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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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