Preparing for an interview is not easy. You have so much going on during the job search and you’ve finally gotten an interview – yay! You want to make a great impression and arrive prepared and confident. But it’s hard to keep the stress at bay. And there is nothing worse than a bad interview where you feel off, don’t have the answers to their questions and where you keep stumbling over your thoughts (or worse, not having any thoughts at all). In this episode, I talk all about how to prepare for an interview. From doing the right research on the company to the key questions you need to prepare for to what to wear, this episode answers all of your top questions on the in-person interview. You’ll arrive confidently and make a kick-ass impression.
- Start a google doc. Copy and paste the job description in the doc.
- Take the job description and start writing examples of how you’ve already done thigs
- Do your research.
- Research the person, the industry, the climate, the job
- Research them in the news – take notes
- Look at their social media accounts
- Examples of the type of work they do
- write down possible interview questions and your answers such as :
- What do you know about the company
- Why do you want this job
- Why should we hire you
- What are your Strengths/weaknesses?
- Look on the muse or google common interview questions
- Capture your wins and your story. Figure out the framework for how to answer the question.
- Star method – the situation/set the scene, the task, the action – what you did, the result
- The ask, your approach and the result
- Figure out how to answer the question, tell me about yourself.
- Practice aloud
- Practice with a friend – have them drill you
- Figure out what questions you want to ask
- What does success look like in the first few months, the first year
- What are some goals you have for the department
- What type of candidate are you looking for?
- Can you tell me about the culture and what you enjoy working here
- What about the day to day/ week to week? What is the breakdown of responsibilities of the role
- Understand what NOT to ask. Don’t ask about benefits. You can ask about vacation and those things later
- Understand next steps and when you’ll hear from them
- End with a closer. I’m thrilled about this opportunity. Sounds like a great next step in my career and perfectly utilizes my skills and experiences. I look forward to continuing the conversation.