Acing Your Next Job Interview
If you’re sick of the daily grind and looking to move jobs then there are two key things that you need to do in preparation. You can hope that you’ll get lucky and not bother with them if you want. Having said that, given you spend 35 hours a week, or more, at work it seems to me that it would be sensible to spend a few hours making sure that you get the job you want.
1. CV & Covering Letter / Email
Almost every job asks for a CV. There are lots of resources online like this one. Take your time and read them properly.
Your CV and covering letter are the first things that any potential employer will see. They need to be clear and crisp. You won’t be the only person applying for the job so make sure that their first impression of you is very professional. Be sure to use always use Microsoft Word’s spell and grammar checker.
2. The Job Interview
Again take your time and prepare properly. As the infographic below from Acuity Training shows, a few hours of thorough preparation is all that it takes to put yourself in the top 10% of applicants. Again, as above, it’s about doing the basics well.
Plan your journey, make sure that you will look the part. All pretty basic I can hear you thinking? Well as the infographic explains. Yes it’s basic but no, most people do not do it well. This is where an opportunity presents itself for you. Go these things well and you can improve the 35+ hours per week that you spend at work.
Similarly review your CV and think about how your skills are a good fit for the advertised role. Review the industry that the role is in so that you can talk in detail about it. Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer, these demonstrate the research that you’ve done and show interest. Read proper job interview tips to learn more.
Yes there are all sorts of more advanced techniques that you can use for interviews like mirroring. No you shouldn’t be looking at them before you have the basics sorted. If you do the basics well you will also go into your interview relaxed and confident. That will come through to your interviewer.
