Part 2 of the 30 points ultimate interview guide focuses on how to anticipate the interview questions. As we know, being able to “guess” the interview questions and prepare them in advance can save you a lot of sweat.
ANTICIPATE THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
8. Even if you’re a well-oiled interviewing machine, it’s essential to spend time thinking carefully about what skills, accomplishments, and interview answers will resonate with your interviewers most. Your management abilities? Your creativity? The examples you share will probably be slightly different everywhere you interview.
9. Have an answer to “tell me about yourself” ready to go. Interviewers always ask it, and you want to be sure to nail this first part of the interview.
10. Don’t be thrown off by the classic, “What’s your biggest weakness?” One foolproof method: Think of something that you struggle with but that you’re working to improve. For example, maybe you’ve never been strong at public speaking, but over the past few years, you’ve taken on leadership roles and volunteered to run meetings to help you be more comfortable when addressing a crowd.
11. You can easily find lists of common interview questions—but don’t prepare by writing out your entire answer; instead, jot down a few notes or bullet points and keep them on hand for the interview itself. You’ll ensure you cover the bases—without reading from a script.
12. Don’t forget about the numbers! Finding some numbers, percentages, increases, or quotas you can use when talking about your responsibilities and accomplishments really sweetens the deal and helps you tell a hiring manager why you’re so awesome.
13. It’s likely you’ll get asked why you’re interested in this particular role and company. (And if you can’t answer this question, you shouldn’t be in the interview!) So to make sure you can, consider why you’re interested in the function and identify a couple of key factors that make it a great fit for you (e.g., I love customer support because I love the constant human interaction and the satisfaction that comes from helping someone solve a problem”).
14. Don’t just think about how you’ll answer certain questions; practice looking in the mirror and answering them out loud. This prep work will help you clarify your thoughts and make you much more comfortable during the interview.
15. Do as many mock interviews as you possibly can with a friend. You’ll be much better at answering, “What would you bring to the position?” the 100th time you do it than the first, right?
16. Prepare a few smart questions for when it’s your turn to ask. Make sure they’re thoughtful ones that show you’ve been paying attention and have done your homework when it comes to researching the company and the specific job you’re after.
