he best way to prepare for a job interview is to make sure you can answer these 5 basic questions the interviewer may ask.
Of course there could be many more questions, but chances are these 5 questions will come up. Being able to answer these questions well will ensure that you won't be tongue-tied on the spot, allowing you to go to your interview with more ease and confidence!
1. Tell us something about yourself?
In short, what is your pitch? The elevator pitch is a speech of about sixty seconds in which you sell yourself or an idea. To make this a well-connected and complete story, it is necessary to prepare it well.
The name "elevator pitch" is based on the short time you have to tell your story. You get on the elevator on the first floor, coincidentally along with someone you want to present to. The time you have is the time it takes to get to the 20th or 30th floor. Roughly one minute.
What do you tell in your elevator pitch?
The main points covered in your short pitch are:
- Who you are
- What you have to offer (solution)
- What advantages you bring (what you can do)
- What you are looking for
The content of an elevator pitch varies greatly by position and situation, but the structure remains the same.
2. What are your strengths?
Recruiters simply want to know what you are good at and whether you are aware of this. They also want to know what they can gain from you. What can your strengths mean to this company?
3. Give some specific examples of your strengths/skills that you would like to highlight.
If you know what skills are wanted for that particular position, it is easy to think about this in advance. Prepare 2 or 3 interesting examples of when you have used this skill in the past in your work (or private life).
If necessary, write down with bullet points a few key words for each skill
down during your preparation. Describe the situation, your tasks/actions and the result (using the STAR method).
After all, interviewers see past success as an indicator of the future.
4. Why should we hire you?
A good way to answer this consists of 2 parts anyway:
- What makes you want to work for this company and you are so passionate about their mission, values, way of doing business, products, ...
- Why do you want this position? What is your added value and describe this through your experience, strengths, interests and skills.
5. Do you have any questions?
If you haven't asked any questions yet and you get a chance to do so at the end of the interview, don't hesitate to do so.
Prepare two or three insightful questions in advance, about the company, its operations, its objectives, opportunities for advancement, the reason for the vacancy... Do not hesitate to ask the interviewer 'personal' questions such as 'what do you think are the 3 biggest advantages and the 3 biggest disadvantages of working for this company'. (Do not ask any
private questions!)
Things to remember (before, during and after the interview):
- Think of the interview as a mutual acquaintance. You see if this is the position and the company, for which you want to work. They see if you are the person they want to work with. After the first interview, both parties decide if they want to move on to the next round.
- Be positive and honest.
- Be interested in the interviewer.
- Be relaxed and have fun.
- Be grateful for people's time and send a thank-you email afterwards.
- Remember that the only thing you can do is put in 100% effort. If that's the case and you don't get the job anyway, you have nothing to blame yourself for. That's just how life is.
Do you want to prepare for a job interview or do you feel insecure during interviews? During our career coaching we clearly identify your strengths and practice powerful job interviews.