Guest Author - Gwendolyn Thompson
Job interviews are always stressful even if you have been on several interviews. The best way to prepare for a job interview is to reduce the stress. You can do this by preparing yourself for the interview. Building your confidence will increase your chances of a successful job interview.
Anticipate job interview questions. Interviewers tend to use a standard set of questions regardless of the job you are interviewing for. Listen to the questions that you are asked and if need be ask for further clarification. Your answers should be specific and followed by an example.
There are no write or wrong answers to the interview questions. It is just an attempt for the interviewer to see how you behaved in a particular situation in previous jobs. Interviewers are impressed with those who are well informed and able to demonstrate how their experience and skills are relevant to them.
Take the time to review the standard questions asked and how you will answer them. Be prepared to discuss your weaknesses, career histories and ambitions, ability to learn from mistakes, your ability to understand others and your self awareness of your work style.
Take the time to research the job and the company. This will prepare you with knowledgeable answers for the interview questions and will allow you to prepare answers using examples of your previous experience and skills in similar situations. This will develop relevant and focused answers.
Prepare good examples of previous job behaviors such as describing a specific situation or task that you were involved in and detail the steps that you took in that situation then describe the results or outcome of your actions. Let the interviewer know what was accomplished and what you learned.
Make a list of questions to ask the interviewer. Your questions should be focused on the job that you are applying for. You can ask questions directed to the opportunities of the job, the career path of the job, the tools that you will be using daily and who you would be working with.
Talk to people already employed by the company. Stop by the company and get a feel for the body language that the current staff is using. Take notice of how the current staff is dressing on the job. Use all the information that you have collected to prepare yourself for your job interview with this company.
