Successful interview: Be prepared!

My former colleague and mentor once told me an anecdote about a candidate he talked to. The gentleman told him that he knows everything about how to successfully do an interview, after all, he was a candidate in about three dozen interviews in that year only. My mentor than asked him: “If you are doing so well, why weren’t you done after 2-3 interviews?

There are very few general guidelines on how to successfully partake in interviews.

There is so much diversity between companies and departments that you can’t pin-point specific behavioural patterns and answers that would always increase your chances and lead you closer to the position you are applying for.

Firstly, you don’t want to give false impressions or create false expectations. You don’t need to dress to impress, but you also shouldn’t wear a tracksuit, a business casual standard is always acceptable everywhere.

Be the best you, but don’t try to dazzle your future colleagues with something you are not. Remember, if all goes well, you’ll be seeing these people very often and they’ll eventually get to know you.

Where am I interviewing?

It always helps to prepare for the interview. You should be very well aware of the company you are applying for. You should know their size, be very familiar with their core business, their revenue, size, potential challenges they face in the market, etc. Being well informed shows a high level of respect for the position you are applying for and the people you are talking to, it also leads to more practical and interesting discussions during the interview.

Try to visualize how your job would look from a practical point of view. What tasks would it entail and how would you tackle them? Go through the job description and address every overlap and open question. If there are any uncertainties, discuss them with your recruiter or the HR partner you applied through. The documents you provided already made you stand out and be invited to an interview, remember that beforehand and focus on relevant subjects.

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