Discusses the value of learning from an interview experience where you didn’t get the job and use key takeaways to help improve your interview skills moving forward.
A friend recounted an English teaching interview in which they asked her the last book she read, and she couldn’t think of a single one. She stumbled around and finally came up with a decent title, but she still remembers that feeling of panic, thinking, Why didn’t I have one ready!? Another friend talked about how, at the end of the interview, they asked if she had any questions for them, and she accidentally asked about a project that a competing company had worked on. We all have those terrible interview moments, but there are some things you can learn from those mistakes so they don’t happen the next time around.
- Practice, practice, practice. Before an interview, it’s a good rule of thumb to look at some common interview questions and have answers ready — but practice so you sound confident and not rehearsed. You also definitely want to think of some good questions for them as well so you come off as informed and interested in the position and the company. On a more practical note, you may also want to test drive the route you take to get there so you have a rough estimate of how long it will take…and add on time for traffic and other incidentals.
- Study up. Make sure you research the company beforehand. Nothing says to an interviewer that you’re not serious about the job when it becomes apparent that you’ve taken no time to get to know them. Look at their website, read any recent news articles, see if they have social media sites they regularly update. Know their mission statement and what the position will entail so you can discuss those points intelligently. You also may want to look up information on your interviewers if you get their names beforehand — see how long they’ve been with the company and what role they play.
- Do some self-examination. While it’s not always easy to pinpoint why you didn’t get a job according to the interview, run over it in your mind and see if anything sticks out. It’s hard not to second-guess your responses, but it doesn’t hurt to critically consider if you could have done something differently that might have given a better impression. If you realize you didn’t have the skill set they were looking for, get more experience in a certain area, or focus your search on something that’s more in line with what you have to offer.
Consider every interview an opportunity to do better on the next one. For help with your next upcoming interview, reach out to the experienced staffing team at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks today!
