5 Tips to Prepare for that First ‘Real’ Job Interview
"They're going to ask you about your strengths and weaknesses."
"What do you think about the company?"
"Why did you leave your current job?"
Whew, that was easy. Right? Wrong. Interviews are not as simple as they might seem, so we've compiled a list of 5 tips that can help get you prepared for any interview - big or small. Take these little tips with you in the days leading up to your first "real" job interview and make sure they're all at the forefront of your mind on interview day!
1) Research what questions to expect ahead of time: Identifying potential questions ahead of time is only half the battle. Once you've got the list, you have to prep for the type of questions that might be asked to differentiate yourself from the crowd. A good example of this is a question about a time when you solved a particularly difficult problem. This is not going to be your standard "What was your biggest challenge in your previous role?" question. Instead, it should sound something like: "What was your biggest challenge at [your previous company] when it came to dealing with XYZ product/industry? How did you deal with it?" These types of questions can help check your understanding of the company's products while also enabling you to demonstrate how well you can communicate across departments and bring different parts of the business together to solve problems. It's not enough to know what question you're going to be asked, you have to know how to answer them as well.
2) Research the company and prepare answers ahead of time: This is probably the most important tip on our list. You don't want to walk into an interview without knowing a thing about the company you're interviewing with! And no, we don't mean knowing what they sell or who their competitors are either. We mean research their sales growth, their major challenges, why people move from one position/team/department at that company compared to another, etc. This kind of preparation is not only good for what you'll say, but it will also help you figure out how you want to position yourself in the interview, depending on what the company's needs are.
3) Ask loads of questions: This goes hand-in-hand with the last one. You don't need to memorize answers to questions, but you do want to be able to put their needs above your own - because that's what a successful candidate needs to do. Show them that you're genuinely interested in what they need from their employees and that you don't just have your own goals in mind during your job search.
4) Do your homework before you go: You might not be able to do this for every. single. interview, but if you have a particularly important interview coming up, it's worth it to either research the company in depth and/or learn about the position ahead of time. This will help you immensely when you're talking about your past experiences and what challenges you've faced in the past job roles.
5) Take any opportunity to prepare further: If there's one thing that really sets successful job applicants apart from everyone else - it's that they always take opportunities to prepare for their interviews further. We're not talking about going to random interview workshops or anything like that. Instead, you'll want to ask questions - a lot of them - in preparation for your interviews. This will help you understand what they're looking for and the best ways to stand out from the pack.
Here's another important thing to remember: you don't necessarily have to memorize answers, but you do want to understand the types of questions that interviewers will be asking and learn how best to respond.
Have any questions about your job search? Feel free to reach out to a member of our team!
Posted by theresahughes at 10:32 AM Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Update Profile Contact Me I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:31 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director.
I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:31 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:31 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:32 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:31 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director. Reply Delete Post Posted by Posted by Fiona at 5:32 PM I am a recruiter who works with Accounting and Finance candidates across all levels of experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information regarding career opportunities with my client, who is currently looking for a Director.
Conclusion:
You can always use a more well-rounded job search approach. While this one is pretty good, it's not even close to the best one you can prepare.