If you’ve just applied for a job, you may be anxiously waiting for the employer’s reply. Waiting is not easy as your thoughts waver between getting selected and rejected. Finally, after this waiting period, you hear from the company’s HR that you have been selected for an interview, making you feel happy and relieved. Your CV and application stood out above the rest of the candidates, successfully passed through screening, and landed you the interview. However, the more significant challenge of passing the interview with flying colors and getting the job remains.
So, you must prepare and practice adequately to make the interview go smoothly to get your desired result. To achieve this, embrace these helpful tips Xyber IT staffing experts have provided in this article. These tips will help you learn how to prepare for an interview to boost your chances of success.
Let’s learn about the tips.
1. Research the company
Gaining thorough knowledge about the company is an essential and foremost part of an interviewee’s preparation before the interview. You need to gather comprehensive information about various aspects of the company. These include what it does, its history, leaders, current and previous employees, achievements, accomplishments, etc. Knowing its mission statement is also important to understand the company’s culture and core values.
You can find this information from multiple sources. These include the company’s website, the social media accounts of the company and its employees, newspapers and online news websites, and Google. This information will help you get a broader picture of the company. Gleaning this information can take a few hours to a whole day.
This information will help you be ready to talk about why you’d like to work there and what you can do for them. Also, interviewers will be impressed when they know you have taken time and pains to learn about the company.
2. Fully understand the open job position
Another job interview preparation tip is a thorough understanding of the role you’ve applied for. First, it will help you know what your interviewer is looking for in you. Then, you can show him why you’d be a great hire.
The roles, responsibilities, and tasks you will be required to perform are already stated in the job description provided by the employer. The description will help you know what skills (problem-solving, creative, leadership, or any other skill) and experiences the employer seeks in you. Also, you can know what problems you need to solve when hired. You can emphasize these experiences, skills, abilities, and competencies in the interview.
3. Find out the interview pattern and prepare accordingly
Different companies conduct different types of interviews. At some interviews, you must meet several people at the company one-on-one, while others may require you to meet multiple people simultaneously.
Some interviews require you to give an interview presentation. In this scenario, the employer will ask you to prepare a presentation on a specific topic in advance or present a blind presentation. Some interviews may be held via telephone or video mode.
It will help if you ask the company’s recruiter or HR about the interview format beforehand. In addition, getting familiar with the interview style will enable you to make your interview preparations accordingly.
4. Learn about the interviewers
It would be best to ask the company’s HR who will be interviewing you. Based on their information, you can visit the LinkedIn profiles of interviewers to learn about their designation and job roles and responsibilities. In addition, it will help you understand what questions they may ask you during the interview. Thus, you can prepare the answers beforehand.
5. Know how to present yourself
Self-introduction inan interview is essential for both fresh and experienced candidates. Therefore, you need to work on telling your whole story clearly but briefly (in one minute). Your story will encompass aspects like where you’re from, where you currently live, your academic background, work experience, current work, and what you seek. The more you practice telling your story, the better you can confidently express it in front of your interviewers. Your presentation should be concise, given the limited time of the interview.
6. Prepare to talk about your career path in a simple manner
Interviewers will want to know about your career path and how it fits the job position in their company. To understand it, they will say, “Tell me about yourself” or “Walk me through your resume.” Accordingly, you need to tell them about your relevant job experience, from the oldest to the most recent one, in a summarized way. Do mention the company, its industry, and what your role was in it. You should be able to talk about your work experience in one or two minutes maximum.
7. Talk about your projects
You may have worked on some projects relevant to the position you will be interviewed for. Share key information about these projects with your interviewers, including the challenges you encountered in them and how your skills and abilities contributed to their success. Maintain brevity while talking about these projects. This information will help interviewers know you have the skills and expertise necessary for the position. As a result, they may consider hiring you for it.
8. Mention numbers
While discussing your accomplishments in your current and previous jobs, remember to talk about the numbers. These numbers can be related to the amount of time/cost saved, the extent of the increase in efficiency, the percentage increase in customer engagement, etc. Mentioning these numbers will help you create a great impression of your skills and achievements in the interviewers’ minds.
9. Show enthusiasm
During the interview, show your enthusiasm and excitement for the job. Your positive and confident demeanor and enthusiasm for the offered job will put the interviewers at ease and make them keen to engage you. Apart from the desired aptitude and personality for the job, they also want to ensure that you will be happy if offered the position.
Show your passion for learning and advancement if the job requires you to undergo training programs and professional IT certification.
10. Prepare for technical interviews or skill tests
If you have applied for an information technology position, be prepared for a technical interview ahead that will test your skills and knowledge. Depending on the position, roles, tasks, and responsibilities, the skills may include problem-solving, creative, or leadership skills. In these kinds of tests, you will be asked certain IT-related questions. So it would be best to practice them by procuring a prep book from a bookstore. Such questions and their answers are also available in various web-based resources.
These IT (information technology) and technical questions and answers are helpful for interview preparation for both freshers/entry-level candidates and experienced ones.
11. Work on your interview skills
Apart from your communication skills, the interviewer will also judge your other interview skills, like active listening and empathy. These skills will enable you to impress the interviewer and give him a sense of what it might be like to work with you as a colleague.
12. Brush up your speaking skills
You must work on your speaking skills to speak confidently and calmly before the interviewer. Try speaking out loud in front of a mirror or record yourself on the phone. It will help you figure out the areas where you need to improve.
Indulging in mock interview sessions can also help improve your communication skills and confidence. Your friend or loved one can act as an interviewer and ask you questions in these sessions.
13. Practice the right body language
During an interview, you may unintentionally exhibit certain body gestures and movements that may give a wrong impression to the interviewer. For example, sitting with your arms and legs crossed can tell the interviewer that you are closed off or feel defensive. It is important to think about such movements and avoid them when it matters.
14. Ask interviewers questions
Before the interview ends, your interviewer may ask, “Do you have any questions?” These questions may be related to IT or any other industry job and the company offering the particular position. To confidently ask these questions, consider them and prepare them in advance.
15. Also focus on these things
Certain things are not directly related to your interview but can impact your performance if you don’t consider including them in your interview planning. These include wearing the proper clothing, looking clean and best, and printing enough copies of your resume for all the interviewers.
They also include having a printed list of important team members in your present and previous organizations and testing relevant equipment for a telephonic or video interview. Moreover, you need to pack your bag and learn about available travel facilities in advance. It will help you reach your interview venue on time. Furthermore, it would help to jot down important questions to ask and reply to in an interview, remain calm, and get a good night’s sleep.
We hope you can confidently surpass any interview with these helpful, easy tips. Whether you are a fresher or an experienced candidate, these interview tips from Xyber IT (a leading and best IT staffing agency in the U.S.) will help you begin your interview preparation on the right note. Moreover, to receive the latest updates on job openings in your area and beyond, join the Xyber IT job mailing list.
Practice these tips with your heart, confidently face the interviewers, and impress them to give you your dream job.
