Interviewing for a new job is tough, and not just in the moments leading up to it. Anyone who’s been through the process knows how nerve-wracking it is to get that call from a prospective employer with ic qa cs amazon job description, or worse yet, not hear back at all.
This article will give you some tips on what you can do before and during an interview to make sure that your journey comes to a happy conclusion. So don’t delay — read on for some great advice!
1. Make sure you know that the interview is for a certain position.
When you’re preparing, research your potential new employer to make sure that you have all of the basic information about their company. One of the most common mistakes people make is bypassing this step, and consequently showing up to the interview not knowing what they’re being asked to do there.
Before you even set foot in the interview, read and memorize all of the job-specific requirements in order to appear as if you’ve done your research and are well prepared for whatever lies ahead.
2. Do not bring your child to an interview.
In the end, this is one of the simplest pieces of advice I can give you. This mistake has been made countless times, and you’re better than that.
If your child is young, then by all means bring him or her — but only if you’re so broke that you need to bring in extra money from a second job. If your child is old enough to talk and make noise, then they are old enough to stay at home with a babysitter while you go speak with an employer.
3. Take time to research the layout of the interview location before visiting it.
There is nothing more unnerving than arriving at an interview and realizing you’re in the wrong place. The next thing you know, you’re wondering when a person who took their job off their desk is going to come back in and tell you that you’re late…
If possible, take a few minutes before your interview to familiarize yourself with the layout of the building so that your feet will feel comfortable walking up to it, and so that you won’t be surprised when the door opens.
4. Do not show up late.
This may not seem like a big deal, but believe me — it is. Arriving early to an interview can be beneficial in many ways, but the biggest is that it sets you up as a respectful and well prepared individual.
5. Be friendly, but not to the point of being fake.
Depending on who you are and what kind of person you’re interviewing with, this may be a bit more difficult than others. Regardless, I would advise against faking friendliness; it just doesn’t seem to come off as genuine most of the time.
6. Prepare for everything that’s going to happen during an interview (and make sure you know exactly what is going to happen).
This may seem like a very basic piece of advice, but it really can help you to feel more confident and prepared once you show up at the interview. I wouldn’t expect anyone to have a perfect idea of what will take place on their first interview, but if you’re a bit familiar with the process, it makes things much easier.
Knowing what will happen during an interview can make you feel more at ease because there’s no new information that might catch you off guard (and therefore leave you appearing unprepared).
7. Remember that most interviews are not supposed to be extremely long.
While some interviews can take hours, many of them are the opposite — and for good reason. The employer needs to see how you hold up under pressure, and if you finish an interview with a person who’s exhausted and sick of talking to you, then there’s a pretty good chance that it’s not going to go well.
8. Do not get overly heated when arguing with someone during an interview.
Let me just say this: if the person interviewing you cannot control their anger, they do not need to be in a position where they get to tell others what to do on a regular basis. This may seem like an obvious statement, but I don’t know why people still make this mistake.
9. Show up on time for your interview, but don’t be overbearing about it.
If you show up five minutes late to your interview, then I wouldn’t be too mad at you. You’re not the one who decided to have an extended conversation with the person interviewing you, so don’t try to take all of their time with you (even if they did decide to talk with you for a while).
Summary:
The above tips should give you a pretty clear and easy guide to following during your interview. If you follow them and practice your preparation techniques in advance of the big day, then you’ll definitely come out ahead!
