3 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW
So, your CV has been approved and you’ve officially moved onto the interview stage. You may run straight to planning potential answers, digging through the company LinkedIn, and even rehearsing out loud… or not.
You may be the type to just waltz into an interview room with no real idea about the job or the company.
People argue that it helps you to be more authentic and calms the nerves a bit more – but trust me – it often doesn’t work in your favour.
1. IT’S NOT JUST YOU
Just because you got the interview, it doesn’t mean you’re going to land the role because they will be conducting more than one interview.
Many people see the interview as a huge win, and although it is a win (congratulations!), don’t start celebrating to the point of relaxation.
Being too “chill” will lead you down a path of entitlement, which will only hurt you in the long run. While you’re relaxing, there’s other candidates trying their hardest to stand out.
You may be confident in your skillset, great! But what if there’s people with better?
What if they’ve worked in that specific industry longer than you?
What if they show humility and natural confidence, rather than arrogance and self-entitlement?
Always approach interviews knowing you’re capable, but never approach interviews expecting employers to know you’re capable.
2. EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW YOU’RE PASSIONATE
Course you want the job… but how much?
Like the previous point, there are potentially plenty of other people going for the same role as you. Some may have the exact same experience, but what could set them apart could be purely down to passion.
If you’re passionate about something, you try hard. You spend time looking through the job spec, the company, the values, and what you can say that will impress them (sometimes rehearsing out loud).
Employers don’t just want to know you have the right skillset – they want to know whether you’re going to have the dedication and interest to use them effectively.
In fact, 47% of recruiters would reject candidates who have little knowledge about the company they’re applying for (Twin Employment). Why? Because it shows a lack of care.
Whether you’re applying for 10 other roles, make it look like this job is your favourite and go all out to show how much you want it. Employers want to see you have a passion for the industry and the goals they’re trying to achieve – not just for the money and self-gratification.
So, try your best with them all. It’s much better to have 3 job offers because you showed genuine passion, than have 1 or none which gives you nothing to choose from.
3. YOU’LL FEEL MORE IN CONTROL
There’s nothing worse than sitting in an interview chair with a blank face because you’ve been asked a question you have no idea how to answer.
Of course, there’s no way you can fully predict how an interview is going to go, but with smart preparation, you should be able to have an idea about what they’re going to want to know.
If you look well-prepared, confident, and calm, it displays to an employer that you’re capable. You’ll be much more likely to guide the conversation in a way that reflects your abilities – which is always a win!
It also allows you to display your personality because rather than struggling to answer simple questions about the role, you can display your interest, ask questions, and get to know more about the employers
Most employers don’t want a super formal and structured interview because it gives them no chance to get to know the candidate as a person. But if that candidate is struggling to even explain why they’d like the job – it makes that quite difficult to start conversation.
- Written by Shannon Matthews
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