POV: You decided to take the chance and apply for that position at the company that you’ve always wanted. But it’s been almost 20 years since you last interviewed and need to refresh your interviewing skills.
As moms and as role models for our children, we are always working on personal growth in different areas. One area might be our careers. Let’s say that you are going back to working outside of working as a SAHM (stay-at-home mom). Or perhaps you are taking a leap of faith to work at a different company after working there for so many years. Miami Mom Collective is celebrating National Business Women’s Week and we want to show support to all the moms with these tips on how to prepare for an interview.
TIP #1 RESEARCH THE COMPANY AND RESEARCH YOUR INTERVIEWER
So you now have an interview with the ideal company you want to work for. Time to do some research on the company. And I don’t mean just to look for who the managers are or the different office locations. I mean dive deep into the research. Research their clients, community involvement, and social media presence to name a few. Some of this research will give you the answer to the question, “Why do you think you are the ideal candidate for this position?”
Research your interviewer also. Chances are that the person interviewing you is the person that you will be working together with. By researching your interviewer you can learn if you and your interviewer have common interests. Some of the other details that you can learn about your interviewer are maybe how long they have been at the company and what their specialties are at the company. Knowing these details about your interviewer sets the path to Some of what helps make a good work environment is getting to know your colleagues by connecting with them through common interests. This will help you to then ask questions.
TIP #2 PUT TOGETHER QUESTIONS TO ASK
You did your research on the company and on the interviewer. Now it’s time to put together a list of the questions that you want to ask. This is just as important as answering the interviewer’s questions. Knowing more about your interviewer is beneficial to you when the time comes to accept their offer. Here are 3 questions to add to your list to ask the interviewer:
- My kids’ school calendar requires me to work from home sometimes. Is the company flexible with working from home days?
- Does the company give back to the community? If so, which ones?
- What has been the most rewarding for you while working for this company?
TIP #3 MOCK INTERVIEW
Grab your bestie and do a mock interview. There’s something about hearing yourself speak that helps stick to what your response is and the delivery of your response. Hearing yourself speak can also help with the vocabulary in the content of your response. Here are 3 questions for your bestie to ask you during the mock interview:
- How do you fit in with the brand of our company?
- If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?
- What attracted you most about applying for the position at our company?
TIP #4 POSITIVE SELF-TALK
There is no doubt that you will be anxious and nervous the night before as you prepare for the interview. One very helpful tip to prevent your nerves and fear from loading you up with anxiety is positive self-talk. Positive self-talk fuels you with confidence, stability, and calmness. Self-talk yourself about how great you will be at the interview, how you are the best candidate for the position, and how deserving you are of this part of growth.
