An interview is a formal meeting between a prospective employee and employer. During this meeting, the candidate who is looking for a job with the employer is supposed to present himself, his core skills, added value and thoughts. Many times, based on the tone and conclusion of an interview, job seekers can gauge as to whether they have been hired for a job or not.

Its very normal for prospective candidates to be in a state of sheer nervousness before an interview. This holds true specifically for candidates who are relatively new to the job market. The pressure is on the candidate to perform well during an interview and to eventually bag the job on offer and therefore it is pretty routine to get a little nervous before one. In order to prepare for and finally sail through any interview, the following could be quite useful:

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Practice dummy interview session

Enact a dummy interview session in your own home. Sit in front of a mirror and pretend that the employer is in front of you. Keep a list of routine interview questions ready and imagine that they are being asked to you. Practice how you would answer each and every one of them separately.

Practice with your friends

Practice introducing yourself in front of friends. Prospective employers start judging candidates from the moment they step into an interview and observe how they behave, sit, present themselves, shake hands etc. Write an introductory script for yourself and practice presenting yourself. Ask your friends to judge you and give you their feedback. Based on what they say, try ironing out the imperfections.

Prepare/update your resume

Keep an updated and well formatted CV ready in a folder. Along with a note pad and some pens. Its unprofessional to enter an interview premise and to say you forgot to carry your CV. Update your CV with the recent most work or jobs you have done / had. Present it on a neat sheet of white paper, ideally A4 size.

You can also take the help of professional CV writers for the purpose if you must. The flow of your CV will help employers better understand you and your traits. Be honest and truthful in your CV too. Don’t sound too boastful. When you hand your CV over to an employer, they will usually give it a glance before continuing with the interview. So try to write the CV accordingly wherein it gives the employer a fair and wholesome picture.

Be confident and compose

Train your mind to not sound too desperate. All employers prefer smart, confident and level headed employees. So you have to show them that you are exactly what they are looking for and make them offer you the job. Don’t be too desperate by saying things like, “I will do anything to get a job here.”

Revise your subjects

Read up about the role you are applying for. It pays to know your subject matter well. For instance if you are going for an interview related to the post of a Marketing Manager, you should know all the latest marketing terms, marketing trends and marketing secrets of successful brands / companies. So read up about your subject as much as you can till you have everything on the tips of your fingers.

Learn about the organization

Understand the organization before going for an interview. Many times, employers look for candidates that are similar to the existing employees so that its easier to get acclimatized. Therefore, it will work to your benefit if you understand the core strengths of the organization, its values and mottos and read up a little about the key people working there. Try and portray how you are just like the existing employees for an employer to give you that job offer.

Prepare your own questions to ask the interviewer

Prepare your own set of questions to ask the interviewer. The interview is always an exchange of information between a prospective employee and employer. So don’t just sit around and expect the employer to do all the asking. Remember that you are being judged from top to bottom and no employer will shortlist a candidate who doesn’t ask questions. Ask questions regarding the organization, the work processes, potential career development plans etc. Asking questions is also a safe way of letting the interviewer know that you are genuinely interested in the job.

Take a friendly help from HR executive you know

If you have any friends who work in the Human Resource field, get in touch with them and ask them what exactly organizations look for in a candidate. Save their thoughts and key points and work towards making a CV and presentation of yourself that shows that you have exactly those features.

Confidence is the key

Educate yourself on being more confident. A confident person automatically stands out from the rest and for employers, its easy to notice a confident person. Confidence is a key factor that make employers want to hire someone.

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