If you are looking for a job, this information may interest you. There are 10 tips to be well prepared and do a job interview in marketing, advertising or communication. Although they really can be applied to other sectors. Are you ready to show the best of you? Let’s ready for how to prepare for job interview.
How to prepare for job interview?
You receive a call on your mobile, you answer and the person on the other side gives you a job interview . You get nervous, you block yourself and you practically do not know what to say. Be careful, because now is the time to start our plan. Keep calm, take a deep breath, take a pencil and paper, and do not forget to obtain this information before hanging up:
- name of the contact person and your phone
- date, time and address of the appointment
- company and department that summon you
- kind of interview that you are going to do and name of the interviewer.
If, in addition, you can obtain information about the vacant position, great. This is a good start! Anyway, do not worry. Now, I’ll tell you in more detail.
1. Conduct a prior investigation
Since you receive the call until the day of the interview, you have time to activate the protocol of action in these cases. The important thing is to get down to work as soon as possible to be as prepared as possible. First of all, get all the information you can about the company , the position and the interviewer.
2. Follow the blog and social networks of the company
Of course, I recommend that you follow the blogs and social networks of the companies in which you want to work or collaborate. Not only that. Read the content they publish, leave comments on their articles adding value, share their posts on social networks mentioning their accounts, react to their posts on Twitter and Facebook (retweet, like, share, comment …) … In short, remains active in their digital platforms and give feedback. It is the best way that currently exists to show interest. Above all, if we talk about the marketing, advertising and communication sector.
3. Ask what kind of job interview you are going to do
Job interviews usually last about 30 minutes . That’s the time you have to convince the coach of your worth. Before going to the appointment, it is convenient for you to know what kind of interview you are going to do. In general, there are two options:
Individual
You are alone with the interviewer and the conversation you keep can be:
Directed. They ask you a questionnaire that includes the same questions for all the candidates. The key is to be clear and brief in your answers.
Free. The person who interviews you leaves you free and is open to talk about your experience following the guidelines that you are marking. The talk develops in a more fluid way, without a predetermined script. In this case, the most advisable thing is to count your trajectory in chronological order, highlighting your strengths and making clear what you can contribute to the company.
Mixed: This interview model is quite common. It is a mix between the first and the second. There is a base questionnaire with closed questions but, at the same time, they leave you room to take the speech to your ground and take the initiative.
Group
They meet you with several candidates (10 maximum) and they propose a situation for you to solve together. The coach looks at aspects such as the capacity for teamwork, leadership, communication, interpersonal relationship and the skills of each one. The most advisable thing is to keep calm, not to monopolize the speech, not to enter into polemics, to listen to others, to respect the opinions and to contribute as much as possible, also giving the court to the rest. This model of the interview is not frequent in marketing, communication and advertising, but I’ll tell you just in case.
4. Retouch your CV
It is assumed that when they call you for the job interview it is because they have previously seen your CV and they liked it. However, you should go to the appointment with the updated curriculum on paper or PDF within a pen drive. When you have specific information about the company and the position for which they call you, tweak and adapt your resume highlighting the experience and skills that best fit what they are looking for.
5. Update and complete your Linkedin profile
One of the first actions that the personnel manager of the company that is calling you will do is find you on Linkedin. You know, right? It is the number one professional social network worldwide. It suits you to have your complete profile, updated and be active on the platform. As in the CV, I suggest you give prominence to the jobs and skills that most fit the position for which you have been called.
6. Review your professional career
During the interview, nerves can make you forget something important. To prevent this from happening, check your trajectory beforehand, take a good look at all the information on your CV and mark the jobs you want to highlight the most. This I tell you so that you take it thought and do not leave it to improvisation. When you tell it during the interview, do it in chronological order and in an entertaining way using the storytelling and introducing some more personal information.
7. Prepare your Elevator Pitch
It is good that you prepare an Elevator Pitch in case you see the opportunity to tell it. It is a speech, about 2 minutes at most, where you present yourself, highlight your specialty, your strengths and say what you can contribute. We must focus on the most relevant, not the most recent, thinking about how to solve the needs of the company. Calling attention and being convincing are the objectives of this message. I suggest that when you prepare it, try it a couple of times in front of someone you trust. Then ask for his opinion. It sure helps you improve it.
8. Make a list of possible questions and practice the answers
Think of possible questions they can ask you and rehearse the answers, alone or in front of someone you trust. This gives you peace of mind and makes you more secure. When they ask you, listen carefully to what they propose and do not rush. Try that your answers are always oriented to the job you choose.
9. Carry your reaction to the questions asked
There may be some more difficult and committed questions that you must answer with diplomacy but also sincerely. You have to be prepared for this. Not answering is not the best solution because they may think that you are hiding something. In any case, in front of topics such as religion, politics, sexuality or more intimate matters you can always say that “you do not believe that these issues are relevant to the job”.
10. Make a list of doubts you have
Write a list with all the doubts that may arise about the work and the company. If during the interview you see the right time to do them, you can take out the paper and read them quietly. That will show that you have prepared and have the interest, so more points in your favor!
Do not ask the first change for the schedule, salary, vacation or type of contract. It is better that these subjects are taken out by the interviewer. Of course, it takes into account the conditions in which you want to work and the economic range that you would like to charge in case you are asked.
