by Bryan Thorby
Once you get the call for the interview, the next thing that you need to do is prepare for it. You can never over prepare for an interview. The more prepared you are, the harder it will be to make mistakes. It is best to prepare yourself emotionally as well as intellectually for an interview. Giving a great interview is not as hard as some may think, but not as easy as others do either. Here are a few things that must be done in order to prepare for your next interview.
Remember, during an interview, you are there to sell yourself to your prospective employer. You want to market yourself in the most interesting way possible. Great preparation for the interview is your best bet.
Do Your Research
It doesn't matter how much knowledge or experience you have about the position that you have applied for it is disastrous to enter into an interview and not be able to tell your interviewer what their company is about. How else are you going to tell them why you feel that you would be a good addition to their company? The number of applicants willing to thoroughly research and invest both time and effort in preparing for an interview is very small. This presents you with an invaluable opportunity to outmaneuver the competition.
Research the company to find out about such things as products, services, location, head office, branches, clients, turnover, method of operation, growth history, future expansion plans, market presence, market share, annual reports, and financial information.
One way to research a company is to look up their website. You can get all of the general knowledge about them that way, including the names of key people and their job titles.
Know Your Contact
When called for an interview, it is useful to find out who will be doing the interviewing and how many other people will be involved. It is nice to be able to greet your interviewer/s by name at the beginning of the interview without first being told who they are. It shows that you are on top of things, and have prepared before hand.
You will also want to do some research on the person or people that will be conducting your interview. Learn what they do for the company and try to get some examples of their achievements in the company.
Practice Interview Question Responses
It is best, if you are prone to nervousness, to practice giving your responses to the questions that may be asked of you. You should practice your wording and the tone of voice that you plan to use. Try keeping your responses as brief as possible, but with as much detail as you can.
When you are trying to work out the proper responses to the interviewer's questions, you will also want to practice the art of getting your nerves under control as well as ridding yourself of any other odd habits while talking, like expressing yourself with your hands.
Dress for the Part
Pre-select your attire the day before your interview. You want to make sure that your clothes do not have any wrinkles or stains on them. Pick an outfit that best suits the type of job that you are applying for. If you are going to work in an office setting, you should dress conservatively.
Of course if you are planning to work outdoors or in an artistic environment, you can dress a little more casually.
Get Organized
Make sure that all of the things that you will need for the interview are prepared the day before. Make a checklist of the things that you will need if you have to. You should always have an extra resume handy during the interview. You should also bring with you a note pad to take notes during the interview if needed.
Bryan Thorby is a Career Counselor and webmaster at Career-Related.Com catering for your Career Related issues - resumes, cover letters, job search, job interviews, career tests, personality profiles, career information and providing a substantial career resources directory. Get your copy of "Your Basic Guide To Acing ANY Job Interview" ebook. Subscribe to weekly Career Related Tips newsletter. http://career-related.com