Preparing for your interview can help you:

1. Boosts confidence: By preparing thoroughly, you can reduce your anxiety and nervousness about the interview.     As a result, you can present yourself more professionally.

2. Improves performance: It enables you to provide more thoughtful and relevant answers to interview questions. Through preparation, you can anticipate and ready yourself for common questions you might face.

3. Demonstrates commitment: It shows the interviewer that you are serious about the opportunity and have invested time in understanding the role and company. This level of preparation reflects positively on your work ethic and professionalism.

Recent Changes:

• Appointed a new Chief Technology Officer 6 months ago
• Launched a new product line of solar-powered outdoor smart devices
• Entered a partnership with a major utility company to offer integrated services

History:

• Founded in 2010 by two engineering graduates
• Received significant venture capital funding in 2013
• Went public in 2018
• Has won several innovation awards in the clean tech sector

Current Projects:

• Developing an AI-powered energy prediction system
• Expanding into the European market, starting with Germany and France
• Collaborating with a leading university on a study about the long-term impact of smart home technology on energy consumption patterns

STEP 2: MATCH YOUR SKILLS TO THE EMPLOYER’S NEEDS

Key points:

1. The second step for preparing for an interview is to connect your skills with what employers are looking for. Different jobs and industries have different needs, so it’s important to know what those are.
2. Even though the skills needed can change from one job to another, there are some basic skills that most employers really appreciate. Having these skills can make you stand out and do better at work.
3. Create/Copy Google Sheet to use for your answers. You will need to create a Google account before making your own file.

10 Examples of Skills Companies Value

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/employability-skills“

1. Analyze the job description thoroughly:
   • Carefully read through the entire job posting
   • Highlight or list all skills, qualifications, and experiences mentioned
   • Note both explicit requirements and implied skills
2. Categorize required skills:
   • Separate hard skills (technical abilities) from soft skills (interpersonal qualities)
   • Identify must-have skills vs. nice-to-have skills
   • Look for recurring themes or emphasized points
3. Self-assessment focused on the vacancy:
   •  Create a list of your skills and experiences that directly relate to the job requirements
   • Rate your proficiency level for each relevant skill
   • Identify concrete examples of how you’ve demonstrated these skills
4. Gap analysis:
   • Compare your skills list to the job requirements
   • Identify areas where you meet or exceed expectations
   • Note any gaps in your skillset
5. Tailoring your application materials:
   • Customize your resume to highlight skills that match the job description
   • Use the same terminology as the job posting where applicable
   • In your cover letter, explicitly connect your experiences to the required skills
6. Highlighting transferable skills:
   • If you lack direct experience, identify transferable skills from other contexts
   • Explain how these skills apply to the advertised role

Step 3 – Prepare and Practice common interview questions

Key Points:

• Develop questions based on the job requirements
• Include traditional questions
• Include behavioral questions related to the required skills
• Include situational questions that reflect potential workplace scenarios.
• Create/Copy Google Sheet to use for your answers. You will need to create a Google account before making your own file.

Using Google Sheets for Preparation

1. Research Common Questions: Use Google to search for “common interview questions in [your industry]” to find additional questions specific to your field.
2. Practice and Refine: Use Google Sheet to write out full answers to each question. Practice saying these answers out loud and refine them based on how they sound.
3. Prepare Questions for the Interviewer: In your Google Sheets document, create a list of questions to ask the interviewer based on your research.
4. Use the Google Sheet Tracker to track your interviews

Conduct a Mock interview (Optional)

 

Interview Questions Preparation Guide

How to answer each Categories of Interview Questions

1. Traditional Questions

These are standard questions that often come up in interviews across various industries.

1. Question: Tell me about yourself. Sample Answer: “I’m a recent graduate with a degree in [Field] from [University]. During my studies, I developed strong skills in [relevant skills], which I’ve applied in [relevant projects or internships]. I’m passionate about [industry/field] and excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills and learn from experienced professionals in this role.”
2. Question: Why do you want to work for our company? Sample Answer: “I’ve been following [Company Name]’s innovations in [specific area] for some time now. Your commitment to [company value or achievement] aligns perfectly with my professional goals. I believe my skills in [relevant skills] would allow me to contribute effectively to your team while also growing professionally in an environment that values [company culture aspect].”

2. Behavioral Questions

These questions aim to assess how you’ve handled specific situations in the past.

1. Question: Describe a time when you had to work as part of a team to solve a problem. Sample Answer: “During my final year project, our team encountered [specific challenge]. I took the initiative to [action taken], which helped us [positive outcome]. This experience taught me the importance of [lesson learned] and improved my [relevant skill].”
2. Question: Give an example of a time you had to manage conflicting priorities. Sample Answer: “In my internship at [Company], I was tasked with [task 1] while also being involved in [task 2]. To manage this, I [specific actions taken to prioritize and manage time]. As a result, I was able to [positive outcome], which taught me valuable lessons about [relevant skill or lesson].”

3. Situational Questions

These questions present hypothetical scenarios to assess how you might handle potential workplace situations.

1. Question: How would you handle a situation where a team member isn’t pulling their weight on a project? Sample Answer: “I would first approach the team member privately to understand if there are any underlying issues affecting their performance. If needed, I’d offer support or resources to help them improve. If the problem persists, I would document the situation and discuss it with our supervisor to find a solution that ensures the project’s success while addressing the team dynamics constructively.”
2. Question: If you noticed a flaw in a process that could potentially save the company time and money, how would you approach suggesting changes? Sample Answer: “I would start by thoroughly researching the current process and documenting the potential improvements. Then, I’d prepare a concise presentation outlining the problem, proposed solution, and potential benefits. I would schedule a meeting with my supervisor to present my findings and be open to feedback and collaboration to refine the idea before imp