Congratulations! After months of searching, applying, and polishing off your resume, you got called back for a job interview… but now what? Getting the interview is just part of the battle. Acing the interview is a whole other beast. Here are five things you must do in order to prepare for your next job interview.
Do Your Research
You likely did a bit of research before applying for the job, but it’s not a bad idea to take another look before your job interview. Be sure to research exactly what the company does, as well as what’s listed on the job description. You’ll want to be able to speak to those specific skills, which will propel you to the front of the pack of candidates.
A few other things that are bound to come up at the job interview include salary requirements, working style, and benefits. Be sure that you’re able to speak to these things confidently by checking a site like Glassdoor before you head to your interview.
Update Your Portfolio or Resume
Give that resume one more glance over, and double check that your online portfolio, website, or LinkedIn profile has all of your most recent accomplishments highlighted. Chances are, your interviewer will take a look at them one more time to refresh their memory!
It’s also a great idea to print out copies of your resume for the interviewer. If your meeting agenda has more than one person in it, bring enough copies for everyone on the invite. And even if not, it never hurts to print out a few extras just in case.
Dress the Part
This is another area where the Internet can help out a lot. Do some research on what the company culture is like, and what the dress code appears to be. A good rule of thumb is to dress one step above normal work attire, so if the company’s dress code is casual, you’d want to go for business casual at your job interview.
If you’re having a hard time finding information and don’t want to ask the recruiter or company contact, another good rule to keep in mind is wearing a black suit. You can almost never go wrong with a blazer and slacks, no matter your gender or experience level. And of course, arrive at your interview well-groomed! Comb your hair, brush your teeth, and use a lint brush before leaving home.
Ask for References
Having a list of references readily available can make you seem more prepared and eager about the job… which can ultimately lead to a job offer. If you don’t already have a few people in mind who would have nice things to say about your past or current job performance, take some time before your interview to do some brainstorming about that. We’d recommend reaching out to them so they know that a call might be coming their way before listing them as a reference.
Once they’ve agreed, put their name, position, phone number, and email into a document, and bring it along with you to the job interview. Not all jobs require references anymore, but it’s not a bad idea to have it handy just in case you are asked for it.
Check Your Online Presence
Just like your potential employer might take one final look at your resume or porfolio site, they’ll also probably do one final search of your name before the job interview and/or before making a job offer.
Be prepared about what they’ll see by using Marple. Marple allows you to choose a search term, in this case your name, and get notifications whenever a new search result pops up in Google. This allows you to take control of your online reputation by marking those results positive, negative, or reporting them to Google for removal. You’ll be able to see what a potential employer will see when they search for your name, so you’ll be prepared and confident that the best version of you is showing up online.
Marple takes regular Google search, image search, and video search results into account so you can be confident that all bases are covered.
Sign up for free here, and walk into your next job interview with confidence!