How to prepare for a job interview?
Apparently the most popular way of examining a candidate is still an interview. Meeting your employer is pretty much unavoidable. A lot of applicants find such a situation quite stressful. To avoid nervousness and make a good impression on your interlocutor you should prepare for the interview as well as you can.
What are the most common topics?
- Skills you have gathered in your previous job(s).
- Motivation – why have you chosen this company.
- Questions about merits
- Your personality
- Your occupational plans
- Knowledge about the company you are applying to.
More and more often the recruiters try to lead the conversation towards more uncommon topics. By doing this, they hope to hear something that is not an ages-old, used-up catchword. Some of their questions may make you smile, others may confuse you.
If the recruiter surprises you with a weird question, do not try to answer it as quick as possible. This will make your answer seem insincere. You would do better to ask for some time to think. If the questions will insult you or concern things you would rather not talk about, feel free to politely refuse to answer. The conversation should have a partnership feel about it – after all you are offering something to the employer: your time and involvement.
STARt appropriately.
While preparing for the interview it is a good idea to make use of the STAR method. Using it will surely make the conversation much smoother. The abbreviation stands for:
S is for Situation
T is for Task
A is for Action
R is for Result
This simple draft tells you how should you formulate your answers. If the candidate is supposed – for example – to tell about a conflict he was engaged in, he/she should start from describing what actually happened, then tell what were his/her responsibilities and position in the group; then explain how he/she behaved and what he has done. In the end should come the results. Of course it is best to tell about events that have a clear beginning and an end, that lead to specific conclusions and show that we are indeed active and committed. Speaking in this way will fully explain the situation, our role in it and our predispositions to the interlocutor.
Smile above all
Try to be as calm and natural as possible. Control your stress, reply slowly and purposefully. Heeding those few pointers mentioned in this text will help you prepare yourself. Remember that smile and good mood mean a lot. It is no good fearing how will the whole interview look like, for the interlocutors will surely try and make the atmosphere as friendly as possible. Remember that you can find out a lot about company from the way their interviews look like!
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