Preparation for an Interview

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

—Arthur Ashe

Ace your next interview with thorough preparation. Clear your schedule, research the company and interviewers, and craft thoughtful questions. Be yourself and relax!

Congratulations…you have an interview. Now is the time to make the best of this opportunity.  Don’t ‘wing it’.  Luck is when preparation meets opportunity…so prepare.

Start with logistics.  Have you cleared your schedule by canceling any conflicting phone calls or meetings?  Map out the route and likely time to travel to the interview location (unless it is virtual).  Think about the sequence of events and timing for your start time, travel time and build in a reasonable cushion that allows you 15 minutes or more in the parking lot to prep.

Now it is time to focus on the person (or people) that will be interviewing you.  Do some research on them through LinkedIn, on the company website, maybe social media and possibly just some Google searches.  Work to find common connection points between you and them.  This could be…

·       a shared alma-mater,

·       shared co-workers,

·       common industry,

·       common companies you worked for

·       similar interests (sports, volunteering, etc.)

There may not be much, but there is a likelihood that a portion of the time you will find something.  This is now a point that you might be able to work into the interview conversation.  First impressions are important, and you are looking to be memorable.

Next spend some time on the website of the company.  What are their key product lines?  How good is their marketing?  Read up on the history of the company.  What are some of their recent press releases? Read about which industries they work in.  What are some of the company certifications?  Do they post their company values? You want to have some level of product and company knowledge heading into the interview.  The company website is a good resource and indication of what the company feels is important. 

Another resource to review is the published job description.  Most companies take a fair bit of time to write up this document.  They will be specific about what they are looking for and it will give you some clues on what questions they will likely be sending your way during the interview.  Take some of the major themes and list them on a paper.  Then take some time to write down key thoughts on experiences that might pertain to this, stories of past success, thoughts on approaches to this topic, ideas you like from books or speakers you have heard.

If a recruiter is involved in the process, or even an HR leader from the company, it is worth 10 minutes to have a conversation with them prior to the meeting.  See if they are willing to take a call and just ask them to give you their thoughts on key points to be addressed in the interview.  They won’t know all the details, but they will likely know a few of the key topics that will be brought up.  This is also a good opportunity to confirm the schedule, the people you will meet with and what the suggested (or appropriate) dress code might look like.

Take 10 minutes and write out 3-5 questions that you will want to have ready to ask your interviewer(s) if you are given the chance.  What do you really want to know about this role and this company?  You are engaged in a significant life decision, and you owe it to yourself to do your due diligence on this prospect.  You also want to look prepared, and you are not going to impress anyone if you are given the chance to ask a question and then end up staring at your interviewer like a deer in the headlights. 

A final idea for you is to take your resume and re-read this document.  Remember that this is likely the one piece of information that your interviewers have looked at.  You should remind yourself of what you have written and may be in their minds.  It is also a good opportunity for you to reflect on your past experiences, stories that you may want to relate and accomplishments.

The last piece of preparation is your mind and your look.  Plan out your wardrobe the night before so you don’t have to think about it the next day.  You may also want to try on some of your clothes to ensure their proper fit…sometimes our bodies change a bit with age.  Then get a good night sleep, allow plenty of time in the morning to be prepared, eat normally or at least ensure that you are going to be awake and not suffering from a grumbling stomach or lack of energy.

All of this is important and will have a positive impact on your interview.  However, the last things to think about is that you need to be yourself and try to relax.  Ultimately you are who you are, and the last thing you want is to land a new job where people are expecting someone that you are not.  Do your best, but be authentic.  This will either be a good match or both parties will figure out that it isn’t a ‘best’ fit.