When we are looking for a job and finally receive an invitation to the next stages of recruitment, we are both satisfied and often stressed. We don’t know what awaits us, what to expect or how to keep. How to prepare for an interview? What cannot be forgotten? Read this article and find out the answer!
How do I prepare for an interview to appeal to recruiters?
We want to do our best during recruitment and make recruiters remember us positively. Therefore, we often think about how to prepare for the interview so as not to be surprised and reduce our stress.
Take time to read the company profile
First of all, find out everything about the company you are recruiting for. Let’s check what the company does, what its vision and mission are, read the news, and carefully review the website. It is a big mistake to ask the recruiter what is the actual activity of the place where we are recruiting. We’ll be ignorant and show that it doesn’t matter where we work.
Prepare answers to frequently asked questions
Before the interview, you should also read the frequently asked questions during this stage of the recruitment and prepare the answers. Of course, we cannot predict what the recruiter will ask us about, but certain questions arise at almost every interview. For example, it is worth considering your strengths and weaknesses or the reasons why we decided to work for this company.
Of course, it happens that someone does not check anything at all before the interview and he will manage to get a job, but proper preparation will save us stress, because such situations are rare, and the recruiter wants to see that we are committed and interested in the company. In addition, we must also be aware that we are not obliged to answer all questions and may refuse to answer if it is embarrassing or too private for us.
Don’t forget that the outfit also plays a role
If you’re wondering how to prepare for an interview, we must not forget that the right outfit is also important. It is best if men decide on a suit, and ladies on a suit, but a semi elegant or business casual outfit will be equally good – for example, men wear elegant pants and shirts, ladies wear sweaters instead of jackets. First of all, it’s about looking elegant, but not necessarily as much as if we were getting married right after the interview. Ladies should always wear tights, if they reveal their legs, it is also worth giving up excess jewelry, especially one that makes a lot of sounds. We have to look well-groomed – greasy hair, unpressed T-shirt or smudged makeup are not the best idea. It may seem that appearance is not the most important thing, but in fact, the first impression is important and it is difficult to change it. Therefore, it is worth preparing for an interview also in this regard.
Print your portfolio and references
If we have a portfolio and references, as opportunities, please print them out and bring them in physical form (similar to our application documents) Of course, the recruiter is most likely already familiar with them, but we are one of many applicants and can thus quickly recall which papers were ours.
Think about the questions you want to ask the employer
Before the interview, you should also prepare some questions that you want to ask your employer. A question cannot be left – Do you have any questions? Unanswered. If we are afraid that we will forget everything due to stress, take a notebook with us. Of course, the point is not that we should read the answers to all questions from it, but such help may be useful to us, and the recruiter will certainly not mind. Besides, it will reduce our stress and certainly increase our self-confidence.
Remember who you are meeting with
Before the interview, make sure to write down the phone number and name of the person you are going to meet. And let’s not forget the phone. Even if we leave home early enough, which should be an absolute necessity, as being late is very out of place, something may happen that prevents us from reaching the interview on time. For example, we can just get lost, so we will need to navigate by phone.
Be ahead of time – don’t be late
Let’s try to come to the meeting point a few minutes earlier (arriving too early may not be well seen), if we cross the threshold at exactly the time of the conversation, we may not even have a moment to breathe, rest, calm down, which we may need.
How should we behave during a job interview?
It is also worth knowing how to behave during the interview itself – the recruiter / potential employer gives us the first hand, he also shows us where we are to sit. Try to overcome your nervousness – do not pick invisible threads on your clothes, do not play with a pen or hair. Let’s sit straight but not stiff, let’s be open-minded. When answering the questions, let’s look the recruiter in the eye, but not all the time – it can be confusing. But let us not look away, we do not look at the floor or the wall. Respond loudly and clearly (but do not shout). Try to be fluent but not too fast.
It is also very important not to offend your previous employer, even if the departure was very emotional for us. We have to show that we can control our emotions – crying, laughing excessively or tantruming should not happen.
Humor is welcome, but we need to sense if we can joke, and if we decide to do so, let’s not exaggerate, the constant jokes and laughter are not as good about us as it might seem.
