How to prepare for a job interview successfully? Rivers of ink have been written about how to prepare a CV and how to apply for a job offer, and there are countless hours of tutorials on the Internet. But what about the highlight of the selection process, that is, the interview? Those are no longer rivers, they are oceans!
The job interview is the finishing touch to a sometimes very long search process. A process during which many obstacles have had to be overcome, for example having prepared a CV that is good enough to make it attractive among a very high number of competitors.
Therefore, knowing how to prepare for a job interview is something very important, and if successful, it deserves to be celebrated. Moreover, especially in times of economic crisis (where there is little work or, at least, little quality work) getting the interview is quite an event.
Success in an interview depends on respecting some guidelines, preparing it well, and not assuming what the recruiter will like.
There is a mantra in the world of job placement that says “You are interested in the job but the recruiter is interested in meeting you because there is something about your professional profile that appeals to them and they want to confirm their impressions of you”. Correct, and they also have to present the position and the company to you as attractive enough to make you want to join them. But that’s their job. Yours, if you want the job, is to do the best interview possible to make it happen. To do this you show know how to prepare for a job interview, let’s see how we can try to make that happen.
How to prepare for a job interview: 3 basic steps
1. Preparing for the interview
There are many types of job interviews, but they all have one thing in common: they are a casting or if you prefer, an exam. In the same way that no role is awarded in advance in a real casting and no pass mark is guaranteed in advance in a real exam, the fact that your CV made it to the interview does not mean that the job is yours just because it says on a piece of paper that you are the right candidate: you have to prove it.
There are many things that will influence this proof, the first is that you should thoroughly review your CV. Don’t assume that because it’s your life you’ll quickly remember the year you did that master’s degree or what tasks you performed in your old job. You should also prepare in advance good answers to certain difficult questions that you are likely (but never certain) to be asked. The prototypical example is “Why do you want this position and what can you bring to the company?”.
Another tip to know how to prepare for a job interview is to make sure you know where the interview will take place and don’t be overconfident: arrive well in advance. No recruiter wants to see you sweating after you’ve rushed into their office, and virtually no one is going to want to see you – or give you the job even if they see you – if you’re late. It’s a no-brainer: make sure you have the right clothes ready for the day a couple of days beforehand, so you don’t have to iron a shirt or buy shoes at the last minute.
2. The interview
When practicing how to prepare for a job interview keep these guidelines in mind: be pleasant, be present (not distracted), watch your body language and facial expressions, watch what you say and how you say it (especially when giving negative information about yourself), be polite and thankful, etc.
This, which applies to any job interview, is practically the only sure thing you can take into account. Everything else is left in the realm of uncertainty and you will have to figure it out as you go along. This does not imply improvising 100%, because you have prepared for the interview, but you will improvise to a great extent because each interview is different and not everything that is valid for one is valid for the others.
Why? Because you can never be completely sure what kind of candidate the recruiter is looking for, or what things make them nervous or what they like, what interview style they will follow, what they will find curious, rude, proactive, or cautious. You simply can’t know, so stick to some basic guidelines and do what you can with the rest.
If you are an active job seeker fond of tutorials with tips you will have noticed that it is always advised to adopt a proactive attitude during the interview, so proactive that the interviewee practically becomes the interviewer. That’s supposed to make you appear confident, interested in the position, dynamic, and full of ideas. Frankly, taking for granted that this is the image you give and that this is what you should do as a matter of course in any job interview is a serious mistake.
Although it is obvious that you must show confidence, when in doubt it is wise to listen carefully and show an average profile, not to take the baton away from the recruiter just because you have been told to do so in a Youtube tutorial.
When learning how to prepare for a job interview it is also advisable to have a question prepared so that you don’t look like you don’t care, or even a question that makes you look confident and powerful, such as “Why did you consider me?”. Of course, it’s fine to ask questions that are unclear and it’s good for you to participate in the interview, but be careful not to put the interviewer on the spot or to embarrass them: it can be cheeky.
Remember, we do not know who we have in front of us or what will seem good or bad, so it is better that you win their sympathy in a discreet way and not be left thinking that you are cocky. In short: be careful with tips on the internet, not all of them are suitable for any interview and you might put your foot in your mouth.
3. Interview feedback
It is highly recommended that after the interview – and the sooner the better, since memory is not eternal – you write down all the questions you remember you have been asked, at least the important ones. Also write down the answers you have given, especially the ones you think are very good or very bad.
