When you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail

The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said that "victorious warriors win first and then go into battle, while losers go to battle first and then try to win."

While some may find it difficult to understand the meaning behind this quote, it is directly related to how you can succeed during the job interview, and can be summed up in one word: preparation.

Successful people are often those who prepare themselves for things in advance. They do not improvise by just showing up to the job interview, trying to succeed as it takes place.

Instead, they prepare themselves mentally and physically in advance. This article will teach you how to prepare yourself.

"Physically prepare yourself for the job interview," that means you need to be very clean cut. Your clothes, hair, and body should be clean.

You should make sure your clothes are ironed, and hardly any wrinkles should be present when you show up.

Make sure you get any lint out of your clothes as well. Companies are not interested in hiring people who are not clean cut professionals, so this is the image you must convey.

Clothes which are wrinkled or dirty will make you look tacky, dirty, and unprofessional, and this ensures that you will not get the job.

While having clean cut clothes doesn’t mean you need to go out and spend a fortune on a new wardrobe, you must make sure the clothes you do wear are clean and pressed.

It is also important to make sure the clothes don’t have any holes, missing buttons, or things of that nature.

The colors should also match. Once you’ve prepared yourself physically for the interview, you will next need to prepare yourself mentally. 

Mental preparation refers to the mindset that you must have in order to succeed during the interview.

You must have confidence without arrogance, and you must be capable of answering the questions that you will be asked during the interview.

Mental Preparation for the Interview

It is impossible for you to know the exact questions that you will be asked during the job interview. While there are some general questions that many employers ask, such as why you want to work for the company, or where do you see yourself in five years, there is no guarantee what order these questions will come in.

Instead trying to predict the questions that you will be asked, there are some general things that you can do to make sure you’re mentally prepared for the interview process. One of the smartest things you can do is research the company in advance. Many people are so desperate to get a job that they don’t bother to research the companies they apply with.

Always Research the Company in Advance

For the typical man or woman, once they find out that the salary or benefits are to their liking, they apply for the job. You have to be smarter than this. Researching the company in advance will give you data which can be used during the job interview.

For example, if the interviewer asks you why you want to work for the company, and you’ve researched them in advance, you will have a good answer. You should also take the time to think carefully about the skills and characteristics you have which will allow you to be a valuable asset to the company. It is critical to make sure you can separate yourself from the other applicants, in a positive way.