How to Prepare For an Interview

Once you get the call for the interview, the next 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. Giving 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.

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 close.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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. Soft earth tones are best for women. Try to avoid
mini skirts 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.

Get Organized

Make sure that all of 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.