How to Feel Confident Entering a Job Interview

Interviews can be a challenge, even if you’ve been through the process before. If you take time to learn about the position and about the company before the interview, it can put your mind at ease and you will feel more confident overall. There are a lot of different questions that can be asked during an interview, but be ready to talk about yourself, your experience, and your skills.

To make the interview process less stressful for you, we have created a guide to help you be ready for any question you may be asked. Learning how to talk about yourself and your experiences has never been easier, and we are here to help! 

Learn About the Company 

Never go into an interview unprepared, employers are looking for potential hires who have done their research. Even if you are nervous, an interviewee who researched the company beforehand will always do better in an interview compared to those who don’t. Find out as much as you can about an organization by checking out the company website, Googling the company, looking at social media networks such as LinkedIn or Glassdoor, and connecting with friends and business associates who may know about it. Some things you should be researching are the company values, company leadership, the clients, and the company culture. 

Research Yourself

Even though it is important to research the company, it is also important to connect the organization to yourself and who you are or who you want to be as a professional. Start with the job you are interviewing for, look at the job description and take notes on how your experiences and skills make you a good fit. Look into your career history, figure out how your past positions connect to what the organization is looking for. Almost every interviewer will ask your strengths and weaknesses. Pick strengths based on the job and be honest about your weaknesses, but always tell the interviewer how you manage them. It is also very important that your social media is private, check your name online by Googling yourself and make sure you look appropriate online. 

Have Questions Prepared 

Interviewers favor candidates who ask questions. Questions show that you have thought about the position and also demonstrates your confidence. It is best that you come up with questions during the research before the interview. Some simple but beneficial question to ask are:

• What are the main responsibilities of the job?
• Who does the position report to?
• What are some of the challenges of this position?
• How does this team support the company's current goals?

Practice

After you have done all of your research and preparation for the interview, it is important you practice what you are going to say during the real interview. Look up some practice interview questions online and study as much of your research and questions as you can. This can help with your nerves the day of the interview, and surprise questions won’t catch you off guard.