Top Ways to Prepare for a Job Interview

Job interviews are simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. The best way to do well is to ensure that you are properly prepared. Here are several of the top ways to prepare for an interview to ensure that you impress.

Research the Company and the Position

Learning as much as you can about the company and the position can help you to answer the interviewer’s questions and give you a better understanding of how you would fit into the company and its culture. Standard research includes going through the company’s website, social media, and job posting, but candidates who stand out have reached out to their networking contacts to learn more about the company from the inside.

Practice Questions

Take the time to research and practice answering commonly asked interview questions. Creating a list of bullet point responses that will be able to cover a variety of different questions is helpful in this process, and it can help you to focus your answers for the needs of the position. Remember that when you are discussing a specific situation, like a time when you succeeded, your interviewer is going to want a concise summary that shows clear results.

Prepare Questions of Your Own

The most successful interviews are often a conversation, not an interrogation. You should have a series of questions about the company and position prepared so that you can appropriately show your level of interest. Great topics include company culture, what will be expected of the position in the first three months, and what the next steps in the interview process are.

Take Care of Yourself

To be your best in an interview, you need to be feeling your best. The night before the interview, go to bed early and get a full night’s sleep. Eat a filling breakfast with protein, which helps to fuel your brain. Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready and to get to the interview to avoid adding additional stress to your day.

Dress Well

Interviewers often make snap judgments about interview candidates and their skills based on their appearance. You can make the most of this first impression by dressing in appropriate business attire. Prepare your clothes the day before, and make sure that they are ironed. On the day of, groom yourself to look your best. For men, this means a well-trimmed or freshly shaven beard and using any necessary hair products. For women, this means subtle make-up, limited jewelry, and hair that is not a distraction to you or the interviewer.

Allison Reinert is a marketing consultant for Carol Dean & Associates, Inc., which specializes in corporate and medical office staffing.   Carol Dean & Associates, Inc., has been serving Atlanta in the recruiting industry since 1992. 

 For more information on Carol Dean & Associates, visit http://www.caroldeanrecruiters.com 

For media inquires contact Allison Reinert at http://www.alrmarketingsolutions.com