Even if you have fewer than 24 hours, a little job interview preparation can help you stand out from the other candidates. You have
probably gone for a few interviews, or maybe this could be your first.
Either way, this article is a complete guide on your getting to know the last minute interview tips that work. This is interesting and you can learn new things that could help you land that dream job.
Table of contents
Why Do You Need Interview Tips?
If you are about to go for an interview, using an interview tip is important for structuring your questions, planning out how you would answer questions of the interviewer and setting an outline for conducting a follow-up.
There are several more reasons why interview tips can be important tools,
including:
Maintaining consistency with multiple interviewers
Interview tips are excellent for keeping your questions
consistent throughout multiple interviews. When you develop your interview
tips, you would have an outline that you can use for each interview you go for.
Planning for multi-level interview answers
You can use your tips to help you plan out different levels of answers you want to ask an interviewer. For instance, you can structure your interview tips so that you start the conversation with general questions about interests or hobbies and move into more industry- and skill-related questions.
Creating opportunities for more detailed feedback
Another important reason to follow through with interview tips is
that it can give you a structured way to provide feedback and gain a deeper
understanding of the interviewee’s personality, experience and knowledge.
How Best Do I Prepare for My Interview?
You can use the STAR interview method to prepare for behavioural interviews. This STAR technique basically helps you structure your response to behavioural interview questions. Using this method, you create a deliberate story-arc your interviewer can easily follow.
Here is how it works;
Situation– This entails the context of your story. In setting the situation, you are telling your listener when or where this event took place. For example, “We
were working on a six-month contract for a high-value client when our agency merged with another, larger firm…”
Task– What was your role in this situation? For example, “It was my role to lead the transition for my group while also communicating with our client to keep the project on track.”
Action– What did you do? For example, “I set up weekly check-ins with the client to update them on the progress of the merger. This cemented an important level of trust between us. I also had regular one-on-ones with each person on the team, both to assess how they were handling the change and to make sure we would meet our deadlines.”
Result– What did your actions lead to? For example, “We ended up completing the project on time, meeting all of their specifications. It was incredibly rewarding to navigate a lot of change and succeed under pressure.”
Best 20 Interview Tips that Work
1. Dress the part
You are going for an interview. Your dressing makes you look the part. Remember that first impression matters. How you dress is part of your first impression. Look at pictures on social media and the company website to see what people wear to the office. Then, dress up a little better than that. But try not to overdress.
2. Know the language
Look at other job descriptions for the same role and pick out key phrases that you should be able to talk comfortably about, and then study up on those. If you do this last minute, you can get yourself to be more comfortable around the interviewers.
3. Prepare your stories
Almost every question you are asked can be answered with a story. Are you ambitious? A poor answer would be “yes.” A great answer would be “Yes, I’m ambitious. In my last job . . . ” (and then share a short story that shows you are ambitious).
4. Research the Interviewers
If you don’t know who the interviewers are then ask the recruiter or the person who invited you to the interview for intel. There is plenty of information on LinkedIn to help you learn about the interviewers, where they went to school, other companies they worked at, things they like. If you share a common interest with them, it’s a huge opportunity for you to appeal to their soft side. This is a trick that works.
5. Know the company
There is no excuse to go into an interview and ask general questions about a company. Doing so shows you didn’t care enough about the opportunity to do any research. You should have some questions prepared, ones that will show you did your research and dug deep.
Hopefully, this is no-brainer information for you. You should also be prepared to talk about company specifics (locations, size, revenue, goals, etc.). If the company is big, or hires a lot, a quick online search might surface some common interview questions you should be ready to answer.
6. Do industry research
What industry and competitor trends can you speak about? Who are
the main competitors in this space? Again, smart questions and conversation
about this will show you cared enough to do your research. Once you show you did industry research and have what it takes, you are already more than half
way in.
7. Find employees or past employees on LinkedIn and ask them for interviewing advice
You will learn different things from current or past employees. Past employees are likely more open about company issues and team dynamics while current employees might share information about the interview process. Either way, you are making new network connections and gathering information to help in your interview.
8. Let your personality out
The interview is a time to impress others. Make sure you are not so guarded and careful in what you say and how you sit so you don’t come across as too reserved. It’s not just about whether you can do the job, the interviewers want to know whether they want to work with you. They want to get a feel for your personality. Your ability to fit into the team is as important
as whether you have the skills they are looking for.
