There is no such thing as being 'over prepared', you don't have to invest hours of your time into it, but a couple of simple checks can be done before you go to an interview and avoid saying stupid things. Some people feel stress before an interview, others just go and see what happens. Independent if you are in camp Stress or Calm, a minimum of preparation never killed anyone. A couple of tips to be prepared enough to kick ass at every interview. 1) To guarantee you are on time, check the address upfront and plan how you get there (car, public transport, ...) and anticipate sufficient time for the transport. 2) Who are you meeting? Check their LinkedIn profile and see if you have things in common (background/connections, ...) , it can be a very good ice breaker for the conversation.
3) Why are you going to this interview? What's your motivation for the job and why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for the role? Think upfront of transferable skills and the added value you can bring on the job from day 1. 4) What is the role and company about? Check the company website (with a focus on the corporate values etc) and their linkedin page to understand what's going on currently, e.g. have they been in the news lately? Are there youtube movies about the company? 5) What will you reply on the typical interview questions such as: strengths, weaknesses, explain your CV, ... . It shows maturity to illustrate in your replies that you understand that your strengths can become weaknesses depending on the situation and that you can adapt if needed. A detail-oriented person is good for the nitty gritty work, however, when you need to reach deadlines you sometimes need to apply the 80/20 rule and details get less important. 6) What do you want to get out of the interview? You don't want to return empty handed, it's a 2-way conversation from the beginning. You can list a couple of questions in a notebook and take this with you to the meeting. It shows you are prepared and if you take a couple of notes during the meeting it also shows a professional, future-oriented approach. 7) The salary question, depending on the culture you can bring up the topic yourself or not. In general in Luxembourg, HR will bring up the topic and will ask your current salary details. If you don't know your annual salary by heart, it can be useful to check upfront so you can provide correct information from day 1. 8) if you are concerned about the dresscode, you can always ask the recruiter you are in touch with. If you are in direct contact with HR, of course you can also raise the question. Suit-up is normally not a bad idea for most traditional companies. One can never be overdressed, overeducated or overpaid ;-). Ready to kick some interview ass now ;-)
Enjoy this beautiful day.
The freely team
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