Job Interview Preparation

Preparing for a job interview is not something you do on the morning of your appointment - not if you want to be at your best during that crucial meeting.

Of course candidates believe that job interview preparation is all about getting ready for the questions they're like to encounter, and devote all their energy to trying to find the right interview tips and work out how to answer so that they make the best possible impression on the interview(ers).

But you can only be relaxed during that question and answer process if you've done the basics first. Your real Job Interview Preparation starts in earnest once you’ve been given the date for the meeting - although you’d probably be wise to anticipate success and start well before you even send off your resume.

Preparation is all about anticipation, and you can’t anticipate without research.    Anticipate the Questions (see separate section), organize your references, research your potential employer, prepare your own questions.

Research - essential first step when preparing for a job interview

Your research starts with yourself.   Check your resume again; it might need some updating, depending on how much time has elapsed since you submitted it.   Take copies to the interview, and make sure you have enough to go around (can you find out if there will be more than one person at the job interview?).

You probably did some research on your potential employer before you submitted your resume.   Check that research again; refresh your memory; see if anything has changed.

One of the best ways to prepare for a job interview is to spend some time with a friend/acquaintance/anybody who is already employed by the same company.  If you can't manage that, see if you can get any interview tips from the HR department - who will be at the interview, anything you should know about likes and dislikes, any company issues that are particularly relevant.

A mock interview can be particularly helpful.   If you're at college, you can probably arrange a mock job interview through the career counseling service.   If not, find an experienced business friend to act as an interviewer - preferably one who has conducted job interviews in real life.   You'll be amazed how much you can benefit by being put through a mock job interview - and how much more confident you will feel when it comes to the real thing, and those Questions and Answers you will have been preparing for so carefully.

There are also some mechanical elements you need to consider when you think about how to prepare for a job interview.

The right clothes - an essential part of preparing for a job interview

Make sure your personal grooming is right (see separate articles).   Make sure you know exactly what you're going to wear, that it's clean, pressed and ready.

Keep thinking about the questions you expect to be asked.   If you have sample questions and answers keep reviewing and rehearsing them.

Think about the questions you will ask - you will almost certainly be given an opportunity to do so.

Just reading through these hints, you can see how important it is to not fall into the trap of last minute job interview preparation.

Small details are important.   Do you know the exact time for which the job interview is scheduled?   Do you know exactly where to go?   Do you know how you'll get there? And how long it will take you?

Plan, think, don't leave things to chance, and you'll find that preparing for a job interview is not nearly as stressful as it is made out to be.