Day Has Come, My First Job Interview. How Do I Prepare For It?
Anxious and scared about your first job interview? We understand you perfectly, for this reason, we leave you a series of tips that can help you to go through this process in a successful way.
Hello everyone. This week I bring you a interesting, stressful and intimidating topic for many people, that's right, as you have seen in the title, I mean our first job interview
Like any other event, attending an interview involves a previous preparation, maybe for this occasion it will be a little more structured and formal, so I have looked for some important points that can help you to make this day more bearable and casual.
Know yourself
It is important that before attending that first job appointment take a look at yourself, in other words, perform your own SWOT analysis, which consists of four key points:
- Strength: Identify what are your qualities that you are good at, what are those characteristics that make you a unique person.
- Opportunities: What are the things you can venture into, an example of them is learning a new language, specializing in a specific area, learning the use of a new technology or some training in which you can participate.
- Weaknesses: Be honest with yourself and admit what are those qualities or skills that you do not perform in the best way, an example of this may be communication, teamwork, not knowing second languages.
- Threats: Identify those factors that may affect your participation or performance in a specific task, for example, high unemployment rates, excessive competition, increase of informal jobs.
Remember that knowing your inner and outer self allows you to create a clearer picture of what you can give, and along with this work on all those negative aspects that you have identified to turn them into points in your favor.
Get to know the company
After performing a personal analysis you must go to the next step, this consists of a general analysis of the company, know its mission, vision, objectives and all those aspects that help you identify what defines them and what makes them different from others. You can search for comments on platforms such as LinkedIn or Glassdoor, of people who have been collaborators or participants in a recruitment process.
After identifying general data of the organization, it is time for you to know in depth the position you are applying for, search for general profiles of the position on the internet and if possible go back to the application you made and know what are the responsibilities and skills that the position requires for its applicant.
By the way, never forget to check the salary established for the position and what the offeror has stipulated for the vacancy. Be prepared and make a counteroffer if necessary, obviously adjusting to the regulations.
Introduce yourself
It is important to keep in mind that a job interview is like selling your professional profile to a specific position, therefore, you must draw the attention of the people who are in the process in a positive way, this is achieved with aspects such as:
- Preparation: It is important to consider that we are in a new modality and most of the first approach is virtual. For this reason, look for a conditioned place, check your internet connection, try to connect to the meeting a few minutes before the stipulated time and activate the camera so they can meet you. In case of a face-to-face meeting, you must be punctual and bring the necessary to take notes.
- Attire: It is not about investing an extravagant amount of money, but to look for respectful attire for you and for others, that is to say "semi formal to formal, clean attire".
- Presentation: Greet in the first instance and introduce yourself naturally, do not exaggerate with your presentation or show off.
- Expressions: Take a proper posture and do not cross your arms, as this expresses disinterest or boredom.
- Participation: Show interest in the process, do not let it become a questionnaire in which you only select one option and do not justify your answer. In other words, try to make it more like a conversation in which you can show yourself as you are and how prepared you are.
Manage the interview
This point is closely related to the previous one, but here you are going to focus on nerves, do not let the pressure consume you and let everything flow, keep a constant breathing and make eye contact with the talent managers so that you feel part of the process.
If you feel lost at some point, stop and review the good things you have to offer and why not, you can use some physical support that allows you to remember the aspects you want to cover and all the doubts you want to clarify.
Know what's next
After finishing the interview, thank the people, ask what the next steps in the process are and the relevant waiting periods.
On the other hand, analyze how you felt and write down all those things you want to improve, but also all those things that made you feel proud.
Remember you are a skilled person, who like everyone else, has weaknesses and strengths. For this reason, be honest and transparent in the process and if it does not happen in that first opportunity, keep trying and applying everything you have learned. Also, take into consideration that each of these tips apply to both face-to-face and virtual modes.
Milena G.
