Lux vs. Low: MakeupJul.19.2020
You’ve just graduated and you’re ready to hit the ground running, ready to find that perfect starting job to kick-start your career. Keep in mind that you might not start out with your dream job from the get-go, you will have to work for it, and the better you become at interviews, the more chance you have at landing those jobs. It’s all about being prepared, staying calm and most importantly, being yourself (your professional self that is). Here are five tips to set you up for that first job interview:
Do a deep dive into the company; what’s their ethos? Do they have an ethos? What is the company all about? Maybe they have a slogan or tagline, find out and learn the history behind it because this will give you some insight into that company and how it operates. Social media is an effective research tool, but make sure you go beyond that and have a good range of sources.
You don’t always know who will be interviewing you, but if you do then it makes sense to learn about these people and their role within the company. Will you be working on any key projects with them? Do they have any published work, are they into CSR? This will of course depend on the type of role you are interviewing for but showing an understanding for key profiles and their commitment to their company is not only important, it shows initiative.
Every company has a communication strategy – some more effective than others, but there has to be a way of engaging with the consumer to sell their product or service. You want to learn about how they communicate, so you know how to approach them. This understanding also helps you to give them your personal perspective on their communication tactics and whether you find them engaging, relatable, approachable – would you buy into their offering? This makes a good point for discussion in an interview (and make it constructive feedback as you do want them to hire you after all).
What do you know about your role? How is your experience relevant? What can you bring to this position? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before your interview, and most importantly, why do you want it? The interview process works both ways – it’s for you to find out if this role is for you, and equally for your employers to see if you are the right fit for their company. But ultimately, to excel in a job interview you have to want the job and this has to come across.
Interviews are not all about having the answers, they’re very much about having the questions too. Show inquisitiveness, insight and a genuine interest in the company with the questions that you ask – questions that will demonstrate that you care about how your perform, progress and add value to the company, and equally, how this role will add value to you as an employee. At the end of the day, a job is much more than a CV and a cover letter – it’s about the culture, the people, the drive, the work-life balance, financial expectations, short and long-term goals. The list goes on, but you need to know what your priorities are as these will be your motivating factors.
