How to Nail Job Interviews

Stage 1: Introduction

Requirements:

• Have faith in yourself.
• Remember that all parties involved, are mere human beings.
• Ensure you know what the client’s needs are (as far as possible), and what their occupation is.

Things to share:

• Your name
• Family status
• Place of residence
• Your hobbies

Goal: try to find common ground.

Stage 2: Questionnaire

Requirements:

• Have a clear image of what drives you / you want to achieve (in general).
• Know your strenghts / weaknesses.
• Know your resume by heart.

Questions you can expect:

• What do you expect from us?
• What are you most proud of in your professional life so far?
• What is the most recent thing you learned?
• Why should we hire you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Possible questions to ask:

• What is the (client’s) company culture like?
• What kinds of challenges can I expect in this role?
• When expected to work in a team; ask how it is organized?
• What would be expected from me (working hours / work location / ..)?

Goal: mutual expectation management.

Stage 3: Epilogue

• Ask if the client has any remaining questions.
• Set appointments in terms of possible follow ups.
• Thank the client for their time.

Appendix

• Always be honest.
• Soft-skills are at least as important as hard-skills.
• Relax and enjoy the conversation.
• Be aware of the fact that you need to earn/build trust (which takes time and effort).
• When addressing weak points; it is important you give it a positive twist; for instance:
  “I’m aware of my tendency to be xyz but in scenario foo, it helped me achieve bar”.
• Be polite.