3 ways you can counter any interview worries

Interviews can be stressful – but don’t let this stress beat you!

There’s no denying the fact that interviews can be incredibly stressful and worrisome. We always put pressure on ourselves to be successful and to nail any interview we get, often causing more problems as a result of this; this pressure has only worsened since the job market has faltered and interviews have become even harder to come by. However, there are ways you can counter any interview worries! Here are my top 3 tips on how best to prepare for an interview:

Tip 1 – Try and research the company or profession

There is nothing worse than going into an interview not knowing any basic information about the company or general profession. You will invariably be asked why you were attracted to the job role, a question that relies on you knowing (at least a little) about the company or profession. Consequently, I would implore anyone to do some research. This might mean simply looking on the company’s website and assessing the ‘About Us’ page, or inputting the profession into any search engine and exploring that way. This research does not necessarily take long and will hold you in good stead, with every interview I have done seeing the interviewer remarking on my impressive knowledge of the company or profession.

Tip 2 – Be aware of any key competencies

When we refer to key competencies, we mean any specific attributes or qualities the company or profession look for in potential candidates; it is important that you are aware of these key competencies as you will inevitably be tested on them in your interview. For instance, if the job role specifies that candidates must work well in a team, a question will probably come up concerning a time you have worked successfully in a team, how you contributed and how you built a rapport with other team members. A good way to approach answering competency questions is through the STAR method, in which you set the Situation, describe your Task, explain your Actions and then outline the Results. By adopting this method, you are clearly and concisely answering the question!

Tip 3 – Be yourself

I understand that this might be hard to do, especially if you are anxious in interview settings, but trust me when I say it is crucial to just be yourself. Whilst I do not want to diminish the importance of my previous tips, it is also important to use your own initiative and be yourself; doing too much research or rehearsing your answers incessantly will make you appear rigid. Interviewers are aware that interviews are stressful and that you may be a bit nervous, but ultimately they want to know who you are as a person, what you are really like to talk to and how you naturally approach questions and problems. Too much preparation can therefore sometimes be detrimental. You got this far in the process, show them who you are and what incredible things you can do!

Finally, I would like to say good luck to anyone reading this blog in your job search. 2020 has been a rough year, but good times WILL come and you WILL land that dream job!

Annabel xx