Making a strong first impression during a job interview is just as important as a well-structured CV. For customer-facing jobs, it's arguably even more important. Job interviews help recruiters understand what you bring to the table, so you should always prepare in advance. Discover the most effective method to prepare for an interview in 5 simple steps to get the job of your dreams.
If this is your first time preparing for a job interview, or if it's been a while since you were last interviewed by a recruiter, it's helpful to keep one key point in mind throughout preparation:
Your recruiter wants to know what you can do for their company, not what the company can do for you.
That doesn't mean your motivations for applying or your personal story are any less relevant to the recruiter. Nevertheless, they will always choose a candidate who can benefit the company over a candidate whose contributions are unclear.
So, when you're asked, “Why did you decide to apply to our company?", it's okay to explain your fascination with their work from a young age. However, you should also drive home the point that this fascination has given you early insights into their work that can benefit the company's performance. During job interview preparation, make sure to consider the recruiter's perspective to understand what it is they're looking for.
One way to understand what your recruiter is looking for is through the 5 C's of job interviews. These highlight the abstract qualities you will need to demonstrate:
Recruiters may prioritise certain 5 C's of interviewing, depending on the role for which you're applying. If you're applying for a sales representative position, for example, communication skills are vital and demonstrating them should be a crucial part of how you prepare for a job interview. Conversely, an engineering position will require you to demonstrate professional skills first and foremost.
When preparing for an interview, many job seekers concentrate on communication strategies. However, Chemistry and Confidence, in particular, are significantly influenced by the outfit you choose to wear and your body language during the interview. Choose what to wear based on the industry and the specific company where you're applying for a job. Avoid overdressing or underdressing, as both can create a negative first impression during the interview.
If you're actively looking for a job, it pays to be prepared for an interview. When applying for a job, consider the following 5 interview preparation tips; even before you receive an invitation. This ensures that you can accept the invitation, even on short notice, without feeling unprepared.
When coming face-to-face with a recruiter, it's important that you come across as respectful and informed. You should be familiar with the most important pieces of information about the company you're applying to and the position you're applying for. The best way to prepare for an interview is to ensure you conduct some research in advance.
Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call the company for more information. Perhaps you know someone who works there, or in the same industry? While no one expects you to know sensitive internal details about the company you're applying to consider other avenues of research beyond just googling the company.
Identifying repeated words or specific phrases in the job description, including synonyms, can be helpful. They indicate that a specific skill or characteristic is particularly important for the job. In preparation for the job interview, try to find ways to incorporate these important terms in conversation. Make sure it sounds natural and is relevant to the topic of conversation, though.
This next step requires you to look beyond the job description:
When applying for a job in the service sector, for example, your approachability and friendly demeanour can work in your favour. You can easily demonstrate these qualities through your behaviour during the interview. Avoid mentioning basic attributes that employers generally expect their employees to have. "I arrive at work on time" should be a given, as far as your employer is concerned.
You may also want to identify specific examples from your previous work or personal life that support the image of yourself you'd like to present. If you're applying for a position as a team leader, recall instances you've had in efficiently organising a team or resolving disputes between team members.
Keep in mind that recruiters will often enquire about your weaknesses or how you think you can improve your performance in the future. The main goal of these questions is to assess your response and how candid you are about your shortcomings. Trying to wrap positive attributes in a negative wrapper, such as "I just work too diligently sometimes", will be an immediate red flag on your application, as recruiters understand precisely what you're trying to do here.
Instead, the best way to prepare for an interview question about your weaknesses is to identify your actual weaknesses beforehand and think of ways in which you can try to overcome them. During the interview, you can then mention genuine weaknesses while also demonstrating that you're working on them. Make sure you mention weaknesses that are relevant to some aspect of the job. If you're applying for a retail position and you say you're not good at working with power tools, that will come off as if you are trying to divert attention.
Practice makes perfect, so be sure to practice your demeanour in a mock job interview. Ideally, you'll want to practice with another person as the mock recruiter. With a friend or family member in the recruiter's chair, you can get a second opinion on how you come across during interviews. They can also assess whether the answers you provide to their questions feel genuine and whether you can convey your points clearly and concisely. They should pay particular attention to your demeanour: Are you maintaining eye contact? Are you standing or sitting straight? Are you articulating your words clearly? Do you appear friendly, open and approachable overall?
It's also a good job interview practice to let your friends or family members come up with their own questions in addition to asking some common interview questions that you are likely to encounter. The goal is to gauge your reaction to both standard questions as well as questions you may not have anticipated. Recruiters often like to pose challenging and unexpected questions, not necessarily to hear your answer, but because they want to see how you respond to them. These are often referred to as "behavioural interview questions".
