Job Seekers, are you preparing for an interview?

The pressure of landing that next great job can be overwhelming. Combat the stresses by being prepared, which in turn, will boost your confidence, easier said than done, right?  

Here are 4 tips for your next interview prep that will help you feel, and do, your best.

1. Know what the appropriate dress is.

A few years ago, business-professional attire was a given. Now? Not so much. Business-professional in some environments could even be perceived as ‘weird.’ Get an idea from your Recruiter as to what the company culture is like and how formal they expect their interviewees to dress. If you still don’t know, just ask, and if you’re not getting an answer, business-professional is still the safest bet.

• Here are a couple articles for reference
  • What to Wear: “Professional” vs. “Business Casual” 
  • A Relaxed, Casual Dress Code

Remember, as the great Deion Sanders once said, “You look good, you feel good, you feel good, you play good!”

2. Know the basic logistics.

Interviewing is stressful enough as is, you don’t need any additional worries because your train is late, or you can’t find the building.

Double check that you have the correct address, make sure you know what floor the company is located on, etc. Also, make sure to confirm if there is a security desk – the checking in process could take up to 10 minutes.

Be aware of how you will get to the interview. Are you driving? If so, check what traffic is like during the time you will be driving the days leading up to the interview. Do some research on the parking situation near the office site as well.

If you’re taking the train be sure you are aware of the train schedule and you know how to get to the interview site from the train situation.

3. Do your homework.

The best way to feel confident going into an interview is to be prepared mentally. If you are interviewing at a company and you haven’t done your research, it will show. Make sure to review:

• the basics of what the company does
• the history of the company
• any press, news or recent articles published by or about the company
• the company’s website
• the company’s social media channels
• their strategy and upcoming advancements

You’ll also want to do some research on who is interviewing you. Not every company will provide you with a full lineup, but if they do be sure check out their profiles on LinkedIn – that’s what it’s there for! Try to find something you have in common with each person that is interviewing you, this can be a great way to move the conversation along and connect with each individual interviewer.

4. Prepare questions.

It’s almost a given that every person who interviews you will ask if you have any questions and your answer should NEVER be no. With that said, you also want to be sure to not ask any canned, uncreative questions like, “so when can I start.” 

Ask questions that you really want to know the answer to. Your homework before the interview should help you craft these. Some ideas:

• Ask about the interviewer’s experience and how they got to the role they are in.
• Ask about the company’s latest news and how that could impact the role you are interviewing for.

When asking these questions, it’s important to remember that this interview is not just one sided, you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. So, ask the questions that you need to, ensuring in the end that you are making the best choice.

Take your interview seriously, and you’ll be taken seriously.

By doing the above you’ll be sure that you are as prepared as you can be going in to an interview. That preparation will have you feeling confident during the interview, and with that confidence you can surely knock your next interview out of the park.

Ryan Swartzendruber, Technical Recruiter for Objective Paradigm’s Talution Group, recruits on both contract and direct hire positions in addition to his Account Manager responsibilities. Ryan’s focus is in the financial and software industries where he consistently meets clients needs by identifying and placing talent to help businesses scale. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.