Preparation is always important, but more so when it comes to interviews. Preparation is particularly important because with interviews, there are already too many variables you cannot control, so you need to control what you can. Interviewees don’t decide how interviews go, you can only answer the question asked to you
This means you need to be prepared for a wide variety of questions. At Inside Success, we equip youths with tips and guides on how to navigate the workplace. So here’s a guide on how to prepare for an interview.
1. Examine the job description (JD) carefully
This should go without saying. The JD tells you everything that’d be required of you in that role. This is the time to know how the company is thinking about the role. From here, you can tell if they have unrealistic expectations or not.
The tasks expected of you will likely come up during the interview, so have examples, where possible, of times in the past you have carried out such tasks.
2. Consider the qualifications and why you want the job
These questions come up in interviews, and not usually in clear terms. Already knowing why you want the job and how your qualifications fit in means you have answers to some of the trickiest questions that’d be thrown at you.
The question of why you want the job is also a good one to always prepare for. “Because I’m broke and I need a job” is obviously not an answer. It’s a difficult question if you’ve not thought about it beforehand, so think about it beforehand.
3. Do your research
Research on what? On everything. Everything that can be searched out. Do research on the company, about the job role, about the various salaries that companies pay for the same role. About the job description. If you have a name for the interviewer, do research on them too.
Every information you have about the company, their employees or the job role can only be beneficial to you. Recruiters are also usually impressed when they see you know something you didn’t have to. It shows commitment.
