Tips for the interview: how to prepare

After the application, the interview is the next step on the way to the new job. In order to make a good impression when getting to know each other personally, there are a few things to consider. You only have one chance to make a first impression and ultimately you want to assert yourself against your competitors. That is why it is important to score points in the interview from the very first second. If you take these tips to heart, nothing stands in the way of a good impression during the interview.

This is what matters at the job interview

In the interview, it is important to confirm the interest aroused by the application. For you, as an applicant, it is the chance to present yourself personally and to underline your interest and your suitability for the position. At the same time, it is also your chance to get to know potential colleagues, bosses, and the company itself. It is therefore important to show your best side. The following things should therefore be observed:

• Professionalism

A professional appearance is shown in the interview by the fact that the applicant is prepared. Anyone who comes to the interview unprepared signals that they are not interested in the interview and thus the position. Of course you are nervous and you may not have an immediate answer to one or the other question, but you can tell the difference between nervousness and a lack of preparation.

Thorough research about the company and the position is necessary in order to be able to present yourself optimally at the interview. Of course, there is no need to know every little detail about the company. But basic information about the history, the products, locations and current developments should already be present. It is also essential to be polite. You should also keep your own application very present in your head.

• Authenticity

As in the application, authenticity is also very important in the interview. It is not advisable to want to score with empty phrases that HR managers are supposed to want to hear. The truth is always the most important. This also applies to the presentation of yourself. In any case, you should stick to the truth and not add a few details to your imagination that you might want to be true. After all, you don’t even know who you’re dealing with and what that person would like to hear.

The company would also like to get to know you. Nobody is perfect and that’s not the point. Be authentic in the conversation and show who you really are. If you don’t fit the job and the company, then that’s the way it is. But that also means the company wouldn’t be a match for you, so it’s worth looking further.

• Confident but not arrogant

Of course, in an interview it is definitely helpful to be aware of your own strengths and to have a good level of self-confidence. This ensures that you can present yourself in a good light and do not make your own competence worse than it is. Nonetheless, you should keep your balance and not slide into arrogant behavior. Arrogant demeanor can quickly reduce the chances of getting the job, because nobody wants to work with an arrogant colleague over the long term. For the working atmosphere, it is much more appropriate to meet at eye level and move forward together.

• Competence

The job interview is about presenting your own competence. You want to show that you can meet the demands of the position and that you can carry out the tasks to everyone’s satisfaction. This of course includes the hard skills on the one hand. They represent professional competence. If you apply for a position as a software developer, you should be able to program. If you have an interview as a carpenter, you should have learned how to work with wood. In addition, one should underline one’s own competence through soft skills. It is about social skills such as resilience or your own motivation. Technical competencies can already be represented in a certain way in the résumé. But only when getting to know each other personally does the HR manager get a closer impression of the personality of an applicant.

The structure of an interview

Every interview follows a similar structure. By the way, you can get an impression of how well things are going by looking at the length of the interview. An interview usually lasts between 20–30 minutes. Good interviews take longer than not-so-good ones. If your conversation ends after less than 10 minutes, you probably weren’t able to fully convince the HR manager.

Each interview is similar to the following structure:

• Greetings and small talk
• Getting to know you phase
• Self-presentation
• Company presentation
• Inquiries
• Conclusion and farewell

At the beginning of every interview, there is of course the greeting. A little small talk is made to ease the nervousness and tension and to start the conversation relaxed.

For this, it is important not to underestimate the power of the first impression. The first impression largely determines to what extent we like a person or not. This is not even a conscious process but often happens very subconsciously. For the first impression, there is no second chance.

It is best to try to be calm and serene. Of course, sometimes that’s easier said than done. If you are very nervous, you can calmly say that right at the beginning of the conversation, they will not blame you. After all, you show that the conversation is important to you.

A good first impression is created when the applicant comes directly into the office in an open and friendly manner. It is not important that the applicant goes straight to the interlocutor with an outstretched hand. It is better to watch carefully how the opposite person behaves. If the other person extends their hand to you, press it briefly and firmly.

It is important to briefly and politely introduce yourself by name and thank you for the invitation to the interview. An attentive smile creates sympathy. Eye contact is also very important. The goal should be to come across as open and confident. Do you find that difficult every now and then? Then make yourself aware of your posture.

Walk upright towards the HR manager and look him in the eyes. Always remember: Your application convinced him so much of you that he wants to get to know you. Now it is important to build on this good impression.

Initial questions about how to get there and whether you have found your way around loosen up the situation and make it easier to start the conversation. The following applies here: first think, then talk. In this way, despite the excitement, you ensure that you choose your words carefully and do not gush nervously away.

Tips for small talk:

• Maintain eye contact with the interlocutors
• Smile
• Tell little anecdotes
• Asking first questions
• Getting to know you phase

In the second phase of the interview, the HR manager is concerned with getting to know the applicant and his or her motivation for the job better. It is important to him to see to what extent the information from the application really applies to him.

Overall, the getting to know you phase comprises three different situations. In the course of getting to know each other, the company introduces itself, the applicant is asked to talk about himself and the HR manager tries to find out more about the applicant by asking questions:

Self-presentation

A classic introduction to getting to know each other at a job interview is the request to tell something about yourself. This self-presentation was already mentioned when preparing for the interview because it is easy to prepare.

A good self-presentation is fluid and well-considered. However, it does not make sense to memorize a self-presentation and recite it. That doesn’t look authentic and personal. A suitable length for a self-presentation is three to five minutes. First name and age are mentioned and then the education, experience and focus are further discussed.

In the self-presentation, your own career is described in more detail and professional and social skills are discussed. It is less about simply listing the stages in life. It is much better to moderate these situations accordingly.

Emphasize important things and make a reference to the position and the company. Are there any important experiences that highlight your particular suitability for the job? Great, then go into more detail. It is your chance to personally show why you are the right person for the job and why you mean business. Therefore, at the end of the introduction, be sure to go back to the reasons why you applied to this particular company.