No matter how experienced you are, interviews can still be challenging and nerve racking to many candidates because of all the unfavorable perception we had in the past validated by our actual negative experiences. The ways you can overcome the challenges are by preparation and practice.
Interviews are often perceived as difficult because of the following:
1). Self-imposed internal pressure to do well given a limited time to practice.
2). Uncertainty from how the interviewer will react to your answers and delivery because you neglected to reflect on how your answers would be received.
3). Unrealistic expectation and ideas you mentally formulated prior to the actual interview by a creating fantasy on how the position or company would suit your long term career objectives.
4). You are wondering if the other candidates are better than you rather than focusing on how you can make a difference by giving valuable insights on the questions being asked.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW AND WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
The purpose of interviews from the perspective of the hiring managers is to gain insight on what you have done, your background, and skill sets that could help the interviewers match your strengths with the needs and challenges of the position.
As a candidate, interviews are opportunities for you to gain clarity on what the position entails, the personality of the hiring manager, the positive attributes of the company and how the position would benefit and enhance your career at a long-term basis.
The following are suggestions on how to prepare for interviews:
- Read as much as you can about the company. It is very flattering to the hiring manager when you show genuine interests towards the products, services, and current news regarding the company you are interviewing for. This allows you to engage, which sends a message that you are willing to immerse yourself with the current events involving the company while employing your industry know-how to solve and alleviate problems that you might face. At the very least, the information you gathered could be basis of conversations for you and the interviewer.
- Review your resume and recite your accomplishments. Be prepared to cite specific accomplishments matching them with the needs that the hiring manager mentioned during your conversation. Practice on how you would describe your accomplishments in a clear and interesting manner. Create a story that the interviewer would find interesting.
- Review the job description and have a thorough understanding of what the position entails.
- Be prepared to ask appropriate questions such as what are the main challenges of the position?, who does the position report to?, who have been successful in the past?, what are the immediate needs of the department?, and how many people would this person be managing?
- Keep in mind that an interview is a two-way communication. Create a mental attitude that you are going to have a great conversation with the interviewer by genuinely be interested with the person in front of you and the company that the individual represents.
- Avoid making assumptions about the interviewer and why certain questions are being asked even if they are unusual. Keep in mind that the questions were asked for specific reasons. The most obvious answer is to match the needs of the position with your skill sets. Hence, the way you answer the questions can directly affect your chances of being considered for the next round.
- During the meeting avoid trying to figure out what the interviewer thinks of you so your mind does not go off on a tangent, but instead concentrate on the way you deliver the information and how they would be perceived.
To learn more on how to prepare for an interview, please call us for at 702.589.4650 and speak with one of our specialists.
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