Above all, being more interactive and invested in learning about the company can help improve your chances of landing the job.
Remote Job Interview? Check All of Your Equipment
If your job interview is meant to be carried out remotely—typically through a video call—then there are a few more things you need to double-check. This includes all of the equipment you’ll be using for this interview: your computer, Wi-Fi, camera, audio, lighting, background, etc.
Ensure that all things are running smoothly the day before and the day of your interview. Make sure the camera and audio on your computer work so the interviewer can both see and hear you clearly, double-check that your Wi-Fi is working well enough to handle a video call and troubleshoot if it’s not, and have adequate lighting as well as a clean background.
Checking all of these things before your job interview can help ensure things run smoothly and lower the chances of a delay/cancelation due to technical errors.
Best Practices to Follow During the Job Interview
Like the preparations you did before the job interview, there are a few things you need to do during the interview itself to ensure things go as well as they can. Here are a few best practices you’ll need to follow:
Be On Time, Dress Nicely, & Upkeep Honesty
First impressions are everything during a job interview. If you’re not putting your best foot forward from the moment you begin the interview, then you may not get the results you want.
Being on time for an interview shows hiring managers that you have excellent time management skills and care about the job you’re applying for. Dressing nicely can tell hiring managers that you are concerned with your presentation and won’t do things carelessly.
And lastly, maintaining honesty is one of the most important rules to follow. A hiring manager meets with dozens upon dozens of possible candidates. Though it might not seem bad to beef up your past experiences, it can cause some issues further into the interview. Hiring managers will be able to tell when things don’t add up. So, remember to be truthful and don’t spin things to seem more extravagant than they are.
Smile & Be Nice
Job interviews can be stressful. They can be difficult to get through and awkward at times. However, you shouldn’t sit stiffly or look hesitant throughout the interview. Take a second to breathe and put a smile on your face. Remember, the hiring manager is just another person asking you questions. Maintaining positivity and respect toward the other will bring more benefits than not.
Take Notes & Be Engaged throughout the Job Interview
Though it might not seem like it, it is incredibly common to be taking notes throughout your interview. You might initially think you should have your sole focus on the interviewer, but this might cause you to miss some things or forget thoughts/answers to bring up later. Taking notes is a great way to align your thoughts and ensure you’re answering everything you need to.
Speak Slow & Clearly
As mentioned in the other section, interviews can be stressful. This might cause you to speak quickly or run your words together. It’s important during a job interview to slow your speech down and enunciate your words carefully. This will help prevent any misunderstandings.
Stick to the Subject – Do Not Derail the Conversation
It’s easy to lose sight of the initial question once you start responding. However, it’s vital that you stick to the answer that directly relates to the question. Once you derail, the hiring manager might not be able to keep up with you, and you might not end up answering the question in the way they’re looking for. It’s best to stick to more direct answers.
How to Answer Unexpected Job Interview Questions
Unfortunately, no matter how much you prepare for the questions a hiring manager might ask you, there will always be a few questions you didn’t prepare for. This isn’t a bad thing. It will help show hiring managers how you handle unexpected situations.
Take a Pause, Breathe, & Think About What You Want to Say
Reacting to a question before you have the chance to think about it can be detrimental during a job interview. It might throw you off your focus, and the answer you provide might not truly align with the question.
When asked a question you’re not prepared for, the first thing you should do is pause and take a deep breath.
Tip: pausing does not mean you have no answer, it just means that you are willing to take the time to come up with the correct answer.
A pause can be powerful when in the right place.
What to do After Your Job Interview
Once you’ve made it through the interview, give yourself a pat on the back. You did it! The hardest part is over now, so all you have to worry about moving forward is the follow-up.
Ask What the Next Steps Are
First and foremost, you should ask about what the next steps are going to be. Will you be scheduling another interview? Is there someone else in the company you need to meet with? Are there any tasks you need to complete?
Getting a clear understanding of what’s next will help create a timeline and keep the process moving forward.
Send a Thank You Email & Address Additional Questions/Assignments as Needed
Next, you should be sending a thank you email to the interviewer. A thank you letter might just be the key to securing a job.
Sending this email also keeps communications open and gives you the place to ask any additional questions or acknowledge tasks given during the interview.
Need Help Preparing for Your Upcoming Job Interview?
Even after following these individual preparations for your job interview, you might not feel 100% confident. We can help with that! Our Career Services Department offers a mock interview service that you can utilize to: practice your interview skills, get insider tips, and receive instant feedback on how to improve your chances of securing that job.
Learn more about this service on our website here.
And if you would like to discuss this more directly with one of our certified career coaches, you can sign up for a free, 15-minute consultation here.