Top 12 Basic interview preparation tips

Tips 1-3

This is a series of 4 weeks, make sure to check back in next Tuesday!! 

Interviewing for a position can be a stressful experience but some basic preparation

will help ease the discomfort and increase the chances of a successful outcome.

Here are some basic suggestions:

1) Know why you are interviewing with the company.

What is your objective? Advancement opportunities? Higher-quality products? Better brand recognition? Higher compensation? ………

The reasons can be extensive, but basically all boil down to the same point.

Namely, what improvement over your current situation are you hoping to achieve?

You must be able to communicate this clearly and with conviction. Practice expressing this verbally. It can be helpful to record your statement and play it back or role-play the scenario with a trusted person.

2) Know who you will be interviewing with and what their responsibilities are.

Will you be meeting the President, Engineering Manager, Sales Manager, HR…etc.? It is important to know the roles and responsibilities of those you will be meeting with. Each interviewer has their own angle or interest in your person as a candidate. The needs of engineering may differ from sales, marketing or any other functional role. It is important to be sensitive to this and will also help you understand the anticipated degree of interaction with the various departments.

It is an opportunity to demonstrate respect toward the interviewers, your ability to prepare and communication style. It will also help you prepare appropriate questions to ask each interviewer (more on that later).

Be sure to obtain the name and email from each of the interviewers. Ask for their business cards (more on the ‘why’ later). If they do not have them, follow up with HR or your recruiter to obtain them.   

3) Do your homework on the company.

Who are they, what do they do and what is special about them? Look for press releases, review   their website in detail. Use Linked In to see who was recently hired or if other positions have   been vacated. A high employee turnover rate is often a warning sign. How long has the current   management team been in place? What innovations have they brought forth in the past few   years? Who is the main competition and how do they rank against the company?  

This list is by no means exhaustive and each situation is different. The main thing is that you must be prepared. If it becomes clear that you know little to nothing about the company you are interviewing with, that may not be fatal, but it certainly won’t be supportive of making the best impression possible.