The Employment Interview

Are you ready for your next employment interview?

Most of us become very nervous before a job interview. Your entire life will be on display to a stranger; you might feel the need to show that all of your accomplishments have led up to the effort to get this job.

There is always some stress associated with an job interview, but being prepared will make for a better outcome and put your mind at ease to a certain extent. This is more than just having an extra copy or two of your resume handy, but rather:

1. Researching the company ahead of time to have an understanding of the products and/or services offered by the company. This will enable you to converse knowledgably about the company during the interview.
2. Think about the most common interview questions and have your answers to them prepared well in advance. You need to know these answers well enough that they don't come out sounding canned, but offer insight into your professional character as well as your qualifications.
3. Plan out your route to interview and include a few alternate routes to take in case of heavy traffic or other delays. Plan on getting to the interview at least 10 minutes early but don't go inside until about 5 minutes before the interview is to begin.
4. Decide what to wear ahead of time and have it prepared the night before the interview. Make sure that you will look and feel professional as this has a bearing on your level of confidence. Look to see that your nails are trimmed, hair kept neat and so on.
5. Take extra copies of your resume, salary history and list of references. You never know when they will come in handy. Better to have them on hand and not need them than be asked for a copy and not have it.

The job interview can make you nervous, but by being organized and planning in advance, you will minimize the stress level tremendously. Honestly, the more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. You probably won't ever be completely relaxed, but when you are sure of yourself and have practiced the questions and your answers in your mind, you will feel better and will actually perform (do) better when it comes time to meet face-to-face.

You can do this! Just take it one step at a time and give extra attention to the details.

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