How should you prepare yourself for a job interview?

Sweaty hands, buckling knees and bags under the eyes after a night without sleep. That is not how you want to arrive at a job interview. With good preparation for a job interview, this is not necessary at all. We ensure that your job interview is a success and that your chances of landing that dream job increase significantly, allowing you to take the next step in your career, thanks to Next Step & More Coaching.

Good preparation is half the battle

Even if you haven’t had many job interviews, it is relatively easy to prepare. It literally involves a company looking for a particular person to fill a position within the company. The job posting will tell you what they are looking for and what qualities and/or qualifications you need to have to be a good match.

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Some concrete tips:

  1. Grab the vacancy again and open the company’s website or social media
  2. Write down the most important points, such as the characteristics or qualities they are looking for and what the company stands for (innovation, sustainability, customer satisfaction or fair trade, for example).
  3. Write down exactly how you meet the requirements and wishes in the previous point (what diplomas do you have, what are your strengths that suit the company or position, what are your motivations)
  4. Now you can tell the recruiter exactly why you are the person for the job

What are your strengths and areas for improvement?

At every job interview you will be asked to tell something about yourself and you will be asked what your strengths and points for improvement are. The first question is asked, among other things, to see how well you can communicate and what you emphasise. Identifying your strengths and areas for improvement is often more difficult. For strengths, pay particular attention to the qualities needed for the job you are applying for.

Some examples of strengths:

  1. Good at delegating
  2. Flexible
  3. Independent
  4. Reliable
  5. Accurate
  6. Alert
  7. Creative
  8. Social

Be honest about your points of improvement, or rather your areas of improvement. On which points do you want to improve yourself and where do you need to pay more attention within your career? In our career coaching sessions, we use the DISC behavioural analysis to work on your points of improvement. We will also look together at how you can put forward your areas for improvement in a positive way. Some examples of areas for improvement are:

  1. Cocky
  2. Too critical (of yourself or others)
  3. Clumsy in communication
  4. Uncertain
  5. Disorganised
  6. Impatient

Tip: Would you also like more insight into your strengths and areas for improvement? Get in touch and we will be happy to help you with our career coaching so that you can get the most out of your career.

3 tips for preparing for your job interview

To make it even easier for you to prepare, we have listed 3 good tips for you here:

  1. Ask questions
  2. It is not an interrogation, it is a two-way conversation in which you can ask questions yourself. This will give you a better idea of whether the position really suits you and you will also show an active, interested attitude.

  3. A strong motivation
  4. When asked why you want to come and work here, salary alone is not a good motivation. What attracts you to this company, such as career growth opportunities, location, the image or the company’s drivers

  5. Follow the company’s (social) media
  6. Check the company’s social media the day before the interview and read the vacancy again. Write any important points in your notes.