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Your opportunity to impress has arrived. You get the call to meet with your future boss and you do absolutely nothing to prepare. Sound familiar?

It’s amazing to believe people still approach an interview with little or no preparation, make themselves sick in the process and still wonder what went wrong. More incredibly is when this happens for every interview they attend and with no sign of changing their approach, this must be the sign of complete madness, Right?

Here’s how you can start winning and avoid some of the most basic of mistakes when going in for a job interview.

Research Your Way In

One fundamental mistake most people make before any interview is not doing any research on the company which they have applied to. It’s incredible to think that with all the technology and information channels available, Google is not even consulted. Do your research on the company and even go one step further, look up the person you’re going to meet with. Chances are, they’re already looking at your profile somewhere, so return the favour. Going in prepared for your interview starts with researching your prospective employer on everything from their markets, competitors and should even include reading through industry reviews & customer feedback on the company’s product range or service offerings.

 

It’s Not One-Way Traffic

Even though your dream job is now within reach and you are super excited at the notion of working for this prospective employer, the interview should never be just about you. It’s also about them! Is this a company you would like to work for? Is the person meeting with you or your future reporting manager, someone you would like to work for? What’s the environment like?

Remember that earlier point about doing some ‘research’ before you go in for your meeting?

Even if one of your friends works at the company and secures you a meeting with their manager, it’s still not one-way traffic. Remember, one size does not fit all. While your friend might love working there and thinks their manager is a legend, this does not necessarily apply to you.

It’s a meeting – not an Interview….

There are many ways in which you can make this meeting a positive experience and approaching this opportunity as an interview, is not one of them. It’s a meeting and you should have some questions of your own. This goes back to realising that this meeting is not one-way traffic and is as much about the company being considered for the position of employer as it is about you being looked at as a future employee.

This means preparing some of your own questions and since you might have limited time to ask them, make them count. The fact that you have some questions of your own will be a tick in your favour but just imagine the impression you’ll make with some insightful and well thought out questions.

It has been said that the 2 most stressful things we can do in our lives is move home and change jobs. Even if you’re unemployed and looking to get back into the workforce, these are fundamental steps you can now take to give yourself the best possible chance of securing employment.

But it all starts with you….