How to prepare for an interview. Izvestia's instructions

An interview is an important stage of employment, which allows the employer to evaluate the candidate's professional qualities, and the applicant to get a complete picture of the future job and working conditions. But even established professionals need to prepare before meeting with HR or a future manager. What needs to be done before the interview and how to behave during the interview, read the Izvestia article.

Why do I need an interview?

During the interview, the employer and the applicant get to know each other better and determine the vector of further cooperation.

The supervisor evaluates not only the professional skills, but also the personal qualities of the candidate. It determines to what extent the applicant conforms to the corporate culture and whether he will be able to effectively interact with the team. This helps to understand whether a person will feel comfortable in a team.

For a candidate, an interview is an opportunity to demonstrate their strengths and get comprehensive information about the company. He can specify the specifics of the job, job responsibilities, working conditions and salary. It is also a chance to assess the prospects for professional growth.

Who they pretend to be: more than half of job seekers lie on their resumes

IT specialists and top managers are most often deceived.

What are job interviews?

Modern companies use various interview formats depending on the specifics of the job and corporate standards. The most common is a personal interview, when the parties meet directly in the office or have a conversation in a video call format.

Recruitment specialists identify several main types of interviews:

• structured interview — all candidates answer the same questions according to predefined evaluation criteria;
• Case interview - solving work situations to test the candidate's analytical abilities and logical thinking;
• A projective interview is the performance of special tasks to identify the psychological characteristics of a candidate.;
• behavioral interview — description of specific situations from past experience;
• A stress interview is the creation of a tense atmosphere to test the candidate's reaction to pressure.

Technical specialists are often interviewed to solve additional practical problems. This approach allows you to evaluate the real skills of working with professional tools. At the same time, the interview may include elements of different formats.

The main stages of the interview

A standard interview includes several consecutive stages. Each of them allows you to evaluate different aspects of a candidate's preparation and his compliance with the requirements of the vacancy.

During an individual interview, the applicant usually goes through:

• filling out a questionnaire with basic information;
• personal conversation with company representatives;
• completing a test task;
• getting feedback on the results.

Several candidates participate in a group interview at the same time. This format usually includes team assignments and role-playing games. This allows you to evaluate communication skills and the ability to work in a team.

How to prepare for an interview

High-quality preparation for the interview significantly increases the chance of getting a job in the desired position. Before responding to a job you like, you should learn more about the employer. It is recommended to analyze not only the official website, but also other sources of information about the company.

What to pay attention to:

• the "About the company" section on the corporate portal;
• the organization's social networks;
• publications about the company in the media;
• employee reviews on specialized resources.

Then you should read the job description again. It is important to clearly understand what is required of the applicant and what qualities he should possess — this will help to present himself competently. If any points remain unclear (job responsibilities, schedule, registration, etc.), you need to write them down and clarify them during the interview.

In search of meaning: how Generation Z is changing the culture in the labor market

Why are some zoomers unable to find a place they like for years?

It is also worth paying attention to the "alarm bells" in the job description. For example:

• "flexible schedule" — this wording may conceal irregular working hours.;
• "stress tolerance" and "multitasking" can signal a huge amount of work and a high workload.;
• "office work without routine" — you may have to do something outside of your job tasks.;
• "the team is like a family to us" — manipulation and recycling are possible in the workplace;
• promises of high salaries and fast career growth with zero experience are probably scams.

The above formulations do not always mean something bad, but it is important to keep this in mind and try to clarify all questionable points during the interview.

How to behave at an interview

The successful completion of the interview largely depends on the applicant's self-presentation. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare answers to classic questions in advance, recall relevant cases, your successes and achievements. It is recommended to use the STAR methodology for structuring responses.:

• situation — description of a specific work situation;
• task — setting a task that needed solving;
• action — actions taken to solve the problem.;
• result — the achieved result and its measurable indicators.

This scheme will help not only to answer most of the employer's questions in detail, but also to demonstrate their strengths. Among the most frequent questions that can be heard during an interview are:

• "Tell us about yourself";
• "Name your weaknesses";
• "Why did you leave the previous place?";
• "What are your salary expectations?"

When answering difficult questions, it is important to remain calm and demonstrate a constructive approach. You should not directly talk about your shortcomings, conflicts in the past, and other unpleasant moments. It is better to identify your "growth areas" and the goals in the company that you would like to achieve.

If the employer turns to non-standard questions (for example, "How many socks can I put along the equator?"), it is necessary to demonstrate your reasoning abilities and voice the entire logical chain leading to the answer. Even if the answer is inaccurate, the interviewee will see that the candidate is capable of thinking outside the box, but constructively.

Second wind: older people are increasingly learning new professions

Why do companies hire "silver employees" and what such a career can bring to the candidates themselves?

What to ask the employer about

The final part of the interview provides the candidate with an opportunity to ask interesting questions. This will help you understand whether the job really meets the applicant's expectations.

It is recommended to clarify the following aspects of future work:

• full list of job responsibilities;
• career development and training opportunities;
• performance evaluation criteria;
• division structure and interaction features;
• company development prospects;
• reasons for the departure of the previous employee;
• rules of work and overtime pay.

Active participation in the dialogue allows you to get the most complete picture of your future work. Prepared questions demonstrate an interest in the vacancy and a serious approach to job search.

Earlier, Aigun Kurbanova, president of the Association of Career Consultants, spoke about the most common mistakes when looking for a job.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.