The secret of scaling through job interviews is more of an art than science and most job seeker don’t get to realize this. They make the same simple mistakes time after time. It’s funny though to see how many people seek for employment, gets a call up for an interview and go for the interview unprepared!
It baffles me how I did this for several interviews until it dawns on me that most of these companies are not necessary looking for intelligent people, even though they stated it in their job description advert but smart people in their organization.
They want to know what you know and how much you can apply this to your job and improve their business. In other words they want to know what you are brining to the table. It’s not a free lunch you know.
So in this piece I will be taking you through what to do when you get a call up for an interview. If you get it right here you are almost through 75%. This stage either breaks or mars the probability of you getting the job.
Let me sound this warning;
Don’t lobby to get a job. It is unprofessional and cheap!
If there is any wind of down-sizing you will be the first on the list. I have seen it happen hundreds of times. So get you job purely base on merit, and then we leave the rest to divine blessing.
Ok? So let’s roll.
Hope you are ready?
Then let’s cruise...
How to Prepare for an Interview
Once you get the call for the interview, the first thing that you have to do is
prepare for it. You can never over prepare for an interview. The more prepared you
are, the harder it will be to make mistakes. It is best to prepare yourself emotionally as well as intellectually for an interview. Passing a great interview is not as hard as some may think, but not as easy as others do either. Here are a few things that must be done in order to prepare for your next interview.
Now, Remember, during an interview, you are a salesman. You are there to sell
yourself to your prospective employer. You want to market yourself in the most
interesting way possible. Great preparation for the interview is your best bet. A
salesman that is knowledgeable, friendly and positive always gets the market (job).
1. Do Your Research
It doesn’t matter how much knowledge or experience you have about the
position that you are trying to get in a company if you don’t have a clue who the
company is or what they do. It is disastrous to enter into an interview and not be able to tell your interviewer what their company is about. How else are you going to tell them why you feel that you would be a good addition to their company?
A good and less time consuming way to get to know about a company is to look
up their website. You can get all of the general knowledge about them that way,
including the names of key people and their job titles. (There will be more on that in a minute) You should sift through most of their pages, including the pages that show samples of their work and/or products.
You can also look them up in the media files if there are any. Read the articles
about them and soak in as much information as possible.
This is very important. I once attended an interview in an oil firm in Lagos, and after all the brilliant answers to the questions asked, One of the interviewers just threw in a question; ‘Can you mention some of our companies product?’ I mutter and mumble.. But I didn’t know it. That singular act cost me the job.
Another thing that would be nice to do is to check out the surrounding area around the company. It makes for a nice breaker during the interview. You can make a comment about a particular monument or resting place nearby.
A trickier way to get a little extra information about the company is to call them
on the phone and ask general questions, without referring to yourself as a potential
employee. It’s a nice way to get the goods on upcoming promotions etc.
2. Know Your Contact
When called for an interview, ask to whom you will be talking to. It is nice to be
able to greet your interviewer by name at the beginning of the interview without first being told who they are. It shows that you are on top of things, and have prepared before hand.
You will also want to do some research on the person that will be conducting
your interview. Learn what they do for the company and try to get some samples of
their work or achievements in the company.
If you know what department that you are going to work in you may want to
get the names of your potential colleagues and superiors prior to the interview as well. This way you can get some information about their roles in the company and the types of work that they have done.
Mention some of the things that you learn about your potential colleagues in the
interview and about how much you look forward to working with them in the future. If
you can, give an example of their work so that you will appear more sincere.
3. Practice Your Responses
It is best, if you are prone to nervousness, to practice giving your responses to
the questions that may be asked of you. (A post on the most common questions asked during interviews sessions will be done at a later date) You should practice your wording and the tone of voice that you plan to use; Try keeping your responses as brief as possible, but with as much detail as you can.
When you are trying to work out the proper responses to the interviewer’s
questions, you will also want to practice the art of getting your nerves under control as well as ridding yourself of any other odd habits while talking; like expressing yourself with your hands.
To learn this better my usual advice when giving coaching to job seekers is to practice answering your interview questions with a friend. Get his or her opinion
about your delivery and gestures. Perhaps your friend will have some nice insights for you to use during the real interview.
4. Dress the Part
Pre-select your attire the day before your interview. You want to make sure that
your clothes do not have any wrinkles or stains on them. Pick an outfit that best suits the type of job that you are applying for. If you are going to work in an office setting, you should dress conservatively and corporately.
Soft earth tones are best for women. Try to avoid miniskirts and shirts that show too much skin. A nice dark suit is good for a male. Of course if you are planning to work outdoors or in an artistic environment, you can dress a little more casually. Just be certain to avoid wearing denim jeans, over sized clothing, and under sized clothing. Women should try and avoid wearing too much make-up as well. It gives the wrong impression. Even in the hotter seasons, you should not wear sandals or gym shoes to an interview. It sends an unprofessional message. The same goes for hats and other accessories.
Let me give this little advice. I’ve seen applicants looking for jobs, dressing poorly, haggard and impoverished!
For goodness sake no responsible company wants a loser or someone looking like one in their company. They are looking for winners, people with a lot of success mannerism. You need to protrude such personality to your potential employer. Dress successfully, put in a lot of confidence and ‘here is your man attitude’ when you go for an interview, it may be the only chance you have to make a lasting impression.
Confidence sells any day!
Finally to prepare for a job interview you need to
5. Get Organized
Make sure that all the things that you will need for the interview are prepared
the day before. Make a checklist of the things that you will need if you have to. You
should always have an extra resume handy during the interview. You should also bring
with you a note pad to take notes during the interview if needed. (Only write down the important things that you think you will need to remember)If you have a business card, have one handy, it makes for easy contact later, and it also shows that you are
professional and may help the employer to remember your name.
These post if well followed step by step, I see you landing your dream job soon.
Have success in your job seeking efforts.
