Look on Google, YouTube and Facebook and you will find so much great advice about preparing for job interviews. Use the information to help yourself ace your next job interview.

There are sites that list the most likely questions to be asked, and others that guide you to develop answers to those questions.  There are sites that talk about how to dress – I even have a guide to making a great first impression at your job interview (click on “Offer” for more details).

One of the best videos I’ve found comes from Monster.co.uk and talks about how to answer four of the most-asked and most difficult questions:

  1. What is your greatest weakness?
  2. Why should we hire you?
  3. Why do you want this job?
  4. Tell me about yourself.

Take a look at it for some very useful advice.

[iframe width=”100%” height=”480″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Nr2bpcpNQWY” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

I suggest going two steps further:

One, write down your answers to these and other common interview questions. The act of writing allows you to develop your answers mentally prior to a real interview, so you’re not winging it when you’re at the interview. You can get out all the awkwardness and over- or under-explaining that is so common in an actual interview.  Writing your answer allows you to give adequate thought to matching your abilities and job history to the particular job and company.  All the research you’ve done about the company comes in handy now.  Written answers also give you a script from which to rehearse.

Two, rehearse your answers verbally with a friend who will give you honest and safe feedback. You can rehearse several times until you feel comfortable giving your answer without looking at the written answer. Expect to be tongue-tied, to say “um” and “ah” and “like” too many times, and to say too much or too little. That’s why you rehearse – to get all those bugs out of your system.  As you get to the third or fourth time answering the questions posed by your friend, you’ll notice that you feel much more comfortable and the answers begin to flow naturally. That’s exactly what you want when you are in the job interview.

Using these tips, you will feel much more confident as you walk into your job interview. And confident people inspire potential employers to feel confident in your ability to do the job in question.

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