10 points to remember while preparing for an interview

1. Remain confident – remember that you have been called for the interview because you fit the profile, not because of luck or fluke!
2. Find out about the company – use the company’s website, or better yet, talk to someone who works there. This demonstrates your keenness to join the company.
3. Find out about the role – ask someone who knows, or do research on the internet. Before going to an interview, make sure you have a good idea about the role.
4. Avoid being negative – “I am keen to join your firm because it is a leader in the field and would offer great opportunities for me to use my existing skills and acquire new ones” sounds MUCH better than “I want to join your firm because I hate my current job!”
5. Know why you want the job – ideally, it should tie in with something you have done in the past, or your current skillset, or relate to a set of skills that you are keen to acquire in the future
6. Know why you are perfect for the job – figure out at least one quality that you bring which makes your profile stand out for this job and would benefit the firm if they hired you
7. Avoid canned answers – for example, do not say “I work too hard” when asked for your weakness! Instead, be honest about a real weakness but make sure you highlight the steps you have taken to overcome it.
8. Rehearse your “Tell me about yourself”. It should be long enough to tell the interviewer about you, but short enough not to bore him / her with your life story! One way to do this is to break down your introduction into 3 parts – educational background, professional experience and interests. Ending with your interests gives the interviewer a lead into asking questions about a topic you are familiar with, thus helping to break the ice.
9.  Ask questions, where relevant. These can be about the role or about the company. This gives the interviewer a chance to speak as well, and shows that you are interested in the company and the role.
10. Practice, practice and practice! Take as many mock interviews as you possibly can, with qualified panelists. Identify and work on your weaknesses so that you can correct trouble areas before the actual interview.

Need more help? Sign up for iRikai’s online interview preparation course!