Older workers need to look inward as part of interview prep
Much has been said about the importance of preparing for a job interview. A big part of that preparation is learning all you can about the company – its products, its services, its industry, its competitors, etc.
Knowing as much as you can about the company will enable you to ask questions about the job, your role, your responsibilities, etc. It also will demonstrate your interest in the position in question.
But wait! There’s more
There is another element of interview preparation that many candidates take lightly and that has to do with themselves. Surely, you say, candidates know themselves – their work histories, their skills, their accomplishments, their education, etc. And that’s probably true.
During your preparation, do you attempt to discern what questions you’ll be asked? Not the easy questions about your background and so forth. We’re talking about the difficult questions, the sensitive questions. What are your weaknesses? What about any gaps you might have on your resume? Do you know the specific numbers about a successful campaign you managed? Don’t kid yourself. Everyone has something that they’re uncomfortable talking about.
Do you know how you are going to respond to those questions? Do you practice your answers? Do you try your answers on someone to check that your answers make sense and that there is nothing left out?
They say that it’s difficult to know yourself. It’s even more difficult to recognize any shortcomings you may have and to determine how you are going to describe your particular situation.
Preparation – like the interview process itself – is a two-way street. Not only must you learn as much as you can about the company and the job, but you had better have your own story committed to memory – warts and all.
Kommentarer