9 tips for a successful job interview

Now, you’re wondering how best to prepare for your interview, and that’s good. Because you have to prepare for an interview. Preparation is in fact the key to a successful interview!

So here are a few tips to help you on the way:

1. Find out about the purpose of the interview. Is it a technical interview, an HR interview, will it be in French, in English, with several people? Will you be taking technical tests? Will it last one hour, two hours?

There’s nothing worse than stressing out because you have another appointment or you weren’t expecting to have to speak English!

2. Find out their location, if it’s a physical interview; how you’re going to travel there, if it’s easy to park there or if you’re going to need a little more time so as not to arrive at your interview all stressed out…

3. If it’s a digital interview, check that you know how to use the tool and test it… And remember to request a backup plan if your Teams isn’t working or your wifi’s down.

If you know what to expect, you can prepare for it, which will ensure you’re more relaxed and enable you to be the best version of yourself in order to impress your future employer!

4. Be prepared! Check out the company’s website – that’s one of the basics for preparing an interview!

One of my clients’ first question was always: “Tell me about my company”. That question let him see immediately whether someone was really interested in working there. What are their mission, their plans, their goals… And why are you interested in joining them?

5. Check out their social media to see how they present themselves, their values, and also pick up a great deal of valuable information: their turnover, the kind of project on which they work, their dress code, their way of life… Don’t turn up in a jacket and tie if they’re a laid-back startup, or in jeans and trainers if they’re a very formal consultancy firm…

6. Check if you have contacts in common with the company! You can soon see on LinkedIn if you know someone who knows someone who works or has worked there! Contact them, ask them for an insider’s view, for advice… That will either make you keener than ever to work there, or maybe not, the job may sound interesting but the company’s not a good fit.

7. When studying the job description, make connections between what they’re asking for and what you know, whether through a course, a work experience, a project… and be able to supply an instance of each.

8. If a skill is required that you don’t have, investigate. Google is your friend! All right, you may not know it all, but at least show that you’ve done some research, that you’re taking the job seriously. When I interview an applicant who doesn’t know what I expect but explains he’s already followed a tutorial and is ready to learn… and another who simply says “no, I don’t know about that”, the decision is obvious.

9. Don’t forget that recruitment is a two-way street: it’s up to you to convince them, but also up to them to attract you! You’re not the only one that needs to please!

Good luck with the interview and remember to believe in yourself! You’ll find the right job for you, it’s only a matter of time…

With that in mind, remember to check out our offers to find the one that suits you best!