How to Prepare for Your Next Job Interview

Welcome

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module you will be able to:

Preparation helps you build more confidence

What happens if you don't prepare for your job interview

• You freeze on the easy questionsTap to see what this looks likeTell me about yourself is the one everybody gets. Without a prepared answer it is also the one people fall apart on, in the first two minutes, before they have shown anything.Tap to turn back
• You sound like everybody elseTap to see what this looks likeHard worker. People person. Good team player. The panel has heard it forty times today. Nothing you said gives them a reason to remember you.Tap to turn back
• They can tell you did not look them upTap to see what this looks likeNot knowing what the company actually does reads as not caring enough to find out. It is the easiest thing to fix and the most obvious thing to skip.Tap to turn back
• You run on nerves instead of a planTap to see what this looks likeUp at 6:30 hunting for a clean shirt, no idea where the office is, on the wrong train. You arrive with nothing left for the questions.Tap to turn back
• You have nothing to ask themTap to see what this looks likeAny questions for us? and you say no. The interview ends flat, and you never find out whether the job was even right for you.Tap to turn back

Quick check

Two questions on what you have just read.

What happens when you prepare

• You have answers readyTap to see what this looks likeYou have thought about what they will ask and you have said the words out loud at least once. The questions stop being a surprise.Tap to turn back
• Your stories do the workTap to see what this looks likeA real thing that happened, with a name and a place and how it ended, lands harder than any adjective you could use about yourself.Tap to turn back
• They can see you did the homeworkTap to see what this looks likeOne detail about the company, dropped in naturally, tells them you want this job and not just a job.Tap to turn back
• The nerves turn into something usefulTap to see what this looks likeThe racing heart and the butterflies do not go away. Prepared, you get to read them as excitement instead of fear, and that is what they see.Tap to turn back
• You find out if they are right for youTap to see what this looks likeYou came with two questions of your own. You leave knowing who you would report to and what the place is actually like.Tap to turn back

Quick check

Two questions on what you have just read.

Watch

Check what landed

Three questions on what you just watched. You can go back and watch it again at any time.

The 3 ways to get ready

Homework, Practice, Game day

• 1Do your homeworkWhat do you know about them, and what will you bring?Tap to see howDo your homeworkLook up what the company does and find one detail worth mentioning. Get your real stories ready. Pick two questions to ask them. All of it before the day.Tap to turn back
• 2Practice out loudHave you said the words, or only thought them?Tap to see howPractice out loudThinking an answer is not the same as saying it. Say it to the mirror. Record it on your phone and watch it back. You will hear things you did not know you were doing.Tap to turn back
• 3Get ready before game dayWhat can you sort tonight so tomorrow is only the interview?Tap to see howGet ready before game dayClothes on the chair. Bag packed. Route checked. Then on the day, slow breaths, and remember you are not scared, you are excited.Tap to turn back

Six tips, three habits. Do these and the rest of it follows.

6 Tips to get you ready

• Do your homeworkFind out what the company does and who they work with. Drop one detail into the conversation. They notice straight away, and it tells them you chose them.
• Practise the night beforeWork out what they are likely to ask and answer it out loud. In front of the mirror. Record it on your phone and watch it back. You will catch yourself rushing.
• Use your own storiesDo not borrow somebody else's and do not make one up. A real thing that happened to you, with how it ended, is the strongest answer you have.
• Interview them backBring two questions of your own. Who would you report to? What does a good week look like here? It shows you are choosing too, not just hoping.
• Pack your kit the night beforeClothes out on the chair, bag packed, route checked. At 6:30 in the morning you will not think straight. Last night you did.
• Breathe, and reframe itSlow breaths before you go in. The racing heart is not fear, it is energy. Call it excitement and your body gives you the use of it.

Reflection

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