Job Interviews can be intimidating. There's no denying it.
As the day of the interview approaches, you are likely to feel a range of emotions.
However, a few small yet important details can make or break your dream job interview.
If you are confused about going about the last-minute job interview preparation, you have reached just the right place.
Scroll down to read the ten most effective interview tips that will help you nail your job interview:
Tip 1: Know your CV like the back of your hand
This is one of the most basic interview tips but is quite often overlooked. You should know precisely what is written in your CV.
Upon being questioned about any component, you should be able to answer with unwavering confidence.
Here are a few preparation tips to make your CV look great:
- Make sure that your CV is crisp and informative.
- Do not try to fudge anything or unnecessarily inflate any component. The recruiters always know how to tell a genuine CV from a made-up one.
- Try to keep it short instead of filling up pages after pages with content.
- Highlight points that make you a good choice for the job. Alter your career objective section/skills section according to the job profile that you appear for.
- Be ready with stories around the achievements and roles listed highlighting your contribution and its impact.
- Get your resume reviewed by your peers, colleagues, or mentor.
- Simulate resume round interview using a mock interview. In most cases, this will help you to come across new questions on your resume, that you might not be prepared for.
The best way to increase your chances of getting shortlisted is to get it reviewed by real-life interviewers from your target company.
Tip 2: Understand and prepare according to the job description
The job description gives you details about the responsibilities and the requirements of the job.
The recruiter is looking for a candidate who would exactly fit the bill. Hence, it is always helpful to understand the job description properly.
You can download the job description and highlight the keywords and requirements or use a print-out to do the same.
Frame your answers that align with the conditions mentioned, especially your achievements, experience, and skills.
Talk about the instances when you showed the kind of behavior or took up roles in the past similar to those mentioned in the job description.
Map the skills you have with the skills required and make a case as to how you have showcased them in the past.
Make sure to get the hang of the language and the technical information used in the JD and use similar language in your answers.
Tip 3: Prepare an elevator pitch
The first question asked in an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” Remember that this question sets the tone for the interview and gives it a direction.
You need to choose your words wisely to positively impact the recruiter and make an impression on him/her.
To make sure that you have a good elevator pitch, make sure you tick out the checklist below:
- Have a template ready for the elevator pitch written down and memorized.
- Change the pitch elements according to the job requirement and the profile you are applying for. Make sure it is relevant.
- Make sure you talk about the relevant aspects in the first 45-60 seconds and give enough points to the recruiter to take the interview forward from this answer itself. That way, you will be the one steering the discussion in the direction you want to.
- Practice saying it in front of a mirror until you perfect it.
- Practice your answers with professional Interviewers. Nothing better than an interviewer help you correct your mistakes and frame your elevator pitch. One way to do such practice is via mock interviews.
Remember, a person only gets about 7 seconds to create an impression on the recruiter, so make sure your elevator pitch stands out.
Tip 4: Go to Glassdoor and prepare for the FAQs
Glassdoor is one of the most reliable websites for preparing for job interviews.
All you have to do is google the company’s name and add Glassdoor to it.
You will get all relevant details about the company’s discussions in the past, like the interview’s difficulty level, frequently asked questions for interviews for different roles.
These first-hand experiences are entirely genuine and trustworthy. Use these questions and prepare your answers for them.
Ensure you cover all the questions related to general awareness in the specific domain and current affairs. Practice saying them out loud.
Tip 5: Record your answers to frequently asked questions and analyze
It is one of the essential tips to prepare for a job interview. Prepare answers to frequently asked questions, practice answering them and record them. Use these recordings to analyze the areas you need to work upon and the areas that are your strengths.
Some of these questions are :
- Tell me about yourself
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Where do you see yourself five years down the line?
- Tell me about a situation where you encountered a challenge. How did you face it?
- Why our company?
- Tell me something that is not in your CV.
To answer such questions with ease, a professional mentor who will help you with your preparation, analysis, improvement, and overall preparation can be highly instrumental.
Find out how a mentor can help you in your job interview preparation.
Most people ignore this tip, but trust us, it is a real game-changer.
Revisiting your recordings will help you understand how you can improve while answering various interview questions.
Just by looking at your recordings, you can easily rectify tons of mistakes that you never knew about.
We know how analyzing the recordings can prove to be impactful in a candidate's interview performance.
This is why we provide complete recordings to the candidates for each of the mock interview and consulting sessions that happen at Preplaced.
You can checkout some of our mock interview recordings on our Youtube channel to get more idea.
Tip 6: Give Mock interviews
If there was only one thing you could do from this list, do this one. One of the most important things is to keep taking mock interviews until you perfect them.
Often, as an individual, we tend to overlook our mistakes and this is where mock interviews help the most.
Giving a mock interview before your actual interview will help you understand your weaknesses and mistakes that you should avoid for the upcoming interview.
Also, you can use it to structure your answers for important interview questions to make a stronger case in your actual interview.
You can take the help of your friends or peers in similar companies who can help you with these mock interviews.
You can also take mock interviews with a mentor who is in the same industry and has relevant experience to tell you in which direction your interview preparation is headed.
Peer and mentor based mock interviews have some key differences in terms of implementation, impact and pricing.
At Preplaced, we believe what a mentor can do for your job interview preparation, no friends and family members can.
Here is a detailed guide on mock interviews to help you out with your queries.
Tip 7: Look up the Interviewer on LinkedIn and find commonalities
If you have the details of your interviewer, make sure you look them up on LinkedIn (but DO NOT connect with them before the interview) and find three common things.
It could be the institution you studied in, the course, their interests, the time spent at a particular company, and so on.
This interview preparation tip is rare but can prove to be highly effective if capitalized upon.
Most people assume that a job interview is a one-way process where the interviewer asks questions and the interviewee replies. But it’s not.
It is supposed to be a conversation too.
Knowing about the interviewer and bringing up commonalities only shows your genuine interest in the job and helps you strike a conversation with the interviewer.
Tip 8: Learn enough about the company to explain their business concisely
It is another interview tip that is exceptionally vital to making or breaking your final interview.
You must have deep knowledge about the company. Read up about it.
Do thorough research on their business model, competitors, competitive edge, target audience, market share, names of important people like CEO, MD, etc.
When the interviewer wants to know how keen you are on joining the organization and throws a company-related question at you, you will be more than ready.
Additionally, it will also help you decide if this company is a right choice for you.
Tip 9: Prepare three solutions that you can recommend
You should provide at least three solutions to the industry’s or the company’s current problems in your field.
Your answer should be practical and actionable.
The more feasible and implementable your solution is, the higher are your chances of cracking the interview.
So make sure to keep your explanation simple and achievable.
For example, suppose you are applying for the position of HR Manager.
In that case, you can give answers related to the management of teams, increase the teams’ efficiency, and reduce its cost burden.
Tip 10: Prepare five in-depth questions to ask
As mentioned earlier, the interview is not just a one-way communication channel but also a conversation.
Do not shy away from asking questions. It shows that you are attentive, determined, and you speak your mind.
These are some of the characteristics that the recruiter desires.
You can prepare a few strategic questions and keep them for the end of the interview (when the interviewers asks if you have any questions for me).
Do not ask questions for which the answers can be easily found on Google.
Ask meaningful and thought-provoking questions.
There you go! Now you have the perfect toolkit to nail that job interview.
Always remember to dress sharply, have the right body language, make eye contact, look interested, and pay attention during the interview.
These are the hygiene tips for any job interview.
After all, you get only 7 seconds to make an impression on the recruiter.
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