The hardest step to getting your dream job is the job interview. Even the best experts in the world fear the job interview because you are never really sure what questions will be asked. Not only do people hate examinations of any sort but there always seems to be more challenging questions asked every year; it is almost as if the interrogators are trying to make things as difficult as possible. Job interview tips need to allow for those questions as well as ensuring that the interviewee is comfortable and otherwise ready for just about anything. Fortunately, interviews are reasonably easy to deal with if you know what to expect.
The interview goes both ways
One of the basic job interview tips is to bear in mind that the interview goes both ways. Too many people forget that they are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing for it; this means that they surrender a lot of their power by forgetting that the interview goes both ways. That is, just as they are trying to ensure that you are a good fit for their company, you need to ensure that they are a good fit for where you want to be, not just in the present but a few years down the road. Even allowing for the possibility of lateral promotion, you will be spending a few years in the position you are interviewing, so keep that in mind.
As soon as you set the interview the first thing you should do is do your research on the company you are interviewing for. There are always questions about the company itself and what you expect your place to be within that company; you need to be able to answer those questions. You also need to gauge the level of ambition in the company; some companies tend to be laid back while others prefer someone with a little more ambition. You need to figure out if you can work with that or if you need a different sort of environment. Nonetheless, you need to make sure that you know the details of the company you plan to work for.
Know the Corporate Culture
Besides the corporate details, which always come in handy, you also need to see the basics of the corporate culture. Every company has its own taboos that you need to be aware of, just as they have their own dress code; knowing those ahead of time can only help your case. One of the best job interview tips is that it may not be a bad idea to ask a few pertinent questions about the culture before you get there and if you can drop by before the interview to assess what they wear as well as the general attitude. As you do not want to overdress or underdress by a significant margin that can seriously help your ability to do so; if you overdress they may question if you need the job, and if you underdress you may be too needy. You need to find that sweet spot and knowing the dress code helps.
Arrive Early
Make sure that you arrive early for the interview. This is not just to impress the interviewer, but also to make sure that you have time to deal with any pre-interview paperwork as well as make a quick trip to the bathroom; this trip is to make sure that your dress and makeup is on straight. This also gives you a chance to calm down and mentally prepare for the interview, as well as stop sweating from the heat outside if at all possible. While it may seem like arriving early may be more bother than it is worth, it can be a valuable chance to get ready for the interview and is infinitely better than arriving late.
Be prepared for some tough questions
It is a given that you will be asked some tough questions that you were unable to prepare for. Too many interviewers read articles about the best questions to ask and some of those questions would be hard for Oedipus to answer; the idea is to see how interviewees do in stressful situations and asking hard to answer questions is supposed to do that. Keep that in mind when you are asked a question that makes no sense to you and just answer honestly, if tactfully: Calling them out on how ridiculous the question is never a good idea. It is just a matter of surviving the questions so make sure that you are prepared for anything and you should do fine.
Follow up
Do not forget that the best interviewing tips apply after the meeting: Following up. While few businesses expect to hear from you after the interview and some actually hope that you will not, it does nonetheless make an impression. Even if you do not get the job you may be first in line for the next sales position and that assumes that the company does not offer you a position of some sort at the time. The bottom line is you should be prepared for anything that may happen and make sure that you handle the situation with the greatest of tact; keep that in mind and you should do well at the interview.