How do I prepare for the job interview?

Your cover letter received a positive response and you have been invited to a job interview. Truly a reason to rejoice, but this is also the point at which many applicants get nervous and start to doubt themselves. Thus, the most important thing is solid preparation for the job interview. With the following tips you will learn what you need to be aware of.

There is generally no reason to doubt your professional competence if you received an invitation to a job interview – otherwise the HR manager would not have contacted you at all. Now it is about your personality, your communication skills and your ability to deal with stress. In other words: your soft skills. Soft skills are not so easy to learn and develop. Those who are actually more reserved come across as unbelievable in their job interview if they try to present themselves as communication geniuses. However, it is always recommended to go to your job interview with a healthy helping of confidence. This is best achieved with a good night's sleep and being well informed in advance of the requirements of the job.

Many candidates do not really know what their potential employer expects of them. This is unacceptable, particularly in today's information age. For example, most employers have a website where you can get precise information about your job and the employer. What does the work focus on, how large is the team, who makes decisions? These questions are not an end in themselves: the better informed you are, the more precisely you can estimate the extent to which your qualifications are suitable for the job.

Answering these questions gives you security that shines through in your job interview. Of course, you will not have access to all the information or answers, but when it comes to preparing for a job interview, getting as much information as possible about your future job is essential. If you want insider information and even more information, it makes sense to consult a recruitment consultant who helps you through your preparations for your interview. For this to be effective, the vacant job needs to have been announced via a recruitment consultancy.

The information you gain during your preparation for the job interview also has a positive side effect: you demonstrate to the employer that you are really interested in the job. It is also an excellent idea to have a few questions ready for the employer during your job interview. You thereby show a deeper interest and can also get clarification of any ambiguities.

The job interview is not just a one-sided opportunity for the interviewer to get to know you, and during your preparations you should not forget that you also have something to offer-namely your individual abilities and your energy. And even if the job interview does not go so smoothly, you can still gain valuable experience that helps you the next time around.