Are You Prepared for the Interview?

Are You Prepared for the Interview?

How much time to you spend preparing for that all-important interview?  If it’s 10 minutes on the Internet looking at the company website to get a quick overview of what they do, then that is not enough! 

Here are the 4 Fatal Flaws in an interview: 

·       Talking too much

·        Inappropriate attire/poor grooming

·        An over exaggerated sense of self importance

And, worst of all …

·       Lack of preparation

Consider the following questions.  If you feel comfortable answering each of them then you are on your way to being well prepared.  If not, then it’s time to get serious about your preparation for the interview. 

·       Tell Me About Yourself  (see my article on how to prepare for this question)

·       Why have you applied for this role?

·       What do you know about our organization?

·       What are your relevant achievements to date?

·       What work related problems have you encountered and solved successfully?

·       What examples can you provide to demonstrate your leadership ability/initiative/work ethic/effective communication skills?

·       How does your past experience relate to this particular position?

·       How will your skills, experience and training benefit your potential employer?

·       What are your key strengths and competencies, what do you consider may be areas for improvement?

·       What are your short-term and long-term career goals?

Also consider what will be appropriate attire for each interview.  Have you researched the corporate culture and dress code of the organization?  Can you describe what you will wear?

Here are some of the unspoken questions your interviewer will have:

·      How much enthusiasm does this candidate have about our organisation?

·      How long will this person stay?

·      Will we like each other; will this candidate fit in with the team?

·      How motivated is this candidate to perform this role and perhaps exceed expectations?

·      Can I rely on this candidate?

Give yourself an interview check up – do you pass?