Applying for a job will result in one of two things; a rejection (or no word at all, which is the same thing) or an invitation to have an interview. If you’ve done well enough to get to the interview stage, you’ll want to ensure you prepare as much as possible so that you can stand a good chance of getting the job you’re applying for as well – you don’t want to fall at the final hurdle. With that in mind, here are some things you can do to get ready for an interview once you get one so you can hopefully move forward in the process.
Prepare A Good First Impression
Although it might not seem fair to some, the truth is that how you look is going to have an impact on what a potential employer thinks of you, and this first impression can be hard to shake if it’s negative, even if the interview itself went well. This is why you need to think about how to make a good first impression.
Wearing the right clothes is a good place to start. It could be that you’re given interview instructions with a dress code, but if not, it can be helpful to research the dress code of the company and dress in the same way. If you’re not sure, it’s better to be formal rather than too casual, but you might choose to wear layers so you can dress up or down once you know what is expected.
Your hair is also something you shouldn’t ignore, and it’s often good practice to make an appointment at a salon like utopiabeautique.com to look your best for your interview. Here, they can tidy up your eyebrows, upper lip, or side of the face and boost how confident you are. The more confident you are, the better you may come across.
Research The Company
Another key step in preparing for an interview is conducting thorough research about the company you’re potentially joining. This will help you answer questions (knowing what the company is like, you’ll be able to tailor your answers in the right way), and it will show you’re interested in the role because you’ve done extra work to find out as much as you can about the place.
Start by looking at the company website, as this will give you a good idea of what it’s like to work there, including learning about their mission, values, and, of course, what it is they sell or produce. You can then expand your research and read news articles or press releases and search out employee reviews – these can be eye-opening, but you might need to take negative ones with a pinch of salt as they can be written in frustration or with malice, for example. Finally, if you know the name of the person who’s interviewing you, look for them on LinkedIn so you can find out what they’re like and how they operate.
Prepare Questions
At the end of every interview, you’ll be asked if you have any questions. Although it will be tempting to say you don’t, either because you want to finish the interview as soon as possible or you genuinely can’t think of anything on the spot, this can look bad in the interviewer’s eyes as it could show you’re not that interested in the job or the company (even if you are).
This is why it’s best to prepare some questions to ask in advance. Make sure you think about them carefully and you have them in mind at the end of the interview but also pay attention to what’s been said before; if the question has already been answered, don’t ask it again and instead move on to the next one on your list.