How to prepare for job interviews

In this lesson we list 4 things you need to do to successfully prepare for job interviews.

1. Be an interview athlete

Successful athletes prepare in advance to perform when it matters. Their success is an accumulation of hard-work, practice and preparation. The same should apply to you when attending a job interview.

2. Prepare smart

There is no point spending hours researching a subject or topic if there is little chance it will be raised during the interview. Try to find out what you need to prepare from the information provided in the job advert. Remember to prepare what to wear and how you to travel to the interview venue in advance. Do not leave this until the day of the interview – you do not want to arrive incorrectly dressed, late, or at the wrong location.

3. Understand the scoring system

Many employers prepare a list of identical questions that are asked to each candidate during the job interview. Each question will give the candidate the chance to score points based on a set criterion. In theory the candidate who scores the highest amount of points will be offered the job. Try to think of the job interview as a test and think about what questions you might be asked and how you could answer them to score the most marks. Try to answer all questions – failure to do so could cost you vital interview points.

4. Practice

Practice job interviews are great way to find out what areas you are comfortable with and what areas require improvement. They can be extremely useful as they help you to verbalize your answers, think about your body language, gain feedback on your performance, and increase your confidence in interview situations. You can find out more about how to conduct practice job interviews later in this course.

Your task

Analyse the ways you have prepared for job interviews when you have been unsuccessful.

How could you have prepared differently to improve your interview performance?