Ultimate Guide to Prepare for an Interview

You have submitted a resume, talked to the recruiter and set up the date for your first interview with your dream company.

But as the day proceeds for the big day you are feeling scared, jittery, and anxious.

However it’s a common feeling but to make sure it’s not going to affect your interview, you need to be prepared.

And to understand the best way for preparing yourself for an interview here is a quick guide for you.

Steps For Preparing For Your Job Interview

Now that you have a date for an interview, there are certain things you should be prepared for in advance.

To start with that in a proper way, here are some of the important steps for you.

Step 1: Find What You Are Going To Wear

One of the neglected aspects is choosing the right outfit for the interview. It’s a crucial part that helps you in preparing for the interview.

Also, you need to pick something that goes with the dress code, but you are comfortable and look good on you. It helps in boosting confidence and also gives an impactful first impression.

Well to pick the right outfit for the interview, here are some of the ways that will help.

Pay Attention To The Detailing

Remember when you are choosing the outfit is more than just what you are going to wear,

It’s also about creating the entire person. As a result, you need to pay attention to details. Make sure your hands and nails are properly clean, choose a hairstyle that is neat, and use minimal makeup.

Also, make sure you are choosing a clear uniform and free of loose threads.

Confidence Is Your Key

Interviews are the stressful part and it’s a process you need to follow.

So if you are landed on an interview which is a great part. This is hard work to pay off.

With that being said, the best tip is to dress which helps you in boosting confidence.

So choose the dress that keeps the part you want to be, wearing something that shows personality or anything that shows your confidence.

Do Your Homework Properly

The first and the most important thing is to choose a dress. Do

Do your homework and see what dress code the company follows so you don’t end up showing up in the wrong attire.

Choose The Crisp Style For Playing Safe

When you are in doubt, the best is to be safe. Choose monotone colors and professional clothes.

If the company allows business casual, then drop an overly formal dress or suit.

If you are going for a startup or company that accepts the casual, then choose a clean and crisp pair of jeans.

It is always better to dress professionally, remember to wear something comfortable, stylish, and crisp.

Also, don’t go overboard with the use of accessories and fashion.

Ask Directly About Dress Code

Instead of doing everything on your own, you can simply ask the question to the HR or recruiter.

You can ask them to tell you what the dress code is supposed to be.

Apart from these, some of the pointers can also help you in picking the right outfit for the interview such as :

Pick the clothes which accommodate the season and climate.
Do the research regarding the industry to determine the best outfit.
Stay comfortable instead of wearing something you are not feeling a good vibe with.
Make sure you are staying up to date with what’s going on in the current style
Don’t be too casual like you are going to meet your friend or going to a club
Say no clothes and styles which are more than five years old.
Choose neutral colors and don’t use any kind of patterns.

Step 2: Practice Your Greetings For The Interview

The next important step is to practice the greetings for the interview.

You need to practice learning how to smile friendly and have a firm handshake.

If you are doing this right, you can set off the right energy and positivity. Also, your chance of an interview will increase.

This is small as well as simple for preparing for the interview.

Step 3: Study The Resume And Make Sure You Are Updated

You need to have the right resume so you know it’s updated for the interview.

Any work experience or skills listed on the resume are fair game to talk about right when you are doing the interview.

Your resume is all an interview is a way for showing and how to know you.

Step 4: Practicing The Answer To Common Interview Questions

If you don’t know what these are, you need to research and find the list of questions that are asked during the interview,

If you want to have the answer ready, make sure you are practicing and ready for the interview.

You want to answer ready and practice well. you should answer it in the right way for different questions, it includes :

Tell me about yourself?
Why do you want to work for them?
How did you hear about the work?
Tell me about the resume?
Why are you looking for a job and why do you need to look for a different job?
Why should they hire you?
Where do you see yourself within 5 years?
Tell me about conflicts faced during work and dealt with it ?
What is your dream job?

Step 5 : Research Regarding Company And Position

Write down the question that you have regarding the job or you need to ask during the interview.

