Introduction
A wise man once advised that if you have ten hours to chop down a tree, you should spend nine hours sharpening your axe.
This is how much you should pay attention to preparing for job interviews preparation.
It is 2024…and adequate preparation is the bridge between you and your dream job.
If you have been on the job-seeking journey for some time now, you will agree that what makes you most nervous at the opposite end of the table is your lack of preparedness. Your inadequate preparation makes you most nervous at the opposite end of the table.
However, 99 per cent don’t know how to prepare for a job interview.
Meanwhile, preparation gives which combines to provide you with ideas about the organisation and role, and these combine to give you some form of confidence.
This surely does not mean that you must not expect your question.
We are certain that even the recruiters themselves do not expect that you know the correct answers to all their questions.
Therefore, what matters is that you answer the question from an appropriate angle.
Indeed, an angle that is well thought out instead of you rushing it.
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Employers want to know two things: Can you do the job well?
And will you fit into the company/organisation?
Often candidates focus very narrowly on the first one of these requirements.
Endlessly poring over their skills, proficiencies, and experience will prove they can do the job effectively.
However, people often forget that besides taking on a new role, new hires will also be joining a group of people, each striving towards shared goals.
If there is one piece of valuable advice that people sometimes overlook regarding job interviews, it is this: Research the organisation.
What is their history? What are some of their goals?
How do they like to operate? Who are their key stakeholders?
Knowing this will put you in a much better position in terms of understanding if you would like to join this company and how you can convince your interviewer that you can fit in.
Being The Best Fit
Critically you want to be the candidate that fits the job description most perfectly.
This means studying the job description, from key responsibilities to required skills and experience, ensuring you can evidence how you hit each of their desired requirements.
If you can, spend some time on the additional/ ‘it would be a plus if you also’… section of the job description, as these factors will bring you closer to the head of the pack.
If you don’t seem to be able to hit at least 85% of the job requirements, the sad truth is that you may want to look elsewhere.
Or upskill yourself to a point where you can hit those criteria.
In the modern job market, it is unlikely that recruiters will look at your application if you can’t meet the core requirements.
Further Reading: Job Interview
- How to Demonstrate You’re the Right “Fit” for the Job
- How to answer: Tell Me About Yourself
- Best article on understanding our resume builder
- How to find a job
- Putting the work experience section in the CV rightly
However, as we have already mentioned being the perfect fit isn’t just about being someone who can do the best job.
You also need to be able to fit into the company’s ethos and share and identify with its primary goals.
The best way of doing this is to research as much as possible about the business from online sources, friends and as many materials as possible.
Tip
Try connecting with someone who works at the organisation you want to join on LinkedIn.
Quiz them about the ethos of the company and some of its short and long-term goals.
Be Self-Confident
Although this is difficult to just ‘acquire’, self-confidence can come from preparedness.
The more you know about yourself, the role, and the company, the more confident you can understand what the interviewer will likely throw at you in the job interview.
The trick here is to remind yourself why you want the job and why you would be good at it.
Once you have those two ideas clear in your mind, you can start to use them as motivation to boost your confidence in the job interview.
Remember, you have prepared and are a great candidate.
Another tip to remember regarding confidence is that the person sitting across from you is not ‘the enemy’ but another human being.
You will converse with this human being, and they will decide if you will progress to the next stage.
There are no hidden motives.
Another way to look at it is that your life doesn’t change for the worse if you don’t get a job.
No black mark goes against your name in a register!
And nothing happens if the organisation says no.
From this perspective, there is no reason not to be as confident as possible and give it everything.
There is nothing to lose.
Further Reading
- How to build self-confidence
- The Importance of self-confidence as a skill
- How to write a resume like a pro
Show Your Value
Displaying your main positive attributes and selling yourself sometimes does not come naturally to some people.
But at the crux of every job interview is this question: How can you add value to our organisation?
Rehearsing what you can offer the business that is hiring is probably one of the essential aspects of preparing for an interview which should be completed.
You can do this with a friend or colleague.
It doesn’t have to be a massive list of all the things you are good at; just pick out a few essential skills or experiences which have value to the organisation you want to impress.
Further Reading
- How to Make Yourself More Valuable to Your Employer
- Understanding Workplace Values
When it comes to the interview, if there are no ways of getting these key points across naturally, you can wait for the end.
At this time, the company representative will inevitably ask if you have anything else you would like to say.
Here you can rattle off some sparkling skills and valuable experiences.
By doing this, the interviewer goes away with some great key points about you as a candidate.
Tip
When identifying these key points, ensure you have an organisation-specific example of how to implement them.
For example: “I have excellent interpersonal skills, which I learned from being a sales representative.
I believe these skills would be of great value when discussing issues with your clients”.
Key Takeaways
- Change your perspective ─ Yes, job interviews are important and exciting, but if you can take the pressure off yourself by understanding that there are no massive negative consequences to not getting the job, you may find you are more composed when the job interview comes around.
- Know your value ─ Spend time self-evaluating yourself and pick out some things that are very impressive and be able to articulate these to your interviewer.
- Prepare, Rehearse, and Execute. Do the hard work, go through mock interviews with friends or co-workers, and nail the interview.
Apart from that, the team at CVJury wishes you the best of luck CVJury wish the best of luck for you in your upcoming interviews.
Further Reading: Job interview success, look at our other posts-
- Tips For Successful Interviews: How To Get More Interviews
- Best Answers To Four Personality Interview Questions
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