As you cannot predict exactly how a job interview will go, it’s important to be fully prepared beforehand to help you stay confident, calm, and collected. Being well prepared will also help you make a great first impression on your interviewer, as it will be very clear to them how much time you’ve put into your preparation, and how much you really care about the role.
8 things you can do before your job interview to help you remain calm, confident and collected. Preperation makes a great first impression and shows the interviewer how much you care about the role.
1 - Know the Details
Make sure you have the details about your interview to help you prepare.
Type of interview (remote, telephone, group, one-on-one, etc.)
Time
Location
Who you’ll be interviewed by and who you should report to on the day
If remote interview make sure you know what platform and any meeting links or passwords you need to join
2 - Understand the Role
You should have a strong understanding of the role and be able to list all the requirements you meet. Try to understand how the role fits in with the rest of the department and organisation as a whole and identify what the most rewarding and challenging parts of the job might be.
3 - Research the Company
Understand what the company actually does, their goals and values, their company culture, the market they’re operating in, competitor activity, and what projects are currently in the works.
Key places to look:
Company social media pages
Client lists
Company news/press releases
Industry news
Competitor news/press releases
Employee social media pages
4 - Research Your Interviewers
Know who’s running the interview and do your research on them on places like LinkedIn. Find out what types of projects they’ve worked on, what they’re currently working on, and more about their role and style of working. The goal is to find some common ground and to understand what type of person they’d want to work with.
5 - Research Questions and Practice Your Answers
Make a list of the most commonly asked interview questions as well as some that are specific to the pharma industry, the company you’re applying to and the role you’re applying for. Use the job description and the research you’ve already done to put yourself in the mind of an employer and understand what they’re looking for. You can also research questions that the company might have asked in the past.
Practice answering questions with a friend or by recording yourself. Remember to also pay attention to your body language.
6 - Prepare Questions to Ask
You should always prepare questions to ask at the end of the interview. This will show your genuine interest in the role, that you're engaged in what the interviewer said, and that you have prepared for the interview.
7 - Know Your CV Inside and Out
You will get asked about something in your CV or cover letter in your interview, so it is vitally important to know exactly what’s on there, and that you’re ready to go into more detail about this in the interview.
8 - Practice the Journey
Simple but effective. If you’ve not been to the location before, do a practice run before the interview. This will help you relax on the day.
If it’s a remote interview, create an account for the platform you’ll be using and familiarise yourself with its features before the interview.
Doing this extra research and preparation will help you stand out. It will be clear to interviewers that you’re serious about the role and that you’re hard-working, organised, and dedicated to your work. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make a strong first impression!
