Preparing for Interview – Checklist
If you have an upcoming interview and you’re not sure exactly how to face it, we will guide you through how to prepare for an interview. Preparing for an interview takes time and effort. There are quite a few suggested resources here to help you cover your basics & the checklist to keep track:
Stage 1 – Preparation
• Re-read your CV/application form
• Prepare questions to ask- Before you ask questions, think through the items you’d like to have a clearer understanding of, like the direction of the organization, its culture and the management style of the person to whom you would report etc
• Workout clothes to wear – Be sure you are appropriately dressed for your interview, based on the organization’s culture, as well as the position for which you are interviewing. Your outfit should reflect the image you’d like to portray to the interviewer. Try to choose your attire at least the day before the interview, so you are sure it is ready to wear and can avoid more stress on the day of the interview.
• Rehearse interview
• Work out a strategy for dealing with pre-interview stress – You will probably experience some pre-interview stress. Be sure to take good care of yourself the day before the interview, use visualization techniques to “see” the interview happening in your mind just as you’d like it to and try to use relaxation techniques to calm yourself.
• Read JD details, what exactly are they looking out for in a candidature
• Know where the interview will take place
Stage 2 – First Impressions Count
• Arrive in good time
• Make a good entrance
• Body language – handshake, posture, eye contact
• Smile on a face – It may sound sappy, but this nonverbal clue is an immediate rapport-builder. Interviewers are often nervous, too. “In one-sixteenth of a second, we assess whether someone will harm, help or hurt us,” Stein says. “(A smile) immediately tells someone that you’re not going to hurt them.”
Stage 3 – The Interview
• Be yourself, don’t try to pose anyone
Be ready to sell yourself (in the right spirits)
• Be honest
• Be prepared to talk – but not too much
• Don’t be afraid to seek clarification
• Illustrate your answers probably with examples
• Be interesting
Stage 4 – The Final Stage
• Read Hiring Manager’s body language
• Thank him/her for his/her time
• Ask for feedback if necessary
Questions You May Wish To Ask the Organization
• Major current projects
• Roadmap of the role going forward
• What you would be involved in? for How long?
• Variety of work
• Who would you work with?
Location
• Where would you be based?
• How much travel/mobility
Prospects/Salary
• Likely progression
General Way of Life
• Accommodation, amenities etc
Questions You Can Prepare For
Please browse through our BLOG sections (Toughest Interview Questions 1-4). Refer the links below –
http://cvshapers.com/toughest-interview-questions-part-1/
http://cvshapers.com/toughest-interview-questions-part-2/
http://cvshapers.com/toughest-interview-questions-part-3/
http://cvshapers.com/toughest-interview-questions-part-4/
It’s kind of incredible how when interviewing for totally different jobs in totally different industries, the questions can still be so similar. They’re called “common” interview questions for a reason… It’s because they are almost always asked in one form or another. These are normal questions and no rocket science is involved in answering these but, we all, as professionals fall in so called TRAPS that costs us job few of the times.
Hopefully this checklist will be a great resource for you as you prepare for an upcoming interview. We wish you Luck and appreciate your inputs/feedback on this to make it more meaningful /informative assisting professionals like you in various job related areas.
