10 Job Interview Tips to Boost Your Confidence

1. Engage with individuals in your industry:

Connect with professionals in your industry for job interview confidence, especially when the role doesn’t align entirely with your experience. Engaging with industry insiders helps you tackle uncertainties. Discuss their tools, customer approach, planning techniques, and noteworthy achievements. Understanding the practices of seasoned professionals prepares you to answer questions like “How would you approach X situation and why?”

2. Familiarize yourself with the company’s jargon:

Each company has its unique way of expressing focus areas, responsibilities, and even job titles. In a job interview, you’ll engage with long-time employees who possess their distinct “language.” To ensure that you understand them fully, grasp their jargon.

Explore social media profiles, about pages, and company pages. Go through Google and check the LinkedIn or any other professional sites of individuals working there. Additionally, review any blogs about the company to discern how the company functions. Identify patterns and recurring words, jotting them down. Mastering the company’s language enhances your confidence in job interviews.

3. Identify a feature you admire in their product/service:

Before an interview, delve into the company’s projects and initiatives that pique your interest. Let’s focus on a marketing role as an example. For a marketing position, select a project the company undertook. Explore online resources, news coverage, and social media to gather insights. Prepare by considering:

What stood out to you in the project and why?

What particularly caught your attention?

How would you enhance it?

Being prepared with thoughtful answers equips you to respond confidently if asked, “Why did you apply for this position?”

4. Prep examples for every resume detail before the interview:

Consider the job interview as a test where employers assess your fit for the company by asking about details not explicitly stated on your resume.

Before the interview, scrutinize your resume, reviewing each bullet point and achievement. Recollect the situations, people involved, achieved results, and your contributions. This is crucial, especially with years of experience, as it may require a bit of digging to unveil the most noteworthy details.

Effectively employ the STAR interview technique in your preparation. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. This method aids you in answering questions by providing concrete examples of your skills and experience. Employers value tangible results, so instead of merely stating improvement in social media performance, substantiate it with figures, like, “We increased our engagement by 30%.”

If you struggle to recall your STAR structure or formulate a response, don’t hesitate to ask for a moment. Brief pauses are acceptable, indicating that you’re considering a thoughtful response.

5. Conduct a mock job interview with a friend for practice:

Feeling anxious about a meeting can lead to significant stress, causing you to feel stressed. To alleviate stress, consider practising the interview in advance. Enlist a trusted friend to play the role of the employer. Recording the mock interview allows you to identify areas for improvement. While not a perfect replica of a real interview, this practice can effectively reduce anxiety, especially when pursuing a job you value.

6. Propose an enhancement for their product/service: 

Impress employers by showcasing your pre-interview research on their product/service. Craft concise points on what you appreciate or find lacking in their activities. Tailor this to your applied position; for a marketing role, evaluate and suggest improvements to their marketing channels. Stay humble in your explanations, recognizing that you might not grasp the full context of their successes or challenges.

7. Come prepared with your resume and portfolio: 

Bringing your resume and portfolio isn’t just a formality; it’s a smart move.

Firstly, it streamlines the interview, making it easier for both you and the employer to reference your credentials and portfolio. Secondly, it sends a powerful message – you’re organized and considerate.

8. Compile a set of questions to ask:

Nail the final interview question: What questions do you have for us?

Show your investment and eagerness to learn by asking about company culture, employee rewards, growth opportunities in your role, and more. Prove you’ve done your homework and use the answers to gauge if the company aligns with your goals. It’s a win-win for everyone!

9. Be affirmative:

Making a positive first impression is important. As a hiring manager, it’s easier to interview someone who smiles, offers a firm handshake, and perhaps compliments the office during the initial meeting.

A positive attitude creates a relaxed atmosphere, making the interview feel like a smooth conversation rather than a formal interrogation. This benefits both the interviewer and the candidate, fostering confidence and a more engaging exchange.

10. Be ready to tackle this particular question:

“What tangible impact did you make in your previous role?”

While it may seem like a question about achievements, it goes beyond that. Answering requires a delicate balance between confidence and humility. Straying too far in either direction risks appearing boastful or lacking confidence. The focus should be on your company and the lasting impact you’ve left—a response to the “So, WHAT?” that follows a list of achievements.

This question shifts the spotlight from individual accomplishments to the company’s success and the legacy you’ve contributed. Before any interview, prepare a comprehensive list detailing the genuine impact on the organizations you’ve worked for. It’s not just about isolated achievements but understanding their collective significance and how they shaped the company’s outcomes, whether in terms of revenue, market share, ROI, culture, etc.2