Avoid Dud Interviews: Be Prepared!!!
Interviews are the doorways to your next opportunity. Nearly everyone has to undergo the process of interviews, regardless of years of experience or the industry. Whether you are just coming out of university or been in the workforce for decades, interviews can feel like an ordeal. How do we deal with it?
Be Prepared and Be ready.
Sounds easy enough, but what if you are swamped with other personal tasks or deadlines at work which cut into your time to do this? Well, sometimes it can’t be helped, we have to find some way of solving the things coming up; there is no hiding from commitments!
In preparing for interviews complete the tasks a piece at a time and not all at once or not at all. Find the time to research, understand and ready yourself for the upcoming interview. If you have no choice, here are some tips for dealing with last minute preparations.
You need to do some basic interview research.
If it’s a face to face interview, make sure you know where you are going and who is attending. It sounds basic, but so many people overlook this or assume its in the calendar, when perhaps it isn’t. Make sure to allow sufficient time to get to the interview location. You don’t want to turn up flustered and distracted!
2. Research
Try not to leave this until the last minute, it’s better not to cram. But if you really can’t, it’s not the end of the world. If you have a PD, re-read it. Research the organisation (there is no lack of information these days) and look for any news or achievements that may have been recently announced. Hop onto Linkedin and view the profiles of key people in the organisation, including the person/people you are meeting. You can do all this on your phone, so use the travel time to the interview for any last minute preparation.
3. Interview Questions
This is all about yourself. Set aside time to reflect on your previous experiences at your job(s) and understand what are your best achievements and why. Keep it concise and informative, don’t drone on and on as you will go off on a tangent!
Speaking of questions, make sure you are prepared to ask some questions yourself!! Interviews are not designed to be one-way communication.
Take Home Message:
In this day and age, there is an abundance of information and little time. This is no excuse to not be prepared and be knowledgeable of what you are applying for and who/what is involved. The internet is the answer to all your problems, research and digest the information. Telling the employer, you don’t know much about their company or what they do is extremely unprofessional and shows your character and passion for getting the job.
