Finally hearing back from potential employers after sending out countless cover letters can feel like the best thing ever. But while you’re one step ahead in the job hunt, you can’t simply rest on your laurels juuust yet.
Just like going on a date, you want to impress your interviewer. Justifying why you should land the role instead of others, it’s important to show your employers how much you value the opportunity you’ve been given.
It boils down to the little details in your interview preparation, and here are some things you should not leave out:
Dress for the occasion
Regardless of the nature of job and industry, what you wear to the interview will create the first impressions of you. While it’s not necessary to wear suits and ties these days, the good old rule-of-thumb remains to look presentable.
This means not walking into your interview dressed in wrinkled attires, slippers, inappropriately revealing clothes, or anything that shouts “sloppy”.
Know the company
Employers will want to hear all about why you want to join them, and this will tie back to how much you know about their company. Not knowing anything about the company, doesn’t mean things have to stay that way.
Do your research on the company beforehand, so you know what they do and the industry they operate in. This should be the very least thing you do. But knowing the clients they deal with and all the latest happenings around the firm can’t hurt.
If you’d like to take things up a notch, tailor your knowledge to your interview. For example, you can tell your interviewers how you’re intrigued by a particular project they’ve embarked on, or express interest in working on certain projects.
Have a list of questions you want to ask your interviewer
“Do you have any questions for us?” – Those who have sat through multiple job interviews will be most familiar with this question. It usually comes up at the tail-end of an interview session.
Now that your interviewer’s done grilling you, it’s your turn to quiz them. Interviewers are usually more than happy to address all kinds of questions you may have. Coming prepared with some questions can help you stand out from those who simply thank their interviewers and take off.
Your questions can be specific to the roles and responsibilities of the position you’ve applied for, to something as broad as how a typical day in the company looks like.
While you’re eager to learn about the company, here are some things you absolutely should not ask.
Double check interview details
If you’re on a job interview spree, it’s not uncommon to have a calendar with back-to-back job interviews lined up. With a calendar this packed, it’s also a lot easier to get the dates, times and even venues of your interviews mixed up!
Missing your scheduled interview reflects poorly on you as an employee and will surely cost you the role in the company. To be safe, always double, if not triple check the agreed-upon interview details way in advance.
Have an early night!
Got all of the above all sorted? Great!
The last step to ensure your interview preparation is made perfect is to get a good night’s sleep and wake up rejuvenated. With sufficient sleep, you’ll also be able to think more clearly and often more quickly, so you can be better prepared to deal with potentially challenging questions your interviewer may ask you.
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