5 Simple Steps You Can Follow to Prepare
For Your Next Job Interview
So
you've finally had a callback for an interview from all of those
resumes you've sent out. However, now you need to prepare for the
interview itself.
Preparing for a job interview is a never-ending process for many
Las Vegas job seekers.
One of the biggest mistakes a job seeker can make is to not be
fully prepared. Simply dressing nicely and having a nice resume
are not enough to give you an advantage over other seasoned people
seeking the same position as you. You need to stand out from the
competition every time.
Here's what you can do. The smart job seeker will follow five-simple-
steps to ensure that they'll present themselves in such a manner
that will distinguish themselves from other candidates.
These steps are not at all difficult; they are simple things you
can do to significantly increase your chances of making a positive,
lasting impression during your interview.
These steps work because they polish your professional image. By
following these five-simple-steps, you'll be putting together a
picture of yourself that's complete and solid.
Being well prepared will also show the interviewer your level of
dedication to providing quality work. Finally, being well prepared
will increase your confidence, and that confidence will show during
the interview.
Fact! Being prepared gives you a huge advantage!
Here are five-simple-steps you can take to prepare for your next
job interview:
1. Make a recent assessment of your skills
and your resume.
It's wise to do a self-assessment annually and extremely important
that you do one when you're looking for employment.
Reassessing your skills, talents, strengths, interests, work values,
and accomplishments will help you reassess your resume and know
what direction you really want to go.
Always reference your accomplishments! This will help bolster your
confidence as it's often easy to forget even notable successes in
the course of day-to-day life.
Do you have a portfolio of your accomplishment to wow the interviewer?
Keep your accomplishments on file with articles, congratulatory
letters, and compliments from bosses and satisfied customers. Always
have a record of your successful projects available at your fingertips.
2. Research the company that's interviewing
you.
Use what available time you have before the interview to learn
all you can about the company that's interviewing you and the position
for which you're being interviewed.
Use libraries, bookstores and the Internet to look for any reference
materials useful to you to expand on your knowledge of the company.
This will definitely help you as you prepare for the interview.
Doing this also helps you to prepare questions to ask the interviewer.
Use caution though.
Make sure they are not questions that can be easily answered in
company literature or on the company website.
3. Conduct practice interviews.
Being able to perform well in interviews is a skill, and like all
other skills it improves with practice. If you can find a trusted
friend or training center that offers mock interviews and interview
workshops, take advantage of them.
Practicing with friends and family can help as well. If at all
possible, video the mock interviews so you can study how you look
and/or sound, and figure out what you can do improve.
4. Decide on your attire.
While appearance isn't everything to a successful interview, it's
still very important and will have a direct impact on making a first
impression with a potential employer.
Know the dress code for the company at which you're interviewing,
and dress a notch above that. It's difficult to go wrong with a
business suit.
Make sure your clothing is clean and pressed, and try it on well
in advance to assess the comfort level of the clothing. As strange
as that may sound, it does make a difference.
Make sure that nothing is too short or too tight, or uncomfortable
clothing can become a distraction - to you and the interviewer.
Less is more - keep your clothing simple, yet elegant, and jewelry
to a minimum. Breathe mints, well-groomed hair and a final inspection
immediately before you visit the facility where the interviews are
being conducted are a must. Assume nothing - be prepared!
5. Know where you're going.
Being late to an interview, for whatever reason, can be disastrous
and will always have a negative impact on your chances of getting
the job.
Know the exact location of the interview, and if possible, visit
the location beforehand.
Plan to arrive early - at least ten-minutes beforehand and allow
plenty of time for traffic delays and/or weather.
You're encouraged to arrive at least 10 minutes prior to a scheduled
interview time, but never more than 20 minutes earlier.
Sometimes interviewer's may be running ahead of schedule and it
will benefit them if you're a few minutes early.
When you know where you're going and you pre-plan your arrival
time in advance, you'll definitely be positioned and prepared for
the interview.
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