Don't Get Spooked - Interview Preparation
By Mitchell Adam Ltd
With Halloween fast approaching the things that make us scream and squirm come bubbling to the surface, whether this be a walk through a deserted asylum, a ghostly apparition or a dog dressed as a giant spider (check out the video at the end of the blog – its hilarious!).
But some fears affect us 365 days a year; and the thought of a job interview can send some hiding behind their pillow faster than a black haired girl crawling out of a well.
So we thought we’d run you through a few ‘tricks’ and ‘treats’ to use at your next interview – so you can beat those interview demons and shout ‘I ain’t ‘fraid a no ghosts’… or interviewers...
Trick – Don’t Plan Your Outfit Until the Day of Your Interview
Preparation is key. The more you can prepare for your interview in advance the better. So ensuring that your finest suit is ironed and pressed ready for the big day, is one less pressure, and potentially delay, to deal with. Meaning you can focus on other things – like eating a hearty breakfast and avoiding those belly rumbles!
Treat – Do Your Research!
You’d be surprised just how much favour you can win by doing your research into the company before attending your interview. You may even find the interviewer changes from cold to warm once you engage with them on a recent campaign or an impressive contract they’ve recently signed.
Make sure you know more than the basics - look further than their website check out any news stories about them, their social media accounts - basically anything that can give you a greater insight into their company culture.
By doing thorough research it shows your enthusiasm and also acts as an insight into their office culture – don't forget an interview is a two way process – so your research will help you judge your personality fit within the company.
Do you agree with their values? Can you work well in their company culture?
Trick – Don’t Let Nerves Get the Better of You
Don’t psych yourself out. You wouldn’t have been invited to interview if they didn’t think you had the potential to secure the job. So take some time out to relax.
Different people find different ways to calm their nerves. Some find exercising the night before helps them focus the following day, others find a practice interview does the trick and some find watching their favourite film with a nice brew works. What ever calms you down, do that.
And if you’re struggling with nerves on the day of your interview, take a look at our 10 Tips to Calm Interview Nerves.
Treat – Do Ask Questions
Never leave an interview without asking something about the company. It will look as though you’re one of many things: underprepared, disinterested, lacking initiative etc…
However, it must be said that if the only questions you ask are regarding salary and annual leave entitlement, this can also reflect badly making you seem only motivated by personal gains – and if teamwork is a key aspect of your job, I think it’s safe to say you won’t be successful.
So prepare a few questions whilst doing your research; ask about the company’s culture and values, ask to see the office you’ll be working in and perhaps meet some of the team.
By asking these questions you show you’re making an informed decision, should you wish to accept the job. You’ll also show genuine interest in the role, the company and your potential colleagues.
We wish you all the best of luck in your interview and hope our ‘tricks’ and ‘treats’ help you ‘scare’ away the competition.
Happy Halloween!
Image courtesy of Rasmus Thomsen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
About the company...
The team at Social Hire never just do social media marketing.
What the Social Hire gang loves is making a difference for our clients, and we don't want to waste your, or our resources on campaigns that aren't right for your organisation, if it doesn't get your organisation the difference you need - we take a different approach. When your business utilises social media management, Social Hire get your brand the exposure it needs and offer your business the lift it needs to improve.
The social media marketing team in our company are the best in the business at helping our partners enhance their online marketing. We create and implement original social media marketing plans that help our customers accomplish their organisational objectives and build up their online footprint.
We're a company that helps our customers further their social media presence by providing social media marketing on a monthly basis.
You might like these blog posts Small Business Marketing - How To Generate Leads Using Social Media?, Onboarding + Performance = Engaged Employees, The Employee Engagement Trends You Need to Know [Infographic], and The Costs of Marketing on Social Media.
