How to Prepare for an Interview
You maybe the best candidate for a job, but that is no guarantee that you will be offered it. Experience and qualifications are important, but you may also have to sell yourself as the best person for the post. This requires you to know as much about the position as possible. Here are some procedures to go through: first of all, think about how you can make your best impression on the interviews. You should not present yourself as being different from what you are, but you can present yourself in a positive way. Consider what the interviewers’ likely prejudices and dislikes maybe and take these into account when answering questions and unveiling your personalities and reflect on the personal qualities that might be necessary for the work you will be doing. These qualities will surely be expected and perhaps even tested in the interview. If the company wants an aggressive go-getter, for instance, you had better not project a timid and overcautious self-image in the interview room. Research the company, the more you know about your potential employers, the better. Investigate their products, try them, if appropriate and keep a look out for their advertisements. Visit a library, read trade magazines, newspapers, company brochures and reports that will bring you up-to-date with the latest developments of the company. Find out what the company’s priorities are. Suppose they play great emphasis on turnover and quick profit, you will then need to stress the revenue you generated in your last job rather than the research projects you supervised for five years. But if your prospective employers are deeply committed to a program of research and development, you should play up your academic or supervising skills.
Know about your own strength. Sit down with a pen and paper and march your skills and experience to the job description in an advertisement. Think out the employer would benefit by choosing you rather than another candidate. Apart from the practical skills required, consider the less tangible qualities the employers might be searching for. Do you have potential and certainly areas which could be realized if given the chance? How do you read yourself in terms of created thinking, leaders’ qualities and the ability to work under pressure? Jot down incidents in which you have to display these characteristics. Know about your weaknesses. Good interviewers are practiced in finding the weaknesses in the candidates. So don’t imagine you are certain to get away with anything, but what you cannot hide you can always explain provided you are well prepared. And if you think positive way about yourself, you can turn those explanations to your advantage.