Preparing for an Interview? Spend your time wisely

Take a moment to remember everything you did to prepare for your last interview. If you spent more time debating your wardrobe than practicing your elevator pitch or preparing interview questions, there might be a reason you didn’t get called back.

These days it takes much more than a nice suit and a smile to impress an employer. It takes thorough preparation. But what does that mean, and how can you streamline your interview preparation time, so you get the maximum benefit from the least amount of time?

First of all, the best time to start preparing for an interview is before you even have one. That means starting now. While some tools are specific to each job posting, if you start familiarizing yourself with the interview process early, you can easily research the company, customize your responses, and craft your reverse interview questions when you get the call.

Don’t know how to get started? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

The Interview Trainer on TheProfessional.me takes the guesswork out of interview prep by breaking down your interview into manageable parts and coaching you through everything from how to answer the most common interview questions to surefire ways to create compelling questions that show off your knowledge and interest.

But it all starts with a simple question.

Tell me about yourself.

Whether you’re in IT, healthcare or just about any other professional industry, this deceptively simple question is often the first thing asked in an interview. Most interviewers make up their minds about potential employees within the first few minutes of the interview, so it’s essential that you knock this question out of the park.

But don’t be confused; employers don’t want to hear about your hobbies, favorite foods, or anything else about you when they ask this question. They also don’t want you to start rehashing your work history. What they really want you to do is summarize your unique value in a way that lets them know what you can do for them.

Luckily, the Elevator Pitch Generator on TheProfessional.me gives all the tools and guidance you need to create the kind of value-based statements that employers are looking for. The tool is free and takes just a few minutes to complete. There’s just no easier way to come up with the perfect answer to what might be your job interview’s hardest question.

No one has all the answers

You’ll never be able to anticipate every question your interviewer will ask, but that’s okay; you don’t have to! The Interview Trainer not only reveals commonly-asked questions for your position, but more importantly, it teaches you how to answer any question quickly and concisely.

The truth is that, when answering a question, most candidates just don’t know when to quit talking. This leads to long, rambling answers that lose your interviewers interest and make you look unprofessional. But by using the STAR Method, focused on in the Interview Trainer, you can quickly formulate answers to many kinds of questions on the fly, including the dreaded behavioral questions (these usually begin by asking you to describe a past experience or situation).

Behavioral questions are the most difficult to answer questions and will require you to be able to think on your feet and tell stories that showcase your accomplishments. The bonus is that practicing this method can make you a better story teller in general, but when you focus on the results of your actions, employers can more easily see you accomplishing things for them.

Ask the right questions

For most, the barrage of questions from the interviewer is the most stressful part of the interview. So when they turn it over to you to ask questions, it’s tempting to just call it a day. But that’d be wasting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and commitment to the position by asking a few, well-crafted questions.

While there are several tried-and-true questions that you can ask in any interview, it’s always best to come up with a few yourself. As with all things during the interview, every question you ask should have a way of reinforcing why you are the best candidate for the position. One great way of doing this is to use your research of the company to highlight your own knowledge and value.

When all is said and done, prepare at least six questions for every interview. You might not get to all of them, but this way you’ll have a few options to choose from depending on how the interview progresses. Visit the Interview Trainer for help coming up with unique questions and to find out which questions you should never ask in an interview.

Practice makes almost perfect

The first time you give your elevator pitch or answer an interview question out loud shouldn’t be in the actual interview. Would you perform surgery or try to play a musical instrument after only taking an online class? Of course not! Interviewing is a skill that can be learned but it is complex and takes practice. Make your mistakes during practice with a friend or family member. You can even record your practice with a webcam and play it back to see where you might improve. The more you practice, the better you will get.

It can’t be stressed enough that everything you do and say in your job interview should relate directly to your suitability to the position. Your goal throughout the entire interview is to show your interviewer why you are the best candidate for the job and what you can do for them. This takes more than a nice suit; it takes thorough preparation for all aspects of the interview. 

So don't let another interview opportunity go to waste. Take a few minutes to visit the Interview Trainer on TheProfessional.me and start preparing for your interview the right way. The easy way.