Research the Employer Before a Job Interview
Before you begin to think about how you will dress for the interview, or answer questions, you should do your homework. Gather as much information about the employer as you can. Not only will you appear informed and intelligent, it will also help you make a decision if the employer eventually makes a job offer. Gathering employer information is not always an easy task, especially if the employer is a small private company, but the Internet has made it much easier than it was previously.
Learn About Yourself Before a Job Interview
In order to effectively answer questions on a job interview, you are going to have to know a lot about yourself and know how to present that information to an interviewer. To prepare for answering questions about yourself start by listing your attributes. Think about what you can bring to the employer. To help you come up with your list, talk to former co-workers with whom you worked closely. Ask them to list some traits about you that they most admired — work related, of course.
Once you come up with a list of attributes, try to find some faults. You won't, obviously, spontaneously tell a prospective employer about these faults, but you may be asked to. One question that sometimes comes up in an interview is "What is something that has been a problem for you at work?" By studying your faults, you will be able to choose one that is somewhat innocuous or could be turned around into a positive.
Practice, Practice, And Then Practice Some More
You want to seem somewhat spontaneous when answering questions on a job interview, but that doesn't mean being unprepared. If you have to take a very long pause before answering a question, you won't sound as confident as you should. Before you go out on interviews rehearse, not exactly what you will say, but how you will say it. Many people find it helpful to practice answering questions in front of a video camera. Study your posture, the way you make eye contact, and your body language. If you don't have a video camera, a mirror will do. Have a friend do mock job interviews with you. The more you repeat a scenario, the more comfortable you will begin to feel with it.
More
Part 1: Types of Interviews
Part 3: Succeeding on the Interview
Part 4: Dealing With Tricky Questions and Post-Interview Follow Up
