Just like public speaking, practicing interviews is the best way to relieve anxiety and improve your confidence. Practice may feel tedious, but repeatedly experiencing the interview process will make you more comfortable and help you give the right impression.
If you have friends or family to help, conduct mock interviews as much as you can. If you don't have another person, practice your questions and answers out loud.
You may find that an answer sounds awkward or doesn't convey what you wish when it's spoken, so this gives you an opportunity to refine your answers and commit them to memory. The more you repeat your interview, the more confident you'll be during the real thing. Most employers ask for digital copies of your resume with the application, but they may not have easy access to it during the interview itself. Having copies to present to multiple interviewers shows that you're prepared and organized.
You should have at least three copies to provide for multiple interviewers, plus one for yourself to follow along. During your preparation, read over your resume and rehearse explanations for any gaps that may appear or other oddities.
For example, you may have taken time off work to care for a child or family member, switched careers or had other legitimate reasons for employment gaps. These can be a concern for employers, so it's best to prepare your explanation to show them that you're not a risk. You may also encounter questions about your resume that are awkward.
It's important to be honest but diplomatic in addressing them. For example, you may have left a job because of your supervisor or manager, or policies that you didn't agree with, but you don't want to speak negatively about a former employer. Consider these possible questions and prepare your answers in advance, so you don't accidentally say something you'll regret.
Like the rest of the interview, it's best to prepare for these questions by writing notes and rehearsing your answers out loud multiple times prior to the interview. Job interviews tend to be stressful for most people for many reasons, but getting to the interview can be a challenge in itself. If your interview is an unfamiliar area or even an entirely new city, it can be a source of anxiety to find your way around and make sure that you show up on time.
To avoid becoming too anxious for your commute, prepare yourself to ensure everything goes smoothly on the day of the meeting. Here's how:. Search the location in advance: Most interviews are scheduled days or weeks in advance, so you have time to research the location. If your interview is close enough, you can take a day to go to the location and check out the parking, take note of the traffic and find the suite or office where your interview will be.
If you're anxious about parking or any other aspect of the location, contact your interviewer to ask them for more information. One of the biggest challenges in an interview is selling yourself. Most people are uncomfortable with this idea, but presenting yourself accurately and positively doesn't have to feel like a sale. The truth is that you do have professional skills and experiences that may set you apart from other applicants, so it's acceptable and expected for you to acknowledge them to your potential employer.
When you prepare for a job interview, make note of your skills that relate to the role and think of how your experiences and abilities can contribute to the overall goals of the department and company. Your answers will be somewhat short, so you want to choose the most positive and relevant information to share during the interview.
If you have metrics or stats to show your accomplishments or growth during your previous roles, they're a great help in selling yourself during the interview. For example, you may have increased sales by a certain percentage or increased social media engagement in your last position.
Whatever accomplishments you have, don't be modest about sharing them during your interview. Your potential employer wants to know that you'll be the right fit and that you can deliver something to the company, so they need to know all the reasons that you can provide that for them.
After your interview, you should prepare to follow up with the employer. Doing so reminds the employer of your conversation, shows them you are genuinely interested in the position and gives you the opportunity to bring up points you forgot to mention.
Here are a few steps you can follow when crafting a follow-up note:. Be sure to provide specific examples wherever possible.
Taking time to prepare for an interview will ultimately help you feel more relaxed and confident during the process. Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries.
Upload your resume. Sign in. Preparing for an interview. Any work experience or skills you have listed on your resume are fair game to talk about during the interview. Your resume is all the interviewer has to go by in order to get to know you. They may pick things out from it and ask you to elaborate.
Even though you may have a previous job listed that was many years ago, the interviewer may ask you to explain what you did at that job and you are responsible for providing an answer. When you are asked, you want your answer to come out intelligently and naturally. Be open to other questions as well and really know what you can offer to the company.
Write down any questions you may have about either so you can ask during the interview. If there any requirement of the job that you are unsure of, you should definitely ask during the interview. It always looks nice when you go into an interview with intelligent questions. It shows you put effort into preparing for the interview. However, never ask questions just to ask questions.
The interviewer will see right through that. Your questions should be genuine and relevant. There are several common types of interviews such as one on one, group, and behavioral. It left me time to concentrate on the other interview prep I had to do in the days leading up to it. Write them out as clear questions for the interviewer. Check out our Top 5 questions to ask in your interview for more tips. Imagining what it feels like to be in the interview can help make it feel less daunting.
Rehearsing questions and answers with friends, family or a mentor will be a huge help on the day. Every interview is different and in some cases you may have less time to prepare. These steps can be condensed, but the most important thing is that you do what it takes to be able to walk into that interview as calm and confident as possible, ready to show the best version of yourself.
Good luck. Why not extend your interview knowledge further by trying one of the resources below? Alternatively, you can visit our interviews hub for more tools and tips.
From I want to prepare for an interview. What is the employer looking for? Panic no more with this handy guide. Deciding on your 'what next? From problem solving and improving your efficiency to revealing your creativity and hidden strengths, discover the skills and qualities that will help set you up for success.
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Register or Log in. Search Search. Prep the possible questions — and their answers Looking at the job description and the skills required for the role should give you a steer on what kind of questions could be asked about your abilities and experience.
Research career progression and training opportunities The role itself is one thing, but by broadening your research out a bit into how the role fits within the team or the company, this will give you a good understanding of what path you could possibly take within the business.
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