Do you have an interview coming up that you need to prepare for? Whether you have never had an interview or you have done plenty, it is important to prepare ahead of time. Lets walk through some steps on how to be interview ready!
Find an appropriate outfit – A general rule of thumb is to dress one step up from what they wear on the day-to-day. So if they dress business casual for work, you should business profession for your interview. There are some exceptions to this like the healthcare field. Often healthcare workers wear scrubs, but it is considered a very professional industry so you would want to dress professionally.
Do research on the company – It’s important to know everything you can about what you are applying for so you sound knowledgeable about why you want to work there. You will also want to have 3-5 questions to ask the interviewer at the end and it shouldn’t be about things that you could have easily found on the website.
Practice your answers – Take some time to think about the questions you could be asked and make sure you have ideas on how to answer them. You will likely be asked several “tell me about a time when” questions, so think of situations in your past jobs and experiences that would be good to talk about. Don’t just brainstorm, but practice them out loud or to another person as well so you know how it will sound.
Know how and when to get there – If you have an in person interview you should arrive 15 minutes early so it is important to know where you are going and where you can park ahead of time. Keep in mind that the interview starts the moment you step out of your car. Smile and be friendly to everyone you meet on the way in because you want to show that you can make a good impression.
If this feels overwhelming, head on over to the ‘about us’ tab on our website and make an appointment with any of our career coaches or career mentors to discuss interview prep or practice interview questions!
