7 Steps on How to Prepare For a Job Interview
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Updated 10/11/2022
Have you been actively searching for a job? then you will have to plan the next step, which is to prepare for a job interview in case you receive an interview schedule from your potential employer.
Preparing for an interview may take time and effort, but it’s worth having a stunning interview, in which you can have a huge impression on your hiring manager. For this reason, here are the step-by-step guides you should take before and (after the interview) in order to have a successful interview.
In this article, I will walk you through the key steps on how to prepare for a successful interview, which you should consider for your next interview.
- Search for a Job and Match the Role.
- Research about the Company
- Practice answering common interview questions
- Figure out the company location
- Get Ready for What to Wear
- Remember to Take a Copy of Your Resume
- Send a Thank You Note After a Job Interview
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Key Takeaways
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- Research top jobs on the main search website such as Glassdoor jobs, Indeed jobs, and other local job posting platforms.
- Plan for a job interview by taking proper preparation- 7 steps on how to ace an interview.
- Prepare for common questions to answer and also list a common list of questions to ask the hiring manager.
1. Search for a Job and Match the Role
Table of Contents
The first step of the job interview preparation process is to search for different positions and roles, which ensure match your skill and qualification, as it helps to enhance the chance of securing a job offer.
This is because you have done a good job by highlighting the suitable top jobs, which are all relevant to your current industry knowledge and work experience.
For example, you can search for some top jobs on, LinkedIn, Indeed jobs, Glassdoor jobs, and other local recruiting platforms in order to find the best potential role. Importantly, take the time to review the job description and highlight what are the job requirements of a candidate.
After reading the job description, make a list of skills, qualifications, and other personal qualities that you must possess to confidently apply for the job.
Notes: list the job requirements criteria in more detail and then highlight the relevant top jobs that are matching your skills, which you should consider to apply for the job.
Once you have created the job requirements criteria in more detail, then the next step is to list at least 5 of your assets that are relevant to the particular requirements. In particular, you should list skills (such as problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skill), academic achievement qualifications, and work experiences, just to name a few. After that, you can use those assets by elaborating to your hiring manager how you come across to achieve skills, qualifications, and abilities, which are a good match to the job requirements.
Also, use the “START” answer model to demonstrate your past experience and skill, which help you to clearly explain the skills and experience that you have possessed in a systematic way. And, When you are ready then you should apply for the job.
Tips: use some common keywords to search for a role on Google Search Engine or Glassdoor and Indeed jobs such as “fast job, top jobs on FlexJobs, part-time jobs near me, online jobs, and particular role” management consultant entry-level role”, it will direct you to a list of online recruiting job platform and companies that are currently looking for hiring.
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2. Research the Company
The next step in preparing for a job interview is to take time to learn everything about the company before the interview. This is because it gives an overview picture of the company culture, product and service, and organizational structure, as well as the role and department that you are applying for. For this reason, research about the company is a vital part that determines how successful a job interview is.
It also indicates the candidates have been serious about the particular job, which can have a big impression on the hiring manager. In addition, job seekers who have done this part will have great knowledge about the company and they will definitely answer all the questions related to the company information.
By taking time to research the company, you will definitely understand the company culture and organizational structure, which will help a lot in terms of preparing for the face-to-face interview with the potential employer.
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What Should I Research About the Company?
You should refer to the company’s homepage, social media account, and blogs that mention the company culture, product, and service, as well as organizational structure. By doing this, you will have a clear picture of the company culture, and its core values and understand how it runs and operates locally or globally.
As mentioned before, whether you are going to have a good career progression and perform a job better, depends on the company’s culture and values. For this reason, you must ensure your personality, value, and work ethic that is a good match to the company culture.
During a job interview, you can always ask the hiring manager to explain more about the company culture and values to ensure you fully understand. In particular, ask some questions related to the career development program, sick leave, and work support- use that information to highlight if you can fit into the company culture.
Importantly, take time to search around the company’s social media sites such as Linkedin, where you can learn about the key people in the company. Also, join the career forums such as Reddit, Quora, and others to learn if there are any who currently or previously work for a company, and ask them to share tips and experiences with you.
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3. Practice Answering Common Interview Questions
In a job interview, you definitely do not know what questions the interviewer is going to ask but practice answering common interview questions that you think most employers ask the job seeks, which gives you a higher chance to secure a job offer or at least can impress the potential employers.
Depending on the particular jobs and industry, prepare a list of answering common questions that can be varied. For example, hospitality and IT roles are totally different and you may list common questions that most employers may ask such as Tell me about yourself, your education, and how you will see yourself after 5 years.
In addition, by diving deeper into technical ability, you can list the most common question in a job interview and prepare an answer for those questions.
How do you know about the company?
Why do you want to work here?
What interests you about the role?
Do you think that you are a good fit for the role?
The best way to deal with those common interview questions is to learn about the company information, product service, and particular role requirements. More importantly, always answer those questions based on the company’s expectations first and clearly state that your goals and skills are aligned with the company’s goals and job requirements.
According to Indeed jobs (2021), candidates are also required to prepare for a salary expectation question in case the employer may ask for it. In this case, you should search for the salary range of the particular position, which allows you to answer a question in a good way. However, it is not 100 essential questions for preparation because you need to concentrate on answering the key common questions before moving to this type of question in a job interview.
Questions to Ask Recruiters?
The following question you should consider asking your recruiters during a job interview. Ensure asking questions must be relevant to your job requirements and your expectations.
Can you describe a typical day on the job?
What skills and qualifications should a candidate need to perform a job better?
What is the next step in the interview process?
4. Figure Out The Company Location
The next step in a job interview is to make sure you are familiar with the company location and plan the route on how to arrive at the company on time-make sure you arrive at a job interview earlier than 20 minutes. As there are two benefits of arriving early:
- Make a good impression.
- Avoid any unnecessary frustration and panic for coming late, which have a negative impact on your confidence.
For this reason, the best way is to go to the place before the interview as you will get familiar with the route, building, parking, and location, which you can easily navigate the next day coming to a job interview.
5. Get Ready for What to Wear
In order to avoid any panic attacks in the morning before a job interview, preparation for the outfit is a must to ensure you are ready for the top job interview. In addition, you will have more time to stay focused on other important tasks such as practicing common interview questions and learning everything about company information.
For this reason, sort out something easy first that helps you to avoid last-minute preparation because it will have a negative impact on job interview performance and confidence.
6. Remember to Take A Copy of Your Resume
Even though you have sent an attached resume to your employer via email, it is not 100% guaranteed that they will have your Resume during an interview. This is because interviewers have too many applicants that need to take a job interview during the day, and they may forget to print a copy of your Resume.
For this reason, always bring a copy of your resume to the interview in case they don’t have it. There are two benefits of taking your resume to an interview.
- This indicates that you are a well-organized person.
- Make a good impression to the hiring manager that you are a serious contender for the job.
7. Send a Thank You Note after a Job Interview
The last step in a job interview process is to follow up by sending a thank-you note to your potential employers as it shows that you are taking a great approach to perform a good job in the future.
In your ” Thank You note email“, consider including your skills, qualifications, and work experiences in order to show them that you are a good match for a job position. In addition, don’t forget to mention your interest in getting a job and what you can do to contribute to the overall goals of the company.
Great work and commitment always pay off! Good Luck!
Relevant reading to a job interview: Career Advice: 6 Steps to Follow Up After A Job Interview
The content is based on the personal opinion of the author. It is accurate and true based on the best knowledge of the author and his research. Content is for informational purposes only and we are not financial advisors, personal counselors, or other professional advisors. It should not be used as a comprehensive or a substitute for professional advice.