How to Prepare Properly for a Job Interview

By JG Côté

The preparation process prior to an interview should be taken extremely serious.  If you have ever prepared for a major exam, presentation or even a previous interview then you understand this importance.

Background:

The key is to access every possible resource you can image relating to the job you will be interviewed for.  For example, if you are interviewing for a Police Officer job, learn the Laws, bylaws, and regulations pertaining to the area/region you are going to be working in.  If you are applying for a construction job, then learn what construction jobs the company has been recently working on, or what does the construction company specialize in (for example concrete work).

Preparation:

Get old interview questions if possible.  Ask others who have been interviewed by the same company or for similar jobs.  There are some basic questions you should always be prepared for that are usually asked at most interviews.  I am sure you have probably come across most of them before but I have included them below anyhow.  However, I will not even try to pretend that I can give you all the potential questions seeing as there are endless possibilities depending on what job you are applying for.  Here are some of the basic questions below:

- Tell us about yourself?

- Why do you think you are suited for the job?

- What is your educational background and how is it relevant to the job?

- What can you offer this company/organization?  Why?

- Give an example of a situation where you had to use you skills and experience to do your job?

- Give an example of a situation where you had to deal with conflict resolution.

Sometimes an interviewer will ask you a simple strait forward question that seems foolish to you.  For example, are you willing to work overtime, travel away from home, etc?  If you are seriously applying for a career position, then of course you should always say yes.  You would be amazed the number of people who respond foolishly to simple questions.  This is a quick and simple way for employers to weed out the really bad candidates.

Practice:

Practice, practice, practice!  I cannot stress this enough.  The only way to fully prepare for an interview properly is to practice as many possible questions before hand.  Remember, this is like a college or university exam, except here only one-person passes (he or she who gets the job) and everyone else fails.  You want to be the one who passes and this can only happen if you thoroughly practice all of the possible interview questions.  Aside from the questions, you must also ensure that you are up to speed with any technical or professional information that may pertain to your field of work.  For example, if you are being interviewed to be a mechanical engineer at a tractor factory, make sure you are up to speed with everything to do with tractor manufacturing. 

As well, it is absolutely crucial to know as much information as possible about the organization you are being interviewed by.  Some interview questions are sometimes specifically about the company or organization interviewing you.  They want to see if you are really interested in the job and if you take their organization serious.  The best way for them to do this is to ask questions about the organization to see if you did your homework. 

In addition, try to inform yourself of any current issues in the industry or profession.  Often interviewers like to ask questions pertaining to different issues in the profession to see if you are keeping yourself current and up to speed with all that is occurring in the industry.  

Something to note, if you put something down on your resume, be absolutely prepared to back it up.  Some employers are infamous for trying to catch people in a lie, and would like nothing better then to catch you in a bind.  If you indicated a specific skill that you have, make sure you are brushed up in your abilities and can back it up.  Many professionals are required to do calculations relating to their field of work, so be prepared if you said you could something specific.

Courtesy of: The Job Helper

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