Don’t Let a Job Interview Stress You Out … Practice!
So you scored an interview to one of the thousands of places you submitted your resume to. Congrats! Now comes the hard part. A job interview is one of the most nerve-racking situations you will ever find yourself in, but fear not! We’re here to help you prepare for the best interview you’ll ever have. Follow these steps to increase your chances at getting a call back!
1. Do Your Research
Do your homework on the company you’re applying for. Even if it’s just a small part-time job, it helps to brush up on some history about the company just in case they test your intentions.
Interviewing at a small business? Find out as much as you can so that they feel special when they interview you. Look up workplace reviews on Glassdoor to see if the job is actually worth the effort. It’s a great way to get an idea of what normal day-to-day life is like working for the company and get a better sense of how you’ll fit in.
2. Review Your Resume
Don’t be embarrassed — we sometimes forget what information we include on our resume and it helps to do a quick review so you aren’t caught off guard when they bring something up.
Polish your past job descriptions so they sound more professional. Think of it as if you’re trying to sell yourself as a product. You want to wipe off the dust, put it in the best lighting and make it stand out so it’ll catch the eye of a recruiter.
3. Bring a Copy of Your Simplified Resume
Review the job description of the position you’re interviewing for and chop out the stuff in your resume that isn’t relevant to the position. This is where you can elaborate on some of the skills and experience that you will bring to the table so that your interviewer has a better idea at why you are right for the position.
Bring extra copies just in case there are more people in the room. Just make sure you spell check the contents and make yourself familiar with it. You just want to be ready for questions it might bring up.
4. Practicing Answering Tough Questions
Most interviews involve the same questions so don’t think you’re going in completely blind. What you need to do is polish your answers so that they convey why you are right for the job.
Glassdoor also has a useful feature that lets you know what questions to expect from a specific company. They do this by having current or previous employees provide them with questions they were asked when they interviewed.
Do your research on the questions that you usually have a tough time with. This way, when the day comes you’ll have the answers fresh in your mind and you won’t have to stall in order to provide answers.
For Example:
Question: “Tell me about yourself.”
Answer: “Well, I currently work as a _______ and my duties include ________. Although I like my position, I am hoping to find a position where I can utilize my skills in a wider capacity and learn more along the way.”
It definitely helps to prepare for these things and the results will show. Check out Job Interview Answers if you’re serious about landing that new gig. Bob Firestone has helped tens of thousands of young adults land jobs by following his guidance. Let him help you too — he helped us!
5. Dress to Impress
Your appearance plays a huge role in securing a job position. You don’t want to arrive over or under dressed to the interview so plan on doing a little shopping if you have to. I recommend wearing something conservative, but something that’ll also stand out so that your interviewer will take notice and have something to remember you by.
For example, I knew a guy who went to several interviews and out of all of them, he got calls back from 100% of the places he wore a bowtie to. It’s a quirky way to be remembered as well as just bringing some personality to the interview.
6. Map Out How You Will Get There
Find directions ahead of time so that you won’t accidentally show up late because you thought you’d be there earlier. This includes finding out where parking is and what is around the building. Do a practice drive a few days beforehand if you have to.
You should always arrive to the area with enough time to relax before you walk through the door. You don’t want to rush to the place and immediately have to walk right into it. Take some time to breathe or pump yourself up. It couldn’t hurt!
7. Stay Positive
Lastly, in the days leading up to the interview, try to assume you already have the position. It’s important to have confidence and it will show during the interview. The key is to remain grounded and not arrogant.
Don’t dwell on the idea that you may not get the job. Putting doubt in yourself will mess with your nerves and your anxiety may start to slip during the meeting and it will be noticeable.
Plus, if you follow all these rules, you’ll have a solid shot at the position. What better reason to be confident?
