According to a survey conducted by JDP, an employment screening company, 93% of job candidates have experienced anxiety related to their job interview. If English is not your native language, your stress may seem greater but obviously, you are not alone. Let’s start by reframing your anxiety not as a weakness or condition to avoid but rather as a healthy and normal response to an important opportunity and process that you want to succeed at. Job interviews are a competition and just like any other competition you face in life, preparation is a key to your success. So, let’s get started.
Successful preparation usually starts with data and information gathering and that’s where we are going to start too. Fortunately, we have multiple internet sites that do much of the work for us. Even if you have a friend or family member already working at the company you are interviewing with, it’s still a valuable use of your time to dig a little deeper. Let’s start with the company website gathering information from their mission statement, About Us section, and more. Skim through a few news articles featured on their website to gain insight into the company's achievements, future direction, and strategic initiatives.
Remember, the company controls the narrative on its website so let’s expand our search. Start by reading a few articles from other news outlets. Then, start pulling company profiles from LinkedIn and Glassdoor, for instance. Actually, there are many different sites where you can find company profiles. Unless that interview is tomorrow morning, take the time to find and compare at least three. If the information found is not consistent among the three sources, you will want to go further to try to determine why there are inconsistencies. It is also a very good idea to learn more about the company’s competition and market position. You may even be asked in an interview for ideas on how to build market share or improve product features. Without some background information, your response will most likely be a blind guess.
To be really thorough, consider taking the time to review the company’s annual statement which will undoubtedly also include more detailed future plans. Depending on the size, industry, and level of the position you are seeking, it may even be a worthwhile investment to pay for a professional corporate analysis available from a company such as MarketLine.
Analyze the information from your research to help you understand if this is a good career choice for you while also identifying where you can contribute to the company’s mission and future goals, and how you share their values and fit their company culture.
Making those connections to your responses during the interview process will help you stand out among candidates.
What if your research suggests that there is significant company instability or you really aren’t a good fit at this company and you probably wouldn’t be happy or succeed there? I would still recommend completing the interview for practice and interview skill-building. Remember the idiom “practice makes perfect”?
