It is quite unexpected for an actor to go on a stage without adequate
preparation. To attempt that is to invite opprobrium because the poor
performance will be a pointer to the poor preparation of the actor. In the
same vein, it will be counterproductive for a prospective employee to go for a
job interview without adequate preparation. Any job applicant that is desirous
of ending his sojourn in the labour market as soon as possible will take care
to take note of the following.

Clarify your career objectives

If you go out looking for what you cannot identify you may spend the rest of
your life looking for it. What kind of job do you want? What kind of industry do
you want to join? Answers to these will help greatly in focusing your attention
on what really matters. It is important to realise that you are not cut out for
all jobs, even if you are multi-talented or multi-skilled.

Don’t apply for a job just because there is a vacancy or you need a job. Decide
on what your career objectives are right from the beginning. Know that there
is more to a job than getting a place where you can be sure of a salary. There
is something known as job fulfillment. You won’t get it in every firm or
industry, and it is the key to your overall success on the job. So, before
stepping out for the job interview, answer the question, “Is this job in tandem
with my career objectives?” Your sincere answer to the question will determine
what you do next.

Familiarize yourself with the company

You would definitely stun your interviewers if you told them you didn’t know
anything about the company you wished to join. Even if they allowed you to go
through the rest of the interview, you could be sure you stand a high risk of
being overlooked for the job by the interviewers. It, therefore, means that
before you go for the interview you would need to find out all you can about
the company. Find out all you can about the culture of the company, its
values, its people and operations. Find out about the industry in which the
company operates. Find out everything about the peculiarity of the industry.

The interviewers will definitely be surprised to know that you know so much
about the company. This may be your winning edge, especially if others had
not taken time to do this.

Pay attention to little things

In scaling the hurdle of job interviews, everything matters. Pay attention to
your dressing. Look your best without looking gorgeous. Make sure you are
smartly dressed. Avoid colours that do not complement. Make sure your nails
are well trimmed. Do all you can do to remove or reduce bad breath if you
have. If you wear a beard, make sure it is well trimmed. If you don’t wear one,

ensure you are clean shaven.

Do not wear dark glasses, even if they are medicated. Avoid wearing heavy
perfumes, don’t suffocate the interviewers with your perfume. Remember this,
the interviewers are not only interested in your brain, they are also interested
in your body. So, if you are seen as uncouth, and will likely be a liability to
their image, the interviewers may reject you even if your resume is the most
intimidating they have ever seen.

Know your résumé thoroughly

Before you are invited for a job interview, the interviewers must have seen your
résumé. The interview actually is an exercise in determining whether your
reputation as presented in the résumé, matches your person. So, you are
expected to know your résumé thoroughly since it is a documentation of your
experience. Thus, any variation between your response at the interview and
your résumé will give you away as a liar, even if you are not. It will present
you as a person that lacks integrity. Since no company wants to employ
anyone it cannot vouch for, you can kiss the job good bye.

It is therefore of great importance that you update your knowledge of your
résumé before you go for the interview. It is also to guard against people
going away with a wrong impression about you.

Expect the unexpected

In job interview, the panel may spring a surprise by asking questions that are
not related to your area or even the company or industry it belongs to. The
essence is to assess your intelligence and response to situations. So don’t
look baffled or ruffled when a question that looks way off the mark is asked in
the course of the job interview. Answer the question as best as you can. Even
if you believe you don’t have the right answer to the question, don’t lose your
composure. Remember, if such questions come up, they are to gauge your
response to issues and who you are under pressure. So, make it known to the
interviewers that even if you are not on top of the situation you cannot be
pushed over. That posture may land you the job.

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