9. Reign in your quirks
Remember that in your interview, you should not let them know
everything about you. Say the important things and leave out the rest. Talking too much and exposing things you aren’t meant to expose. This could lead to their judging you too fast and concluding on things they should ordinarily not conclude on.
10. Arrive at the interview 30 minutes early
My personal rule has been to get to the interview location at least 30 minutes early. This allows for any time that might be lost because of bad traffic or getting a little lost. GPS is great but sometimes you find yourself in a parking garage configuration that is confusing enough that you might waste time driving around. However, do not go in too early. You can just sit in your car or in the lobby and rehearse on tips you already got down.
11. Make a solid first impression
Smile, and make eye contact with your interviewers. Extend a firm handshake to everyone you sit down with. Not to make you feel self-conscious, but realize the interviewers scrutinize that everything you do.
12. Know how you are going to nail the “tell me about yourself” question
You know they are going to ask a question introducing yourself. Why not script out a great answer and practice delivering it? What can you say that will help you stand out from other interviewers and put your best foot forward as the right person for this role?
13. Have a solid exit strategy
When the interview is over think about how you will make your
exit. This includes a “do you have anything else” opportunity to give
your final pitch, or to ask a really insightful question. You might also ask,
“When should I expect to hear back from you?” or “When are you
making a decision for this role?” Any of these questions further express
your interest in the role. Be sure you reiterate your interest in the role, and
note your preferred method of contact.
14. Take advantage of every second you get to show off your best self
Your interview is not the time to ask for coffee, go to the bathroom, or do anything else that might distract from the precious time you get with your interviewers. I know it’s ridiculous to even suggest that someone might need to go to the bathroom during an interview but it happens. Imagine that you need to be physically prepared for a meeting for about an hour, and do what you need to before the interview so you don’t introduce any personal distractions.
15. Follow Up
Want to stand out? Follow up. Want to say one more thing, or reiterate a point? Follow up. Do you really want the job? Follow up! Do know, however, that there’s an art to following up.
16. Prepare responses to key questions
Think through how you’ll respond to some of the more
common questions that interviewers ask, such as “tell me about
yourself” or “why should we hire you.”
You may even want to write down responses to one or two of these questions and practice delivering them so you can answer them with confidence during the interview. It’s also a good idea to review some of the most common interview questions that employers ask during interviews for your specific role.
17. Review the Job Description
Even if you have only a small amount of time before your interview, re-read the job description for the position to re-familiarize yourself with exactly what the employer is looking for in a candidate. Take note of the key experiences they want the candidate to have and the skills they are looking for. By having these top of mind, it will be easier to refer to them during your interview.
18. Connect with employees online
Follow the company on social media and connect with any employees who work there. If time allows, you could even ask some questions about the company or the position in advance, giving you even more background
information you could refer to during your interview.
19. Identify some key examples
Think of a few career stories that you can draw upon during your
interview. For example, it’s a good idea to have stories about times you’ve
solved problems in your position, how you acted as a leader and times that you worked as part of a team. If there are specific skills that are important for
the position, it’s important to identify stories you can use as examples to
demonstrate your proven skills. For example, if the role requires strong collaboration skills, have an example of a time you collaborated with a team to achieve a goal.
20. Find something unique about yourself
Think of something that could make you stand out as a candidate for the interviewer, something that other candidates may not have that could make you memorable. For example, you might have some specific qualifications or transferrable skills that make you unique as a candidate. Perhaps you have a background in marketing that will give you a unique perspective as part of an IT team. Think through what makes you unique and the best candidate for the role.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. That just looks very unprofessional. Try to memorize
everything on the paper instead
Being nervous can do this to you. Empty your bladder as
much as you can before you go. And by all means, stay calm.
Remember you have come this far. Remind yourself of all the reasons why you need this job, then challenge yourself by going in.
This barely ever happens. Most of the time, you would
simply be told that they would get back to you. It would hurt, but be ready to pick yourself up.
Calm down. Focus. Take deep breaths.
Conclusion
Having to prepare for an interview can be a lot. From your picking out your clothes to trying to project on the questions you could be asked. Either way, these are the last minute interview tips that work. Do not be scared to take the bull by the horn.
References
- quora.com – What-last-minute-interview-tips-can-improve-your-chances-of-being-selected/
- themedicportal.com – nine-last-minute-interview-tips/
- glassdoor.com – interview-questions-you-should-be-prepared-to-answer-this-month/
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