The Right Preparation
You need to be prepared for a job interview. I guess you knew that already. Despite this it surprises me how little time people spend preparing. Even if they do prepare they might not do this in the best possible way.
Any preparation is better than none. But the right preparation is going to make a real difference.
So how do you prepare in the right way.
Research the organisation. You will be expected to demonstrate good insight. Fail to do this and it’s all over before you are even out of the starting gate.
Research the industry or sector. It’s good to know about the organisation but this on its own is not enough. You need to know the other key players and what you think differentiates each of them.
Brain dump potential questions. You will be surprised at how successful you become at identifying potential questions.
Write down answers to potential questions. Yes it is a a lot work but the answers you give in the interview will be so much better.
Record yourself answering questions. Audio is good. Adding video is even better.
Allocate a lot of time. A few hours won’t cut it. You have to be thinking in terms of 10 hours plus.
Look at past feedback. Is there a theme or concern that is coming up time and time again? If so consider how you can minimise the impact in the future.
Be clear you can’t influence everything. You can influence how well you prepare but you can’t influence how others react. Focus on what you can influence.
In truth preparing well for interviews can make a massive difference to your results.
The question you need to ask yourself is whether you are ready to put in the effort required to get the results.
Duncan Brodie helps accountants and professionals build their non technical skills and achieve more career success.
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.