If there is any requirement you are not sure about and you should ask directly to the interview.

Also, it looks nice that you are asking the right question and are interested in knowing about the company.

Step 6: Find Out Type Of Interview

Well, there are different types of common interviews, it can be one-to-one, group, and behavior.

You should never assume what you are going to get one. don’t be afraid that you need to ask directly to the recruiter and be updated.

There are different types of interviews and it should be :

The Traditional Interviews

In this scenario you face most of the time, you are required to sit down for a solar interview and answer a bunch of questions to help in figuring out if you are right for the job or not.

The Working Interview

In some industries such as sales, engineering, and writing, you need to ask actual job part of the interview

The interviewees want to tell you what you do in your job and see.

The Puzzle Interviews

Google and other companies which are highly competitive , they know to ask puzzle questions.

Even though it seems random, the interview is to determine how quickly you can think and approach difficult situations.

The Case Interview

The case interview is a specialized format in which the business gives you a problem or puzzle for solving it.

While the case interview used to be exclusively the domain of aspiring consultants.

The Group Interview

Group interviews are not that common, but you might find them in other positions such as sales roles, or internships where they are hiring multiple people for the same job.

So to be the one who catches the attention, it’s important that you need to learn the tactics for it.

The Phone Interview

If you are asked for the phone interview, it’s basically typically the first-round screening to see if you are good for the full interview.

So you should want to prepare for the in-person interview with key adjustments.

The Video Interview

Video interviews take the phone screening for doing the interview to the next level. And they become a regular part of the application process.

So choose the right screen and tech, you need to be ready for it.

The Lunch Interview

If the employer asked for the interview over a meal then it’s a good sign that means they want to know more about and know how to act outside if you are not in the office.

List For Tips To Use For Preparing An Interview

Preparing for the interview is not that simple, as it takes more than simple googling.

You need to make the first impression in appearance-wise. Also, you need to have the knowledge to understand about the company and how you are fit for it.

Here are some of the tips that you can use for preparing yourself for the interview.

Spend Time On Learning

Spend the hours on learning that you get about the company you are going to for the interview. Take as many resources as you can get to understand what a company is looking for.

Instead of just looking for the information on their website and social media, look in-depth to see what others are saying.

You get the larger picture and insight into how the company works.

Know About People Who Work There

You must have a sense of who is working and how to embody a similar personality when you are giving the interview.

The best way is to start reading the blog and Facebook page of the company. You get the company’s tone by reading the content posted by them.

Or you can consider reading the employee’s blogs to know what kind of people work and excel there.

Consider Using Twitter

Twitter is also an ideal option that you can consider as you know what companies and their employees are talking about right now.

Are they sarcastically doing the bantering? If so then you can throw a few jokes when you meet them. You can find something that you can use as a conversation starter.

Be A User Before Anything

Consider trying the service or product the company is offering so you know what value it offers and how much value you can create.

When you get the role, you need to think about those who are using the product, and being a customer-first helps in understanding.

Get A Idea of Whom You Are Meeting

It’s a smart way to get the list of people you will meet and learn about them. It also includes knowing the behavior that holds their attention and what turns them off.

Make sure you have some questions for yourself to ask each of the interviewers.

Talk To Previous And Current Employees

One of the best intel that can give you the inside story and insight regarding how it feels to be their employee.

Also, you can learn about the company culture and working environment.

Know About Type Of Interview

Since different companies have their type of interviews, to perpetrate it well you should know what kind of interview you are going to face.

For example, if the company is going to ask the case question or brain teaser or it is going to a typical interview and about leadership.

Ask the HR or recruiter to share about the format of the interview, once you know you can invest better time.

Give Yourself Some Time To Rehearse

Even though you feel that you got everything, still give yourself some time to think about the accomplishments, skills, interview, and answers that the interview is going to resonate with.

You must do the rehearsal and get everything on the same page so you know what you are going to say.

Have The Answer Of ‘ Tell Me About Yourself

One of the most common yet important questions that interviewers ask is to tell you about yourself. You should have the answer ready and make sure you nail it on the first try.

