You have a job interview coming up-congratulations. It is important to know that once you get invited to an interview, the panel already considers you a suitable candidate, it is now left to you to make a lasting impression to make the job yours. The best way to do this is to prepare yourself the best way you can. The following overview will help you prepare for success in your interview.
Before your interview, schedule time to do the following:
- Research the organisation you are interviewing for and gather key information which you will use to feed your interview answers on the day. You can use the organisation’s digital platforms to conduct your research. This will help you collect solid information about the organisation’s goals and visions, use this information to align with what you bring to the organisation. For example, justify why you make a fit candidate based on the organisation’s mission and values.
- It is a good idea to rehearse your answers to common interview questions. Questions like: Tell us about yourself. Why are you interested in this role with the organisation? The idea behind these questions is to quickly communicate who you are and what value you will bring to the organisation and the role you are interviewing for— you can consider this your chance to sell yourself as the only suitable candidate for the job.
Tell us about yourself
- While this sounds like a simple question, in order to stand out from the rest of the candidates interviewing for the same position, use the opportunity to details qualities about yourself, skills, experience and education to match the exact job description as the organisation advertised. While you may be a great cook, it will not help the panel know what they need to know in a position that has nothing to do with cooking. Therefore, explain things about yourself, including hobbies, that make you a suitable person for the job. To answer this question, you may want to print out the job advertisement and begin underlining specific skills the employer is looking for. Think about examples from your past and current work that align with these requirements.
- Use the STAR method to answer questions. You will most probably get asked questions that concern times in the past when you used a specific skill. With this and possibly every question, you are going to be a candidate that stands out from the rest if you use the STAR method to answer interview questions. The STAR method entails telling stories in this format: Situation, Task, Action and Result.
- It is also a good idea to get a friend or someone to help you answer practice questions. Rehearsing to answer questions loud is an effective way of preparing for an interview. You friend in this instance can act as the panel by asking possible questions while you respond possible answers. Practice indeed makes perfect.
- During your interview, you will most likely be asked about previous things you have done at work, be prepared to answer by giving examples of how you have done certain tasks. One way of getting prepared for questions like this is to review the job description as advertised and think of the work you have done in past jobs, volunteer positions, and any related experiences and what success you achieved using your skills.
- Most employers will allow you to ask questions after the interview. Usd the opportunity to show your intellect and to show them that you have been thinking about working for the organisation. You can ask questions like:
What are some of the day-to-day responsibilities of the job?
Are there any challenges that the organisation is facing and how can a person in this role help the organisation resolve the challenges?
How would you measure my performance on the job?
Once you are prepared, dress up, wear your confidence and give it your best shot, you can do it.
