Three Practical Suggestions For Your Interview Preparation
Succeeding an interview is either extremely easy or out of this world difficult experience, depending on how much practice and time you put into the important day. No one can tell for sure whether or not you are going to succeed with your interview. What you can be sure though is that you did not make any mistakes. The last thing you want is to realize after, and sometimes, during the interview that you have made a mistake.
With interviews, there is no such thing as a silly or large mistake. Irrespective of the mistake that is committed, you are going to pay for it dearly. This dear payment is nothing but the lack of that opportunity in the form of lost jobs.
Professional Resume
There are two ways of building a resume. You can build a resume that goes on for pages and contains every little information about you. Alternatively, you can build a resume that is simple and is not more than a couple of pages. Some folks even manage to make a resume that lasts only a single page. You can choose to go with either of these two types of resumes. What you should remember though is to ensure that you tailor the information to suit the job you are applying.
Most candidates make the mistake of using the same resume for every job. This is like a jack of all trades resumes, which is not that good but it is not that bad either. This means, those who are screening your resume will like your resume but they will not love it. Ideally, when you are looking at applying for a position, you would be told or made available some kind of job description. Use this job description and change your resume to reflect the requirement at hand.
Be ready with a ‘master’ resume that has everything that is there to know about you. Then, build a customized resume using this master resume. Elaborate on some sections and depress some content, keeping it in line with the job requirements mentioned. Change the references as well as any related documents accordingly.
Attire For The Big Day
This is a standard topic and you probably have a set of clothes that are good for interviews. We are not going to give you buying advice as that is something you already know how to do. What we would advise on though, is how you should prepare your attire for the big day.
Always, ensure that you have at least two sets of outfits ready for the day of the interview. Enough interview sessions have been postponed because coffee spilled on your shirt only for you to realize that you don’t have an extra shirt that is wearable to an interview. Don’t let that happen to you. Have two sets of shirts, trousers and everything else ready in your wardrobe and keep them in separate places. If you have to laundry those clothes, ensure that it is taken care of, at least a week before the actual event.
Location Of Interview
This last piece of advice might sound silly but, as with the coffee spilling on clothes, another silly reason why some folks have in fact missed their interview is because they got lost in traffic.
Here is a scenario. A guy who was scheduled for an interview did the right thing and used his phone to tell him directions to the interview office. Unfortunately for him, the road was heavy with traffic and there were no alternatives. Against all odds, he managed to reach the building on time but got lost in the building itself, looking for the right room.
Sure, something like this may not happen all the time. Yet, we would insist that if you have been scheduled for an interview, it is better if you could visit that place before hand and confirm the exact location of the office. This also gives you a chance to experience the traffic and accordingly plan the travel on the day of the interview.
When preparing for an interview, it is recommended that you discuss your interview style with an expert. The experts that can help you are professionals found in career management services, who can give you practice interviews. Then, they can highlight the good and bad parts of your interview technique, allowing you to improve your personal presentation.
What type of advice do you have for preparing for an interview that others may find useful, please let us know below.
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