You have gotten an interview for your dream job and now is the time to prepare for the interview, but you're so nervous about how it will go or what to say.
I hear you. I've also been in that situation. Let me give you some tips on how you can prepare and what do do during the interview to make a great impression.
1. If possible, apply for a job you don't want in order to practice. This advice may seem controversial, but there are two reasons that make this advice good in my opinion:
- If you have interviews booked for several jobs, it will in a psychological way make you less nervous for the interview of the job you really want. It's because you will have options to choose from - and it may also surprise you that you find several dream jobs
- You get to practice before your dream job interview - so make sure to book the practice interview before the "real" one
2. Remember that you are valuable. What do I mean with this? Well, even if you really want to work at this job, it's also important to analyze the person who is interviewing you. This person may be one of your future colleagues. If your interviewer is rude, question if you really want to work there? Make the interviewer feel that you have several options for your next step. I actually let the interviewer know that I'm in several processes - this can create a sense of urgency for the company and wanting to hire you more.
3. Ask beforehand if you should prepare anything special - and then prepare yourself. For example, within management consulting we do case interviews, where the objective of the interview is for the candidate to solve a business problem. Practice as much as you can - do you want me to give you advise on how to prepare for a case interview? Let me know and I will write a separate article on this topic.
4. Try to make a dialogue rather than answering questions. It's more enjoyable if the interview actually is a conversation between to people. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the interviewer, a curious mind is always good! Also, remember you are two humans, people tend to like people that they find something in common with. You want to work with people you like.
5. Practice on giving concrete examples of your strengths and how you have handled difficult situations. Instead of just saying "my strengths are x, y, z" - give concrete examples of situations where you have used your strengths so that the interviewer can understand better. It's so easy to throw out a lot of words but do they really mean something?
One tip that I didn't mention above - because it's kind of obvious - is to prepare and read about the company you're interviewing with, it's a great way to feel more confident in the interview and shows that you're interested in the company.
Good luck on your interviews! And remember, just because you might be rejected doesn't necessarily mean you did a poor job - maybe it means that something even better is waiting around the corner. Never give up!
xx Persheng
