How to Prepare for a Job Interview
Follow My RPR strategy to Get Your Dream Job
Preparing for a job interview and totally botching it is not an uncommon practice.
Even the smartest candidates who prepared well have failed multiple times.
In a short time span of 45 minutes to an hour, you have one challenging task- to paint a totally perfect picture of yourself in front of your recruiters to impress them enough to get a job.
And you are not the only one who wants that job.
On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job.
-Glassdoor
Probabilistically speaking, your chance of getting a job is 1 out of 6.
So, how can you outperform your competitors and get the job you desperately want?
In this article, I will share the winning strategy I derived from fifteen years of professional work experience to help you get your dream job.
RPR Strategy
My RPR strategy to prepare you for a job interview is a simple three-step process.
Albeit quite simple, these three steps have powerful sub-steps inside them that need to be followed carefully.
You are strictly advised against missing any sub-step within the three steps.
Research
Most of the shortlisted job applicants fail at this first step even though they do what they call research.
They fail because of two reasons:
- They did not conduct an in-depth research
- They did not conduct their research the right way
Follow these four sub-steps to ensure you conduct your research the right way.
What is the recruiter searching for?
Think from the recruiter’s side, not from yours.
It is not you who is searching for the job, but the recruiter who is searching for an employee.
Sorry to burst your bubble but no one cares how smart you are or how many awards you won.
Have you ever been rejected by a potential employer because you were over-qualified? I was.
So, let me tell you one thing.
All a recruiter cares about is, ‘Are you a perfect fit for the vacant job position?’
To make yourself a perfect fit, read the job description on the job vacancy.
I know you read it before applying for the job.
Read it again.
Generally job descriptions include four components:
- Job summary highlights the key traits they want to see in you, and the key tasks they want you to do.
- Job responsibilities explain all the tasks they want you to do in order of priority.
- Essential skills and qualifications explain the basic things you need to have. If you don’t have them, don’t waste your time applying for the job.
- Preferred skills and qualification explain what you need to have to gain a competitive advantage over other candidates. Even if you don’t have any, at least, tell the recruiter that you are working on them.
Read these carefully and present a customised image of yourself based on what the company wants from you.
What is the company like?
The moment you step into a company, you are stepping away from who you are, and stepping into who they are.
You are about to join a new family, but there are two conditions you must meet prior to that.
- Understand the company’s vision, mission and values.
- Embrace the company’s culture.
To meet those conditions, google the company and find its official website.
Then go through its homepage and ‘About Us’ section.
The homepage allows you to understand how the company wants to present itself to its customers whereas the ‘About Us’ section allows you to understand the company’s vision, mission and values.
In addition, searching for the company on social media helps you to understand how they engage with their customers on a day-to-day basis.
Think Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Who are the interviewers?
If you know the recruiters prior to the interview, you can reduce the risk of getting nervous and blowing up your interview.
You can find your recruiter’s name on the interview email the company sends you.
If it is an online interview, along with the meeting invite link, you will get to see the meeting organiser and other invitees.
Search for all of them on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Read their faces. Do they seem to be serious or cheerful?
Try to understand their personality. Do they like sharing funny posts or philosophical posts? Do they seem friendly or reserved?
What did you initially submit?
You got shortlisted for an interview because of your resume and cover letter.
I hate saying this but you may be one of the millions of people who lie in their resume to get a job.
I won’t judge you, but I will warn you.
Don’t forget what’s in your resume.
75% employers caught a lie on a resume. (CareerBuilder, 2018)
Your chances of getting a job will go down to zero if you contradict your resume.
Practice
Practice makes man, and woman perfect.
— Sudarsan
Now that you know how to research the right way, your next task is to bridge the gap between your understanding and your recruiter’s understanding.
Search for sample interview questions on the internet and watch mock job interview videos on youtube.
Get an idea of the common questions your recruiter may ask you and prepare the answers.
Rehearse those answers either in front of the mirror, or in front of your close friend.
Now, record a video of yourself speaking those answers.
After the recording is over, do three things:
- Close your eyes and just listen to your voice in the audio. Try to find out if you were confident or nervous, if you spoke fast or slow and if you were answering well or not.
- Mute the audio and watch the video. Focus on your non-verbal communication. Did you maintain eye-contact? Were you blinking your eyes too much? Was your posture okay?
- Now watch the video with both audio and video on. Did everything seem right?
Rest
You can never give your best performance in an interview if you are already exhausted.
Follow these steps to ensure you have enough energy before an interview.
- Have ample sleep the day before the interview. 7–8 hours of sleep will make you feel totally refreshed.
- Refrain from talking to many people on your interview day. You will unknowingly waste your energy and fill your mind with unnecessary thoughts. Be with yourself instead. Turn off your notifications and take a break from social media.
- At least one hour before the interview, focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths. This will make you feel totally calm.
I hope this article was useful for you.
If you followed my RPR strategy and landed your dream job, I would love to hear your story.
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