Fischer - Hire yourself first 11 questions to ask yourself before your next job interview

Hire YourselfFirst:

11 Questions to Ask YourselfBefore Your Next Job Interview

By Rusty Fischer

www.rustyfischer.com

Copyright 2015 by RustyFischer

All rightsreserved.

This is a work ofnonfiction. All of the names, characters, places and eventsportrayed in this novel are either products of the authorsimagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.

Cover credit: vgstudio Fotolia.com

Introduction

Going on a job interview isnever easy or fun. In fact, the process can be downright nervewracking, causing us to lose sleep, grow anxious and generallydread the interview itself.

As you might imagine, theseare not exactly optimal conditions for making a great firstimpression on a potential employer!

One way we can reduce thestress, anxiety and uncertainty of going on a job interview is tobe as well prepared for it as possible.

Preparation allows us torespond more instinctively, rather than nervously, because wevealready practiced, rehearsed and primed ourselves for what toexpect.

Naturally, we cantanticipate every question but that shouldnt stop us fromtrying!

To make sure youre asprepared as possible for your next career opportunity, hereare 11 Questions to Ask Yourself BeforeYour Next Job Interview :

The First Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Am I Familiar With theCompany?

One great way to jump intointerview prep is to make sure youre as familiar with the companyyoure interviewing with as possible. This will help you understandthe organizational culture, the attitude, tone, feel and dynamicsof the company.

Start by visiting thecompanys website, then branch off to see if any of the companysleaders maintain their own blogs or write articlesregularly.

Get to know the companysproducts, or services and, if their website posts them, the companyvision or mission statements as well. You dont have to write abook on every company you interview for but, then again, itwouldnt hurt!

The Second Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Am I Familiar With theJob?

Get to know the jobdescription as well as you can prior to the interview. Mostcompanies these days post the job online, with a full set of bothqualifications and responsibilities and sometimes evenmore.

Study it carefully, bulletpoint by bullet point, so that you know not only what youregetting into should you get the job (fingers crossed), but alsowhat the interviewers might want to talk about while yourethere.

The Third Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Do I Know How to GetThere?!?

Dont be tripped up by theminor details you may have overlooked in favor of high-levelquestions you might be asked.

You can be as prepared aspossible but if you show up late because you neglected to allow forenough time to get there on time, what kind of first impressiondoes that send?

Use your favorite app tolocate and plot the quickest driving route to the company. Drivethere beforehand if that will make you feel more familiar with theroute, preferably at about the same time youll be leaving for theinterview to know how much time to allow yourself.

The Fourth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Do I Know How ISound?

Each of us has a speechpattern, our default setting for how we stand, look, expressourselves and, importantly, how we sound.

Do you know how you sound?

There may not be much youcan do about your accent or vocabulary just before a job interview,but you can certainly work on any unpleasant, insecure or uncertainticks that may influence a job interview.

Record yourself asking andanswering a few sample questions, such as: What is your name?Why do you want to work for us? Etc. Then play it back, severaltimes, listening for any undo pauses, repeated words, voiceinflections, etc.

If you notice something thatsounds jarring to you, imagine how it might sound during aninterview. Work on eliminating such ticks before the interview,and subsequent interviews, to avoid it altogether.

The F ifth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Do I Know How ILook?

Just like learning how yousound before an interview, its important to know what you looklike as well. Record yourself on a video camera or cell phone and,again, see if there any ticks, movements or distractions that standout.

If you find anything, try toeliminate them as you practice, record, watch, practice, record andwatch some more until theyre gone.

Not only will this help youget more comfortable with the question and answer format of yourupcoming interview, but youll be smoothing out your firstimpression at the same time.

The Sixth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Am I in a Positive Frame ofMind?

Not to get all self-help onyou, but positivity breeds positivity, while negativity breeds you guessed it negativity. If you are down on yourself,unmotivated, doubtful, insecure or even anxious, its bound to showin an interview.

Spend some time before theinterview getting in the right frame of mind. Read your favoriteempowering book(s), listen to your favorite motivationalspeaker(s), watch some motivating YouTube videos or simply get outof the house for awhile doing something other than worrying about or even preparing for the interview.

Sometimes the best way toprepare for an interview is to focus on what might happen if youget the job. When you are excited about something, it shows andpeople respond. (Even interviewers!)

The Seventh Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Am I a Good Fit for theCompany?

Have you been to thecompany, physically? Have you toured the facilities, or even takena virtual tour online? Have you even visited the companyswebsite yet?!?

Organizational culture isextremely important these days, and working with a team ofprofessionals means more than just doing your job it often meansfitting in as well.

The more you understand thetone, feel and attitude of the company youre applying for, thebetter youll be able to anticipate the types of questions theyllask you during the interview and how best to respond.

The Eighth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Am I Qualified For theJob?

This may seem like ano-brainer, but are you? Do your qualifications match what thecompany is looking for? If not, and you still want the job, how areyou going to put your best foot forward knowing there might beother candidates and plenty of them more qualified thanyou?

In preparation for yourinterview, look for ways you can put your best foot forwardregardless of your qualifications or lack thereof.

Wanting the job is rarelyenough in itself to get the job, but wanting it bad enough to explain whyyour current skill set is a good fit for the position can go a longway toward overcoming those qualifications you may presentlylack.

The Ninth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Do I Know MyStrengths?

Nearly all interviewers willget around to asking about your strengths at some point, but evenif they dont this is a great question to ask yourself for yourself.

When asked about yourstrengths, less can actually be more. In other words, its best tofocus on a chosen few rather than a laundry list of everything youlove about yourself!

So pick your top threestrengths integrity, attention to detail, loyalty, etc. andthink about how you might not only define those strengthssuccinctly, but go a step further to show examples of when theyvebeen important in your career so far.

The Tenth Question to Ask Yourself Before Your Next JobInterview:

Do I Know MyWeaknesses?

Few companies ask about yourstrengths without following up with a question about yourweaknesses. So do you recognize your own?