Each professional person thinks and wishes to land to a dream job at some point in his/her lifetime. Most professionals spend enormous amounts of time preparing for that precious opportunity that is yet to unfold. Sometimes there are pressures involved in job interview preparation that make the process tough. 

After conducting several job searches, you have now been invited to an interview for that job you have been seeking. Well, congrats! Are you ready to pass the interview? It will depend on how well-prepared you are for that particular interview. 

Don’t tense about the interview. If you have the right talent for the job, here is how you will prepare for the job interview and land you that dream job.

Before the Job Interview

1. Do a careful Company Research and Industry

Company’s information

It’s estimated that nearly half of the shortlisted candidates are eliminated immediately after the interview for lack of adequate knowledge about the interviewing company, and what they undertake? Don’t be one of them! Do your homework and learn more about the company.

Research on the following information:

  • The company’s mission (what it does).
  • Key players in the company’s management (i.e., company executives, Hiring managers, and departmental heads).
  • Company’s organizational structure.
  • Company’s culture and values.

Industry’s information

It also helps, if you know the kind of environment that a company operates. A well-versed candidate with information about the company’s industry will be knowledgeable on how the company out to operate to better its performance, and most interviewers appreciate such candidates. Vital Industrial information could be:

  • Where the industry has positioned the company
  • The company’s competitors
  • The industry’s state and performance.

Sources of such information

It seems a lot of company information for an interviewee. Maybe you are now wondering, where the heck, do I get all this information. Wonder not! There are plenty of resources around dedicated to giving you the data that you may need before your interview.

You just need to visit the web, and leverage on various online sources such as this

  • Company’s websites: Spend quality time on the about page, company news, and blogs for incredible up-to-date information.
  • Social media pages of the company: Understand the company’s culture through its social sites like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat.

2. Review your personal profile 

Study the job description and examine how you will fit in the described position. You will need to:

  • Polish and print some Cover letter and resume copies that you will present in the interview.
  • Check your social media pages and wipe out any unprofessional material posts on your social sites. In case the prospective employer decides to check, negative posts may be costly.
  • Look at your job experience, and recall your employment history. It is essential to think about your accomplishments and challenges.

3. Rehearse expected questions

Try to practice on the general questions that have high chances of appearing in your interview. Some of the general questions could be “tell us more about yourself?’ or ‘In the next 5 years, where do you position our company?’

Once you grasp necessary answers to various questions, keep practicing to acquire the right timing and tone before the big day. Practice will help eliminate nervousness that might hinder your successful performance.

During the Interview

4. Dress according to the job type

The kind of job you are invited for an interview is the main determinant of the kind of dressing you ought to wear on the interview day. Whether the dressing type should be more casual or more official, depends on the job scenario. In a survey, 75% of hiring managers confessed that most candidates who looked too fashionable or trendy were eliminated. It would be a wise suggestion to communicate with the company and find out the prescribed dressing code before heading to the interview.

5. Carry extra copies of your resume

While for most candidates see it as obvious, it’s easy to forget at times. It is wise to plan beforehand resume copies that you will distribute than being caught off-guard and panic about what you will do. If you supply interviewers in the interview room with sufficient copies, they will be glad to add you bonus points.

6. Listen carefully and respond enthusiastically

Treat the interview as any other conversation you have engaged before. Actively listen to whatever is said, even if you are not asked to answer any questions. Many candidates become more focused on providing answers than listening to what the interviewer is saying during the interview.

Don’t just provide mere responses, answer enthusiastically. Enthusiastic responses imply that as a candidate, you ought to provide thoughtful, creative and intelligent responses. Hiring executives suggest that enthusiasm shows that a particular candidate is interested, and has the passion for the job.

After the Interview

7. An appreciation email

Take a moment after the interview in the evening before you retire to bed, and prepare a thank-you email. Personalize the email by stating something you were asked that excited you and the people you enjoyed conversing with in the interview room. It will create some positive impressions and prove that you are deeply interested in the job. Send the appreciation email and wait. You will surely get bonus points for such kinds of emails.

8. Follow-up when the response is delayed

A week after your interview day and you haven’t got any response, try to follow-up carefully on the progress of the interview. Try to inquire whether the decision is in progress or should you continue to wait for further communication. Instead of being pushy or nagging on your follow-ups, be polite but persistent. It will show that you possess a sense of maturity, care, and organization. In case it takes much time before you get a response, don’t get discouraged. Some people are hired on the spot after the interview, while others after several weeks. It all depends on the hiring schedule and organization’s needs of the interviewing company.

Pass the Interview and Get Your Dream Job

Well, try these explained tips before, during and after your interview, and plan for your success. If you compose yourself confidently, you will pass the interview and land yourself to your dream job.

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