Job interview preparations

Career

How to prepare for a job interview?

Self-knowledge is the first step on the path to your career. You need to know yourself well in order to judge whether you are suited to a particular job, and to be able to ‘sell’ yourself to a future employer. A thorough self-analysis will help you to focus your search for suitable organizations, apply for jobs more effectively and set yourself apart from other applicants. So, before you start applying for jobs, it’s important to analyse who you are, what you want to do and where your talents lie. The results of this analysis will be your ‘brand values’. This is why we also refer to the process as ‘personal branding’. There are various ways to assess your personal competences and determine where your interests lie.

Who am I?

To answer this question, you need to think about what has made you what you are. This includes things that have happened to you, activities you’ve undertaken and important decisions you’ve made.

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What gives me a boost?
  • Why did I choose this degree programme?
  • Why did I choose certain part-time jobs or extracurricular activities?
  • What are my passions and interests?

What am I capable of?

You discover competences by looking at your past. Ask the people around you about your positive and negative traits. Once you have an overview of these, you will have an impression of your qualities and capabilities.

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What have I learned from my part-time jobs, placements, committee work, volunteer work, etc.?
  • Which skills did I acquire?
  • What results have I achieved?
  • What am I good at?

What do I want to do?

One of the most difficult aspects of personal branding is to work out what you want in life. Think about your wishes in terms of work, the reputation you want to build as a professional, and what your passions are.

  • Make a list of jobs that enthuse you.
  • Find out which tasks and responsibilities they involve.
  • Make a list of work or activities that really interest you.
  • Look at the company culture. How important is hierarchy to you?
  • Think about the type of work environment you would prefer. A small company or a large one?

Once you have worked out all these things, it will be easier to go out into the market as a job seeker and you’ll be able to explain more clearly to employers why you’re suitable for the position you’re applying for.

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