It can be very stressful preparing for your job interview, but knowing exactly what to do will help to calm your nerves. You should prepare answers to all the possible interview questions that you could be asked in order to answer calmly and relatively quickly. Here are some strategies to help you prepare for your interview.
Summarize Yourself
Most employers will ask you about yourself or your job experience in one very general question. The “tell me about yourself” question can be a very hard one to answer, which is why it is a good idea to prepare your answer ahead of time. Summarize your education and job experience as it relates to the job you are interviewing for. Also make sure to mention various skills you have. Including job skills and people skills into your first answer will allow your interviewer to ask more specific questions about these skills as well as making sure they are not overlooked in the course of the interview.
Choose Experiences to Highlight
The interviewer will most likely ask you about specific work situations from your experience that show strengths such as your ability to solve problems or your integrity. It can be difficult to think of such experiences during an interview, because you will probably be nervous. When preparing for your job interview, choose 5 or 6 experiences that you can highlight, so that you can answer these questions fully.
Turn Weaknesses into Strengths
The last thing that you want to do in a job interview is to lay out all of your weaknesses to your potential employer. However, your employer wants to know your weaknesses, because they want to choose the best employee possible. If you can turn your weaknesses into strengths, you will leave a much better impression on your employer. Keep your answers short and show the weakness in a positive light, perhaps by mentioning something that you used to have more trouble with but you’ve improved.
Ask the Interviewer Questions
Although it might not seem very important when you are preparing for your job interview, you should think of a few questions to ask the interviewer. Choose questions that show your interest in the company and its employees.
Dress Professionally
Wearing a professional and job-appropriate outfit to your interview is one of the most important things that you can do. Employers will be impressed if you present yourself well at the interview, and they will not want to hire you if you are not dressed professionally.
Use these tips when preparing for your job interview and you will find that you will leave a very favorable impression on the interviewer, which is the key to landing your dream job.
