Tips for Job Interview - 5 easy tips

Nailing your job interview is one of the most important steps to finding the career of your dreams. Job interviews are always stressful and most people find them to be an extremely difficult part of the job search process. However, there are 5 simple tips for job interviews you can take that will guarantee you a better chance of success.

No, following these tips for job interviews won’t automatically provide you with an offer letter as soon as you walk out the door of the office. They will guarantee to make a positive impression upon the hiring managers conducting your interview, I promise you that.

Not only that, but these tips for a job interview are actually SIMPLE. I’m not trying to teach you to answer “How many golf balls fit into a school bus”, to nail a Product Manager position at GoogleX, I’m just going to teach you how to look and sound prepared when you do! So let’s get started.

1. Dress professional (over-dressing is better than under-dressing)

Please, for the love of all things holy, always dress professionally during a job interview. You only get one first impression during an interview and dressing unprofessionally will surely make it almost impossible for you to receive a job offer.

For guys, always wear a full suit with a correctly tied tie. If you can’t afford a suit or don’t have one, ask/beg/borrow from your family or friends for a suit to wear on the day of your interview. If you really don’t know what the heck to wear, email me at [email protected] and I’ll make sure you look professional. For women, wear business professional attire as well.

And guys, if you need a little more suit advice for your job interview, here’s a video from YouTube that should help a bit.

2. Bring a nice notepad/portfolio with your resume and note paper

Showing up dressed professionally to your interview is very important, but you should also bring a few things with you as well. It’s a bit awkward for individuals to stroll into an interview with no notepad or portfolio to take notes in and without copies of their resume.

Purchase a cheap, but professional looking “Executive Portfolio” to bring your resume in and take notes throughout the interview. When you’re speaking to an individual, make sure to copy down important points on paper and list questions that you develop.

3. Research the company in-depth

I can’t stress the importance of research enough! Don’t be that guy/girl who shows up to interview with a company and has no idea what they do or who they are. If you’re seriously interested in the position you are interview for, you should thoroughly brief yourself on the company’s background, history and current events.

A couple easy things to do to educate yourself on the company and conduct research.
-Read the company’s website cover to cover. Go through the “About Us” page, familiarize yourself with the leadership/management team and read the company blog if they have one.
-Watch any YouTube videos if the company has a YouTube channel to better understand what they do.
-Google News search the company.

4. Prepare 10 questions about the company

Prior to a phone interview or an in-person interview, make sure to prepare questions for any individual that happens to interview you.

These questions can range the spectrum to discuss your specific role, company structure, work environment, etc.

The purpose of preparing these questions ahead of time is to avoid that terrible, awkward moment when someone says “Do you have any questions for me?” and you stumble. Don’t stumble, be prepared ahead of time with questions just in case!

Below is a quick video of 7 useful questions to ask your interviewer from Business Insider. This video is a good baseline point for you to understand what “good” questions might be to ask your potential employer and how to phrase them.

5. Collect everyone’s business card and send a genuine “Thank You” email

Sending a timely and well thought out “Thank You” letter after a job interview is always an excellent touch. It’s like the icing on the cake to a great interview, so I would highly recommend asking every single person you speak to for their business card and then follow up with a Thank You email that same day.

If the individual you speak with doesn’t have a business card, simply ask for their email address and take the same steps.

Conclusion

So there you have it, my 5 simple tips for job interviews. They are indeed simple, easy to accomplish, and they all leave a great impression on the hiring managers that you will speak with.

If you have any questions on these job interviewing tips, feel free to sound off in the comments or email me at any time!