TASK Career Advice - Our Top Tips for Job Interviews

Job interviews can be really daunting and nerve-inducing at times, especially when it is for a job that you really want. Being confident in what you have prepared & what you can bring to the company you are interviewing for is so important and really comes across to the interviewer.

We have put together our 8 top tips to help you confidently excel at your next job interview & hopefully land your dream job.

1. Know who you are interviewing for.

We are putting our most important tip first on the list - know who you are interviewing for. This is essential to showing the interviewer that you respect and admire their business and that you would be a great addition to their team. Research the business and learn everything you can about how they operate, what they do, who their audience is and how they got to where they are today. This will all be useful information that you can use throughout the interview and will show that you put effort into your preparation. It is also worthwhile to research the founder & learn about their story and how they built their business and got it to where they are today.

Another element to this is to have your reasons for why you want to work for this business, and keep it specific. Tell them what details drew you to applying to work for their business.

2. Know the industry.

Whatever industry you are applying for jobs in, research as much as you can about it. You should know the current trends, what their audience is consuming right now and what other businesses in that industry are exceling, and why. For example, if you are applying for a job in marketing & content creation, be sure to research what content styles are performing well and what social media platforms are proving to be the most successful for other businesses in that industry. It is also useful to have a few businesses in mind in your industry that you admire & why you admire them. You might like their marketing strategies, or the style of content they produce, this will show that you are keeping yourself up to date on the industry and will bring useful knowledge to the table should you get the job.

3. Come in with ideas.

Prepare a few ideas for what you might do should you get the job. You might be asked what you will bring to the position, have a few ideas ready, preferably new ones that you know the business doesn’t already do & might appreciate taking on board. For example, if you are applying for a job in event management, have a few event ideas that suit the vibe of the business that you might like to run & why you think they would work for their audience.

4. Prepare for the classic interview questions.

Everyone hates the classic interview questions. Tell us about a time you worked as part of a team. Tell us about a time you made a mistake and how did you overcome it. What would you say is your biggest weakness. However, more often than not, you will be asked these questions. I sometimes think these questions are asked to test how prepared you are for the interview. So, have your answers to these questions to hand & try to make them as relevant as possible to the job you are interviewing for.

5. Show your personality.

Although job interviews can be daunting and make you nervous, try your best to get your personality across. The interviewer will want to see if you will be a good fit for their team and if you will add to the business’ culture and existing workplace dynamics. Try to show your personality as best you can. A good way to do this could even be dressing to reflect your personality. You should dress professionally for job interviews, however you can try to add small touches that reflect your personal style.

6. Keep it relevant.

Make sure the answers you have prepared are relevant to the job you are interviewing for. Try to showcase your experience in that industry and leave out any irrelevant experience or information. For example, when you are preparing for the ‘classic interview questions’ use examples that are within similar job roles you’ve had, or projects you’ve worked on that are relevant. If you are interviewing for a job in event management and are asked about a time you used teamwork, the interviewer will want to hear about a time you co-ran an event with a team, how the dynamics of the team worked, what challenges you faced as a team & how you all made the event happen together.

7. What sets you apart?

Find something that you know will set you apart from other candidates, something that will make your interview memorable. Maybe the degree you studied in college gives you a unique perspective, or you have a unique skill that will be useful for the job. Try to find something that will make your interview memorable.

8. Go above and beyond for tasks.

Some interviewers will ask you to prepare something ahead of the interview, particularly if you are interviewing for a job in marketing & content creation. This is an opportunity to really showcase what you can do & show the interviewer how much you really want the job. Spend time doing the task and make sure you are happy with it. Having it prepared well & being happy with how it turned out, will give you an extra boost of confidence going into the interview.

Job interviews can be disheartening when you put so much effort in and don’t get the job you want. The preparation & experience you gain doing these interviews is so invaluable and will stand for you. Always remember that what is for you won’t pass you & rejection is redirection. Not getting one job may lead to getting a different one a month later that is so much better suited to you and your career goals. Good luck!