Job interviews can be stressful. It’s natural to be nervous. After all, they’re a critical part of your professional journey.
So the first thing to remember is to be prepared. You don’t want to wing it in an interview.
Being prepared will make you more confident in a high-stakes interview.
Let’s learn more about interview preparation tips that will help you get the job you want. Here are some interview cracking tips to help you plan for professional success.
Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course has some essential job interview tips, techniques and tools to help you the next time you go for a big job interview.
They include the Rule of Three that can help you speak more impactfully. To use the Rule of Three, list three distinct points that you want to communicate to make an impact.
Five Important Job Interview Tips To Land The Job You Want
- Prepare your answers
One of the many useful tips for interview preparation is to prepare answers to expected questions in advance. To appear confident, you have to know what to say and how to frame your answers.
Here’s how you can do this:
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Learn about the role you are applying for and the organization. Be prepared with responses for questions related to the role you have applied for.
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Identify different channels and social media platforms where you can read about updates, new launches and changes in the company.
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Go through your resume and prepare answers to questions you may be asked about specific experiences and skills you have mentioned in your resume.
Remember, if you are well-prepared for your interview, your answers will be spot-on and concise. Preparation will help you leave a good impression on the interviewer because it reflects your interest in the organization.
- Know your interviewer, not just the company
Conducting research on the interviewer is one of the most important interview preparation tips. This is how it helps:
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If you know a bit about the person or people who will be interviewing you, you can ask better questions.
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Knowing small details about the interviewer can also help you break the ice with them. Perhaps you went to the same college or come from the same hometown.
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Your knowledge of them also reflects well on you as a candidate. After all, not many people make the effort to learn about the hiring manager.
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Look at the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile. This will help you learn about their role in the organization. It will also help you get an inside look into how the company is structured.
This is one of the most useful but most forgotten tips for interview success.
- Practice your introduction
Remember, a first impression is a lasting impression. The way you present yourself and how you tell your story can have a substantial impact on your interview. Here are some useful tips for interview preparation:
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Introduce yourself in a way that ties in with the job role.
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Craft an impactful self-introduction in advance by preparing a short elevator pitch. Harappa’s Speaking Effectively course will help you learn how to do this.
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Make sure your l body language shows confidence. Practice smiling and sitting straight. Remember, your demeanor should be enthusiastic.
- Ask questions and listen well
Remember to prepare a couple of questions about the organization, your role, and anything else that help you understand how the company works. Some of the questions you can ask are:
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‘What are your expectations from the candidate?’
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‘What’s the work culture like?’
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‘How can I advance in this role?’
This shows that you are interested in the organization. It also allows the interviewer to assess whether you want to stay in the company for a long time. Learn to listen well and show interest in the interviewer’s responses. Give the interviewer time to answer each question before you jump to the next one.
- Follow up with a thank-you email
Express your gratitude with a thank you email after your interview. This is an effective tip because:
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An acknowledgment of their time and effort to meet you despite their busy schedule conveys respect and gratitude.
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In a job interview, you are given a short window of time to build a relationship with the interviewer. A thank you email helps you stay on the interviewer’s mind.
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Mention that you enjoyed talking to them and learned a lot about the role or the company. This shows you are a serious candidate.
This can play an important role in determining whether you get the job or not.
Interview cracking tips are helpful as a last-minute refresher right before you go for your interview. Two important job interview tips that you must always remember are preparation and practice.
Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course teaches you about the importance of practicing your elevator pitch before an interview. An elevator pitch is a short one-minute introduction that summarizes the key points about who you are and what your professional goals are.
Sign up for the course for tips on how you can improve your communication skills to land the job of your dreams from expert faculty.
Explore the skills & topics such as Self Introduction for Interview, Types of Interview, Interview Skills & Tips to Crack Personal Interview from our Harappa Diaries blog section and develop your workplace skills.