Preparation is very important for an interview. Your performance in the actual interview would depend heavily on how well you have prepared for it or not prepared for it. Following are some helpful tips for preparing for a HR job. Although these interview tips are geared for an HR job; these are applicable more or less unchanged for other job interviews as well.
- Research
When you go interviewing for a job with a company you are expected to have some basic knowledge of the company. You should be aware of the company's mission statement; its major products / services, clients, work environment, role in industry, recent mention of company in the news etc. The more you know about the company and the job you are interviewing for the better you'll be able to prepare for it.(plagiarized content..rephrase) The research is the first step in the preparation process and is important for both the interview and the preparation itself.
- Revise Resume
Revise and update your resume. In the resume, try to highlight and emphasize the details that are relevant to the job in question. The details that are less relevant should be shortened. Make sure that you resume is not too long. It's better to keep the references, if you have any on a separate paper. Also make sure the paper and print of the resume are of high quality and bring multiple copies of the resume.
- Prepare Answers
There are some questions like 'tell me about yourself', 'why did you choose this company', 'what are your strengths and weaknesses', etc that are asked in most of interview. Have answers to these expected questions already prepared. The answers should not be generic and should reflect and match with your personality.
Keep the focus of interview on the company and avoid irrelevant personal details. Keep your answers short and precise. You should not omit relevant details but should not bore the interviewer with elaborations either. It is best to give a precis answer and elaborate when, and if, asked to. Such answers are sometimes called hookers, as they prompt the interviewer to ask the right questions; from interviewers point of view.
- Prepare Questions
Sometimes in your interview, you'll be asked if you have any questions. Never say no. Have a list of questions, you wish to ask the interviewer. This will show your interest in the job. You should ask questions about the challenges you'll face, usual carrier path of the job, you day to day responsibility, training provided, performance appraisal methods etc. Avoid the topic of packages and other compensations until you are actually offered a job.
- Selling Yourself
A job interview is no time to be modest. You have to sell yourself to the interviewer. You should never lie about your qualifications or skills but try to emphasize your strong points and should not draw undue attention to your weaknesses. When confronted about some of your weaknesses, stay positive and confront the issue head on and don't try to avoid or talk your way around it.
- Documents
You should bring all the documents that you think may be needed even if they are not mentioned in the interview letter. The documents should be well organized and stored for easy access.
- Rehearse
You may think that you are ready for the interview but can't be certain of it until you have rehearsed it a few times. Ask a friend to act the part of the interviewer and do some mock interviews. It would be a good idea to exchange roles and act the part of interviewer as well just to see how things look from the other side of the table. Such rehearsals will help find critical weaknesses in your preparation as well as boost your confidence.
- Plan
In order to avoid last minute delays and rushing have the steps leading to the actual interview well planned. Planning should include your attire, timing, conveyance, documents etc. Have the clothes you are going to wear for interview ready along with documents at least a day in advance. Prepare a schedule for the interview day, when are you going to leave the house, which route you'll take etc. Have some margin in your schedule for unforeseen delays like traffic etc.
The interview tips above are for preparing for a HR job. These focus on the preparation phase and not on the actual interview process. The specifics of your preparation would vary, based on the job, company and your own experience but these should give you a good general guideline for your interview preparation.