Chances are you will never be 100% sure which ones were very good and which ones were very bad, in fact, you would be surprised if the recruiter gave you their feedback, but write it all down. This will enrich your repertoire of questions and answers that may come up in an interview. You’ll be glad you did when you prepare for the next interview having corrected the mistakes of the previous one.
Another way to get the most out of the interview is to contact the recruiter after the interview has already taken place. It is often advised to send a thank you email to the recruiter right after the interview for taking the time to meet them. Do you have to do it? It depends. You don’t know how the recruiter will take it, don’t assume that they will see it as a nice courtesy that will earn you points rather than a “what a pain in the ass”. Think about it and, if you decide to, keep it simple and well written. Less is more.
The third level of follow-up would be to contact them after a few days, not so much to thank them for the interview, which is also possible, but specifically to inquire about the status of your application. Along with deciding whether to send this email or not, the other key question, in this case, is when is the best time to send it.
One way to anticipate this is to remember to ask at the end of the interview (politely, as a matter of course) when they plan to finalize the selection process. That will give you some perspective on when you are likely to still be in the running or when you should consider yourself discarded.
How to prepare for a job interview: common mistakes
1. Not preparing for the interview
Believe it or not, many people think that the only thing to keep in mind in a job interview is to show up on the appointed day and time.
Unless the job does not interest you in the least or some other circumstance makes any preparation unnecessary, interviews must be prepared for and that goes far beyond knowing the day and time. You should review your CV (the specific CV you sent to that particular application), to refresh your memory about your career. If you can, practice out loud some greeting and farewell phrases, as well as any questions you plan to ask.
Sometimes it is very useful to do a mock role-play with a trusted friend: you will be surprised how many details you have not taken into account about the interview and, by rehearsing, you will be able to correct. Remember to prepare your clothes and itinerary well in advance.
2. Disclose negative information
We refer to those situations in which nerves, lack of prior preparation, or the interviewer’s trickery betray us and make us reveal some information that is prejudicial to us. No one can accuse us of lying or of not being honest, but they can accuse us of not being skillful when avoiding trick questions.
Whoever has to decide whether to give you the job or not is going to ask you about your weaknesses and what you don’t know how to do, so don’t do their dirty work for them. If you have rehearsed the interview, you will have been able to anticipate good answers to thorny questions. If not, just do what you can. Remember that you don’t have to answer every question like lightning: if the question is complicated, take a couple of seconds before answering and breathe, sometimes that’s enough to find a good answer.
How to prepare for a job interview? Review your CV, prepare some key answers and arrive well in advance.
3. Not acting authentically
As we have said before, it is often advisable to take an active and very participative role during the interview, although this can become a double-edged sword, especially if we overdo it. Moreover, job candidates, especially when they have been looking for a job for a long time, are under a lot of pressure to become the perfect interviewee, when that role simply does not exist. On top of that, they receive a multitude of conflicting messages about what they should and should not do.
We’ve already mentioned that there are minimum standards you should keep in mind, but you can’t become someone you’re not overnight. Therefore, it is better to know what kind of candidate you are, to focus on your skills, and to try, in your own way, to behave as a reasonably nice, mature, honest, and solvent person.
Learning how to prepare for a job interview involves a process of self-knowledge (qualities, tastes, abilities, shortcomings…). Don’t pretend to be perfect, you are not a robot. It is enough that you show your best professional appearance or, at least, the best professional appearance you can show that day. If it goes well, great. If it goes wrong, you can always take away a lesson and, remember -although most tutorials don’t say so- your success in the job search never depends on you alone.
Emotional well-being for companies
At ifeel, we understand that it is not possible to take care of the company without taking care of the psychological well-being of its employees. To do so, we have an emotional well-being program for companies, designed by our team of occupational well-being psychologists with one main objective: to help companies place employee health at the center of their strategy to build their mission statement.
Thanks to this partnership, the people in charge of HR departments can receive personalized, data-driven advice on how to make good decisions in a company to get the most out of the teams they are in charge of and take better care of the psychological well-being of the people in them.
Moreover, this program offers employees a holistic mental health care service structured at different levels according to their needs. This service includes, if required, online psychological therapy with a psychologist specialized in cases like theirs. Try our program today so you can see how it could help you.
We hope you have found this post about how to prepare for a job interview helpful. If you want more information about our emotional well-being program for companies, simply request it and we will contact your team as soon as possible. You may also be interested in this post about mental health at work.