If you can't practice with another person, you could use modern generative AI systems to come up with questions for you to answer. Make sure you provide the information from the job advertisement as well as any other relevant information (such as the "About Us" section from the company's website). Then, ask the AI chatbot to take the role of a recruiter and to give you some questions derived from the information you've provided. A sample prompt could look like this:
"Imagine you're a recruiter for company X, trying to fill the position as described in the following job description. Provide questions that you would ask a job applicant to determine their suitability for the position. Do not explain what you're doing. Job description: INSERT JOB DESCRIPTION HERE"
Keep in mind, though, that generative AI doesn’t have feelings, intuition, or the ability to think for itself. It cannot assess your responses to these questions the same way a human would, nor can it gauge the impression you make with your body language. So, relying solely on AI is not an ideal method to enhance your interview skills.
When faced with behavioural interview questions, you can follow the STAR system to structure your responses. This system is specifically designed to help you give concise answers.
In this example, you're following the STAR system to give a concise answer which follows a logical progression from a premise to a result. When practicing the STAR system, make sure you learn to use just one or two sentences each for situation, task, action and result. This ensures you don't share any unnecessary details, that’s one of the great benefits of the STAR system.
Note that you're usually able to choose which situation to describe and what aspect to focus on. You can use this to demonstrate the different strengths (and weaknesses) you have. In the example above, you used an extra sentence to explain why you took the action you did. This helps you demonstrate your empathy with a team member who might have just been very introverted in social situations, as well as your ability to navigate this situation without creating friction in the team. Such interpersonal skills are important to many employers who value positive social relationships with their employees. On the other hand, you might have mentioned a situation in which a team member's behaviour was so problematic that termination was necessary – this could impress recruiters looking for team leaders who are confident in making tough decisions.
You can score points with your recruiter by asking insightful questions that show your enthusiasm and demonstrate you've spent some time researching the company. For example, you could ask about how the company is planning to face upcoming challenges or changes in its industry. Try to come up with such questions in preparation for the interview.
Remember that your recruiter is interested in what you can do for the company. So, unless you're an absolute expert in your field that the company would do anything to headhunt, it’s best not to ask questions about your expected salary or about the chances or fast-tracked promotions.
Choosing an appropriate outfit for the interview and gathering all the materials you need is very important for a first impression, as it shows that you're considerate and respectful towards others. While there is much to consider regarding your choice of interview outfit, the general rule is:
Choose an outfit for the job interview that you would also find appropriate to wear during work.
If you're applying for a job in a young marketing start-up, for instance, you can generally get away with wearing trainers and a solid-coloured t-shirt or blouse with a nice jacket. If you're applying for a job in a more conservative industry, business formal attire is a must. That means suits and ties for men and formal suits with conservative skirts or trousers for women.
If you're unsure about the dress code, you can always look up employee photos on the company's website or their profiles on professional social media sites to get an impression of how they present themselves.
Even better, consider calling the company to ask them directly what their dress code is. However, be mindful about the message you're sending by asking. A more laid-back company might appreciate your enquiry, while recruiters from more conservative companies might regard you less favourably for not knowing what's expected in a formal business situation.
It's always advisable to bring multiple copies of your CV with you to the interview. You can usually expect the recruiter to have a copy for themselves, but you'll also need one for yourself. And being able to provide copies for everyone at the table just in case, demonstrates your thoughtfulness.
Last but not least: Make sure you know exactly where to go for your interview and how to get there. That might sound straightforward but being late for your interview sends a very negative message, regardless of the reason.
Confirm with your recruiter the exact meeting location and use online maps to get an idea of where that place is. When multiple companies are located in the same building or on the same industrial campus, simply knowing the street address may not be enough to quickly find your way to their offices on the day of the interview.
If you have the time, you might want to visit the location a day or two before the interview to make sure you know how to get there. This also helps you identify things that may delay you on the day, such as the typical volume of traffic in the area.
If possible, schedule your arrival for the interview earlier than necessary, especially when using public transportation. This limits the impact of delays, and you can always spend any extra time in a nearby cafe if you're too early. When travelling to another city or country for an interview, it's advisable to arrive the day before and book a hotel for the night, ensuring you can approach the interview fresh and energised.
In addition to the 5 steps for job interview preparation, be mindful of these common mistakes and best practices. They can help you avoid developing bad habits that might leave a negative impression.
Do's
Don'ts
Performing well in a job interview isn't something that comes naturally to most people. So, practice, practice, practice!
Make sure you gather information about the company, its employees and the industry in which it operates beforehand. Think about what to wear, how to prepare for an interview, transportation to the interview and what items to bring ahead of time. Most importantly, conduct mock interviews to gain practical experience, especially if you’re inexperienced or if it's been a while since your last interview. It's perfectly normal to feel nervous, knowing how to prepare for an interview can alleviate some of that anxiety.
Just remember: Your CV may be the thing that catches your recruiter's attention, but the job interview is what seals the deal.
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