Be Ready For Telling Your Weakness

Companies also ask classic questions such as what is your weakness.

It’s important that you are not being thrown off. One of the foolproof methods that you should follow is to think about what you struggle with most but still want to improve.

It can be strong at public speaking but you have taken part in volunteering and leadership roles to be more comfortable with crowds.

Use Notes And Bullet Points

There are tons of articles out there where you can get the common interview questions. Make sure you know the answers, however, don’t write the complete answer but use notes and bullet points.

Keep it handy when you need to use it and ensure you are covering the base.

Remember numbers, Quotes, and Percentages

When you are preparing for the interview, don’t forget to remember the numbers, percentages, and quotes.

These can help in hiking up your answers and add a bonus to your side. This can also help in showing that you know about the market.

Know Your Interests

One of the common questions you will answer is telling about the role you are interested in the company.

So make sure you know the interest and what you are into. Also, remember the function and get some key factors that work well with you.

You need to align it with what motivates and helps your vision.

Don’t Think But Practice

Instead of thinking answers in my head, practice is loud. Use the mirror and then see how you look while you answer.

This helps you in clarifying thoughts and you will be much more comfortable when giving the interview.

Use The Mock Interviews

You can use the mock interviews for your benefit. Ask your friend to be an interviewer and conduct your own mock interview. This helps in improving the preparation. Also, you know what to say and how to look.

Keep Ready With Smart Questions

When it’s an interview, the job of asking questions is not only for the interview but you can also ask some smart questions. Make sure you wait for your turn and pay attention to what you ask.

It shows that you have done the homework and have knowledge about the company.

Plan Outfit For Interview Beforehand

Don’t wait for the interview day to pick the outfit. Do it beforehand also know what kind of outfit you need to wear,

A Lot of companies have their own dress code such as business casual which keeps the look basic as well as conservative for the interview.

If you are not sure about the outfit, you can get in touch with friends to know what they wear.

Keep Your Outfit Cleaned And Properly Ready

Make sure what you are going to wear is properly cleaned, pressed, and tailored.

People often have interview suits in their closets. So make sure what you are going to wear is properly ready for the event.

Pay Attention To Little Things

It can be anything for example keep the shoes shiny, check the loose hems and keep your nails cleaned.

These are the small things that you need to pay attention to so you look presentable and impressive at first glance.

Do Your Little Pampering

It’s worth doing a little pampering when you are getting ready for the interview. Because you look the best can help you in improving your confidence.

If you mean that you need to get a facial, haircut, razor shave, and even a new fit.

Do it so you feel good for the interview and when you feel good, it gives you confidence and it’s an important element for the interview.

Keep Your Bag, Purse Or Briefcase Ready

No matter what you are going to carry with you, you should be ready. Also, the size should be large enough to hold the essentials along with what you need for the interview such as extra resumes, notepads, etc.

Keep an emergency kit packed too, it includes stain sticks, band-aids, breath mint, etc.

Avoid Spending Too Much Time On Rehearsing

It can be a little difficult but try not to spend too much time on erasing questions before the interview. However, use this time to reflect on your career chronically.

You should know your story in and out to give the best answers.

Get A Proper Sleep

It’s important that you feel fresh and ready for an interview instead of tired and sluggish.

So make sure you are not spending too much time preparing, and give yourself proper rest.

Use The Interview Cheat Sheet

You can use the interview cheat sheet that can help in compiling details. It’s best to jot down the notes and check the essentials about the interview.

You can print it out for the interview, so it is over and good to go in the morning.

Learn Body Language

You need to brush up on the body language and see what it conveys. Be aware of what your position and stance are communicating.

Also, it’s important that you need to be important so you are giving the right impression.

Think about how to be comfortable and confident while giving the interviews.

Have Your Go-To Phrase

You must avoid the dead air and you need time to stall and gather the right thought.

So you need strategies that work well, you need to come up with some of the go-to phrases.