When you’ve made it through the ranks and get invited to a job interview, keep these things in mind. Research the prospective employer thoroughly and prepare as well as you can.
When preparing for the job interview, make sure you’re ready to make the most of it. Applicants make many mistakes, often without realizing it! The following Indeed video explains it all very clearly:
Prepare yourself mentally
A job interview often makes people nervous. So you’ll have to prepare mentally for an interview and reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. You want to arrive prepared and calm, right?
To prepare mentally for your interview, there are several methods you can use. Just learn which one might be most beneficial for you.
Consider the following:
• Think about the questions you think you may encounter during the meeting and practice your answers. This exercise will reduce anxiety as you have already considered what you should say.
• Performing deep breathing exercises helps to relax your body and focus your mindset. It helps you stay calm before you speak.
• Visualization is also a proven calming technique. Visualizing helps you to deal with the interview situation more easily. Visualizing the various steps of the interview helps you picture yourself receiving a good job offer during the meeting.
• Positive affirmations will help you to think optimistically about yourself and your capabilities. Positive statements will increase your confidence and PSI (Positive Self-Image) and reduce negative feelings.
• Relax physically. Relaxing physically and feeling comfortable is also a great way to stay mentally calm for the job interview. How to relax your body physically is personal, so explore different methods and techniques to find what works best for you.
• What also helps is finding a good way to expel your physical energy. If you do that before your job interview, you may get rid of the nervousness you often feel right before an interview, so you won’t make those ridiculous job interview mistakes that are all too common.
Here are a few things you can do to prepare the day before the interview mentally. It’s best not to leave it until the day of the interview, though, and remember you only get one chance to make a first and lasting impression.
Prepare practically
• Prepare the clothes you’ll wear in advance, preferably the night before. You wouldn’t want to search for a clean shirt or a missing sock when you should be leaving for your interview, right?
• Your appearance will not win you any points if it is suitable, but if it is unsuitable, it will cost you dearly. Dress to project an image of confidence and success, but your total appearance should be suitable for the interview.
• When undecided about what to wear, it is best to always err on the side of caution and be conservative. You may want to tone down some personal grooming features, such as wearing minimal jewelry. Think this through when preparing for your job interview.
• No overwhelming perfume or deodorant, disguising or hiding tattoos or body piercings, or anything else that may be considered over-the-top for what could be considered conservative for your industry.
• Make sure that what you decide to wear is clean and neatly ironed. Take care of other time-consuming chores like polishing your shoes and trimming your nails the day before the interview.
• You don’t want to spend much time preparing for the interview the next day. You risk having too many things to do with too little time, compounded by being in a naturally mildly nervous or excited state.
• Decide on how you are going to make your way to the interview venue. Make sure you know exactly how to get there and have an alternative transport plan in mind so you can make the most of your job searching activities.
• Aim to be there at least 10 minutes earlier than what is required. Arriving late is perhaps the worst possible start to an interview.
• Have the interview venue address and contact person’s name and phone number written on a small piece of paper to take along with you.
• You may want to include your agent’s or the company’s HR department’s contact details in case there is a problem on your way there or at the reception area. The world of recruiting and how employment and recruiting agencies work has changed, so make sure you know what to expect.
• Gather all the materials and documents you’ll need for the interview in one place. Choose a place where you can review everything before leaving, and make sure your resume stands out.
• You should bring copies of your resume, a few good references, and directions to the interview venue. If you hold a GED instead of a high school diploma, you might want to organize your resume a bit differently. Learn more about why and how here.
• If you are in an industry that uses portfolios to demonstrate your past accomplishments and the quality of work that you produce, be sure to have these ready to take with you, and be sure to have your credit report cleaned up! That’s key.
• You might want to include writing samples, flyers about events you planned, letters of recognition, or any media articles about something you accomplished or were involved in.
• Make sure you can support your earlier accomplishments with information and/or proof, especially if it is targeted toward the prospective employer’s needs.
• Make the effort of taking your smartest and neatest pen along for the interview. You may want to take brief notes during the interview, or you may be asked to fill out forms. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
You’ll do well
If you keep these points in mind, you’ll likely do well in your job interview. Also, in these expensive, difficult times, with so many layoffs, the threat of AI taking over jobs, and businesses struggling to survive, you can work toward a well-paying job and a fulfilling career.