HOW TO PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW! (10 GREAT TIPS for PASSING a JOB INTERVIEW!)

The number one reason why so many people fail interviews is because they don’t know enough about the company they are applying to work for. Hiring managers come across lots of candidates who just want a job. These candidates don’t care which company they work for and they won’t stay working at the company long term.

To increase your chances of passing, quickly do the following 3 things before your interview:

#1. Find out what the company does. You can usually find this information on the company’s ABOUT US page on their website.

#2. Read some of the company’s positive reviews online to find out what they are good at doing.

#3. Follow the company on their social media platforms so you are aware of their latest news stories.

Doing those 3 things before your interview will help you answer the question, “what do you know about our company?”.

Another reason why so many people fail interviews is because they get so nervous during the interview they can’t then perform to the best of their abilities.

To quickly overcome interview nerves, remember these three things:

#1. An interview is just a meeting between you and a potential employer to see if they want to hire you and if you want to work for them.

#2. Interview nerves are a form of excitement! Instead of telling yourself you are nervous, tell yourself you are EXCITED about the job opportunity.

#3. What’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t get the job, it doesn’t matter. You will have gained valuable experience by going through the interview process, and there will be another job opportunity just around the corner!

The first question you must answer at your interview is going to be, “tell me about yourself!”. Before your interview, write down your answer to this question and practice it several times either in front of a mirror or in front of a friend or relative. If you give a confident answer to this first question, the rest of the interview will be easy.

Let me give you a brilliant sample answer to the question, “tell me about yourself”:

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

“Thank you for this opportunity. I am very excited about the prospect of working for your company.

I am a diligent, hard-working and collaborative team player with the skills and knowledge to match the job description.

I graduated from college with excellent grades in my chosen subjects. Since then, I have gained experience completing time-sensitive projects, multi-tasking and delivering excellent customer service.

I am a high achiever. In my last job, my manager praised me for my strong work ethic and how I brought creative ideas to the team.

If you hire me, I will be a good role model for the company and take responsibility for my professional development so I am always a useful asset to my team. I look forward to sharing additional details regarding my suitability for this position in the interview.”

During your job interview, you will have to answer the question, “why do you want to leave your current job?”. Many candidates respond to this question by saying they want to leave because there is a toxic work environment or they don’t get on with some of their co-workers! If you say either of those things, you will fail.

Instead, say something like this for why you want to leave your job:

“I want to leave my job because I have reached my full potential. I am seeking a new and fresh challenge with a forward-thinking company like yours where I can collaborate on exciting projects that make a real difference.”

Another question where candidates fail their interviews is, “what are your weaknesses?”. Most people respond by saying they don’t have any weaknesses! The truth is, we all have weaknesses.

The hiring manager is asking you this question to assess self-awareness and to also determine whether you want to improve on your weaknesses. Here is a brilliant answer that incorporates some great weaknesses!

“My weaknesses are public speaking and impatience. I don’t have much experience giving talks or presentations, but this is a skill I want to develop. If there are any opportunities in this role for me to give presentations to my team, I would like to try.

My other weakness, impatience, is because I prefer to work fast. I sometimes get slightly frustrated when my work is slowed down by other’s slow pace of work. However, I am improving my influencing skills to persuade people to work faster to increase the team’s output.”

During your interview, you will be required to answer behavioural interview questions! Behavioural interview questions assess how you have handled common workplace situations. The top 3 most-asked behavioural interview questions are:

• Tell me about a time when you worked on a team.
• Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult co-worker.
• Tell me about a time when you made a mistake.

When answering these difficult behavioural questions, use the STAR METHOD!

SITUATION: Begin your answer and outline the SITUATION you were in.

TASK: Next, briefly outline the TASK that needed your attention.

ACTION: Then, give in-depth details of the ACTION you took to complete the task.

RESULT: Finally, tell the interviewer the RESULTS following your actions!

This is a brilliant tip that is guaranteed to impress the interviewer. A 30, 60 & 90-day plan is a printed document that outlines what you will do in the first 3 months of starting work for the company. When the hiring manager says to you, “why should we hire you?”, say this…

“You should hire me because I am a great match for the job description, fast worker, and will work hard to give you a great return on my salary. You should also hire me because I have created a 30, 60 & 90-day plan to tell you what I will do in the role once I commence work for the company. I have brought my plan of action to the interview, and would like to give you a copy.”

If the hiring manager gives you the chance to ask some questions at the end of your interview, it’s a positive sign they are considering offering you the job! Most candidates don’t ask any questions – they say, “It’s OK, I don’t have any questions, you covered everything in the interview.” That is a big mistake.

If you ask smart and considered questions, it tells the hiring manager you want to make a difference in the job role. I recommend you ask 3 questions. Here are the 3 best questions to ask in any job interview!

Q1. What advice would you give to the successful candidate who wants to make a positive difference to the company in their work?

Q2. Can you tell me more about the team I would be part of in this role and their responsibilities?

Q3. Is there any additional information I can read to learn more about the company while I wait to hear the result of my interview?

Within 24 hours of getting home after your interview, I recommend you send the hiring manager a thank you email. A thank you email does two things:

#1. It shows appreciation for having the opportunity to interview for the position which demonstrates good manners.

#2. It puts YOU at the forefront of the hiring manager’s mind when they are deciding which candidate to offer the job to.

Here is the exact thank you email script you can send to the hiring manager:

THANK YOU EMAIL SCRIPT

At the start of your job interview, whether it’s an in-person or virtual interview, the hiring manager will form an opinion of you within the first 7 seconds. If you don’t wear a professional-looking outfit, it tells the hiring manager you don’t care and that you don’t have high standards.

To help create an immediate positive impression at your interview, make an effort in your appearance. Also, the best colour outfit to wear to a job interview is navy blue. The colour navy blue represents trust!