The best way to prepare for a job interview is to maximize your confidence. Confidence is the key to landing your dream job. The more self-assured and upbeat you are, the more you’ll be able to focus on your answers instead of hesitating with nervousness. Here are six ways to boost your confidence, to make sure you look and feel your very best when you show up for an important interview.
6 Ways to Prep for an Interview
#1: Research the company
Checking out the company’s website, social media output, and any relevant news articles you find. Check out Glassdoor for company reviews from current and previous employees so you really know what you’re dealing with. Use the product before your first interview
#2: Know your audience
Research people who work there as well. Ask what to expect and who you’ll be meeting with and learn as much as you can about those people. Ask friends, neighbors, and family members if they have any contacts within the company and what they know about it. Do they have blogs? Do they discuss the company on their Twitter accounts? Learn as much as you can.
#3: Write out answers to your most dreaded questions
Anticipate the questions they’ll ask you and spend a lot of time rehearsing your answers. Reflect on your career thus far and know your story inside and out. Practice a mock interview with friends and family. Writing out the answers to the questions that you really don’t want to be asked, makes you slow down and really contemplate your responses. It also helps you memorize them better and internalize the words you’ve carefully selected. Then you can answer reflexively and easily apply examples to any question you’re asked.
#4: Talk about your challenges
When they ask you about your biggest weakness, talk about something you struggle with but that you’re actively working to improve. If they ask about a failure or mistake you’ve made in the past, own it, but focus on how you rebounded and what you learned from it.
#5: Prepare the paperwork!
Print out five copies of your resume, so you’re ready if another manager unexpectedly pops in the door to introduce themselves. Prepare your reference list including name, organization, title, department, phone number and email address. Three to five references should be plenty.
#6: Get your beauty rest
Look your best the next day. Sleep helps. So does a manicure, a haircut, and a clean, tailored suit. Know the dress code at the company. Practice some answers in front of the mirror so you can nail down expressing emphasis and enthusiasm. The better prepared you are when you walk in that door, the more confident you’ll be and the more competent and convincing you’ll seem.
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