10 Essential Steps to Prepare Yourself for a Job Interview

So your resume got noticed and you’ve been asked to come in for a face-to-face interview—congratulations! But in order to shine during the interview and land that job offer, careful preparation beforehand is essential. You need to be ready in advance for the questions you will be asked, have done your research on the company and the job, and have all the necessary documents and references at your fingertips.

Before the big day, be sure to review these helpful pre-interview tips so that you go into your meeting feeling confident and ready to impress your potential new employer.

You should thoroughly research the company you are interviewing with, as you want to make sure you understand the business and anticipate the kinds of questions the interviewer may ask. Good research would include the following:

Before your interview, try and get a list of the people you will be meeting with. Then research these individuals, including:

The goal is to learn about your interviewers’ backgrounds and interests so that it will be easier to establish a rapport. Show interest in them and their role in the company.

It’s important to think early on about the questions you may be asked so that you can prepare an articulate and polished response. You don’t want to be caught off-guard by difficult questions.

These types of general interview questions are often asked:

For a full list, read 40 of the Most Frequently Asked Job Interview Questions.

Consider doing a practice interview with friends or family members (especially if they have experience interviewing employees themselves). The practice will be helpful and give you more confidence. Ask for feedback on your answers, your body language, and your preparedness. Have the mock interviewer ask both common questions as well as offbeat ones to see how well you can think on your feet.

If you can, you should test and use the company’s products or services—no matter what role you are interviewing for. This will help you prepare for any questions about these products or services that may come up in the interview. It will also show your interviewer that you went an extra step in preparing for the interview.

It might also be useful to check in with customers of the company, to see how they view the product or service, and take note of any constructive feedback they might have.

Employers often review Facebook and other social media sites to get information and background on prospective employees. So make sure to review your online postings and pictures and delete any information that is embarrassing or could cast you in a negative light with the prospective employer.

It’s also useful to Google yourself to see what your prospective employer would see if they did a search on you.

You want to dress appropriately and professionally for the job interview. It usually won’t hurt to dress more formally for your interview than you would on the job. If you have a contact who works for the employer, ask them about the general dress code. Show up neat and groomed.

Make sure to arrive at the interview on time (you don’t want the first impression of you to be of a person who can’t be on time). Download directions in advance. Anticipate traffic delays, and get there early (but don’t show up on the company’s door steps more than 5 to 10 minutes early). Make sure to turn off your cell phone so it doesn’t ring or buzz during the interview.

You should bring 5 or 6 copies of documents with you for the interview, in case the need arises. Such documents could include:

After your interview, you should let your professional references know that the employer might be contacting them. Give them a heads up on the company and job position.

You might also want to bring along a list of questions you have for the interviewer.

You should check out Glassdoor for reviews of the company you are interviewing with. There may be reviews from current and past employees, along with information on salary and the types of questions interviewers ask at the company. These reviews can be helpful for background and to give you a sense of employee issues, but they should not be taken as gospel.

There are a great number of practical steps you can do to prepare for a job interview. By following the advice in this article, you will be better prepared and more confident for your interview. Good luck!

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Copyright © by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved.

Richard D. Harroch is a Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a large venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on investing in Internet and digital media companies, and he was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business, and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He was also a corporate partner at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, with experience in startups, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and venture capital. Richard can be reached through LinkedIn.

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