Written by: C Raven Anderson
Most students have heard, "Make sure you prepare for your interview," but very few students know what that actually means. I was one of those students wondering what and how am I supposed to prepare for these often nerve racking situations. Lucky for us James Caan, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor in People with Passion, gives a great set of steps to follow to be prepared for an interview.
1) Get yourself in the right frame of mind.
You
want to be in the best possible shape when you arrive for an interview.
A positive mental attitude is the key – think back to any previous
successes you have had, in any walk of life but particularly job
related. Visualizing these will automatically put you in a good frame of
mind. Also, make sure you know exactly where you are going when you set
out and that you leave yourself plenty of time when you get there.
Turning up late or flustered puts you in a slightly panicky mindset and
this is the last thing you want.
2) Make sure you look the part
It
goes without saying that you don’t want to turn up for the interview
looking scruffy; first impressions are everything. Everything about you
is a shop window and as an interviewer I will be scrutinizing every
aspect. For example if your shoes are dirty or your appearance is messy
that is an instant mark against you. It may sound silly but it tells me
you lack attention to detail.
3) Match yourself to the job spec
Prospective
employers will want to know that you have properly understood what it
is they are looking for in a candidate. Make sure that you have fully
understood the role you are applying for by studying the job
specification and whether your skills and experience would make you a
suitable candidate.
4) Ask for advice
When
in doubt ask for advice from someone who might be able to help you. If
you know someone who has worked for the company you have applied for,
then talk to them and find out about the company culture and the person
interviewing you. Something like LinkedIn can also be a big help here.
Failing that, do you know somebody who works in a similar role for
another organization?
5) Do your homework
Thanks
to the internet It has never been easier to do some research on the
organization you are hoping to work for. Any interviewer is immediately
going to dismiss a candidate who turns up not knowing his or her stuff,
so it would be foolish to not do your homework. Some general facts about
the company, for example an award they may have recently won, is good
to drop into the conversation before the interview has started. After
that, you should know more specific details about the job you are going
for. If you are applying for a finance position, you should have a good
grasp of their latest accounts, or if you are applying for a sales role,
looking at recent deals the company has made is a must.
6) Have some questions up your sleeve
At
some stage in the interview you are going to be asked if you have any
questions. This can often make or break your chances. This is where you
need to take control and ask the interviewer almost as many questions as
they asked you. Take every chance to drill down the role and the
company. Generic questions like “what are the hours” won’t tell you
anything of significance – what you really want is information such as
what a typical day consists of and what are your key performance
indicators. Challenging the interviewer like this immediately tells them
you are a proactive person, and they will be sure to remember you when
the interviews are all done.
7) Be confident but not cocky
It
is important to be confident about yourself and your abilities, without
going over the top. Employers want people who are lively and full of
self-belief, but they also want someone who will work well alongside
their existing team. Be careful not to cross the fine line between
confidence and arrogance, as the latter is something managers rarely
look for in new hires.
Anyone can accomplish being prepared for an interview by using these seven steps. The only thing holding you back is yourself. If you put in the time and effort you will eventually get a return on your investment. From now on I plan on following Caan's seven steps, in a timely fashion, to prepare myself for every interview. I challenge you to do the same.
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131015134511-32175171-7-steps-to-prepare-for-an-interview
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