Success in the interview is really decided before you arrive at the office during preparation. Interviewers can recognize very quickly between individuals who are prepared and those who are not. Make sure you are the right kind.
Source: PixabayThink about different questions that they may ask and specific experiences you can apply. The easiest way to do this is to come up with three or four great past experiences you have had that can be applied to several different questions.
Do Your Research
Be knowledgeable about the company you are interviewing for. This is not as difficult as it used to be. All you need to do today is hop online and visit the company’s website. In fifteen minutes you can learn the company’s history, vision, products, and past successes. If you want an in depth feel for the company you can even view old financial reports if the company is publicly traded.
Doing the background research will answer the biggest question, do you want to work at the company? You may be surprised at how much your view can change after you gather more information. If you end up deciding that you do want to work at the company you will now know why. Interviewers will often ask you why you want to work at their company.
The background information will also prepare you to ask better questions yourself during the interview. At the end of your interview you will often be given the opportunity to pose a few of your own questions. You can sound competent and savvy about the industry and even highlight your strengths with specific company examples.
Know Your Elevator Pitch
Tell me about yourself. This question is one of the most difficult to answer because it is so broad. It also is usually the first question that you are asked and you need to prepare your elevator pitch. If you had only moments to tell me about yourself what would you say?
Your pitch should be around a minute long. You should include your background, what you enjoy, and what influences you may have had. Present a broad explanation of who you are as an individual. Scattered throughout this background should be your educational and professional experience. Seal the deal with how you are going to benefit the company. The elevator pitch is a great opportunity to direct the interview in a favorable direction. Talk about your strengths and the interviewer will probably ask you to elaborate.
Answer your Behavior Questions
These are growing evermore popular in interviews. Behavioral questions are based on the idea that your past experience and actions are the best indicator for how you will do in the future. They involve a general question with the caveat of how you dealt with a similar situation in the past. Go through the problem by explaining an issue in a similar situation, the specific challenges you faced, and how you resolved the issue. Popular behavioral questions you may be asked include:
“When faced with a problem with a coworker or client how do you handle the situation?”
“How have you dealt with demanding deadlines in the past?”
“When faced with a difficult problem what creative solutions have you come up with?”
Think about different questions that they may ask and specific experiences you can apply. The easiest way to do this is to come up with three or four great past experiences you have had that can be applied to several different questions.
Practice, practice, practice
With a friend or in front of mirror, you need to run through your interview out loud. Know the answers to behavioral questions and memorize what answers you wish to bring up. Make sure you not only know the background of the company but that you can express it coherently. Check that you are speaking normally without hesitation or rushing. The more you go over it the better you will know your material and the less nervous you will feel during the interview.
Whether you are graduating with a business management or if you are a Liberal Arts Major in New York you will need to understand how to interview. The most important part is your preparation.
If you are interested in learning more about interviewing I would recommend the book Boost Your Interview IQ by Carole Martin. The best part of the book is all the practice questions that will give you a better feel for the types of questions that will be asked and what the best answers are.