Job Interviews: What to do before, during and after

You’ve been called for an interview. Congratulations! That means the person who read your

CV or LinkedIn profile wants to know more about you. 

Now, remember what job interviews are for: discovery. 

The interviewer wants to discover if what you said in your CV is true and can be proved. For example, if you mentioned you know React, in the interview you will be asked what you used it for. They also want to see how you communicate, and what you are like as a person.

At the same time, you want to discover if the job you are applying for is what you are really looking for, and also, if you like the company. 

So, the interview is for both parties.

How do you get the most out of a job interview? Here is what you should do before, during, and after.

How do I prepare before a job interview?

What you have to do before an interview comes down to two things: doing research and thinking about how to structure information. 

Do research on:

● The company

● The technologies they use

● The teams and the people you will be working with

Plan how to structure the information:

● First, think about the information: your experience, the technologies you use, and the ways of working you have used in your current and previous companies.

● Second, think about how this information matches the requirements of the job.

● Third, structure the information. Start with your point. Then, explain. Next, give examples.

Finally, close the idea. Here is a simple example:

1. Point: I have experience using React.
2. Explain: I have been using React for five years now, both in my previous and current job.
3. Example: I used React to create this, this, and this project.
4. Close: So I’m confident saying I have experience using React.

What do I do during a job interview?

The interview is a conversation. To have an effective conversation, you need to be good at two things: listening and asking questions. 

Listen

● Listen carefully to the questions they ask you. Are they open or closed-ended? Use the right structure to answer. What does this mean? 

• If it is an open-ended question, elaborate. 
• If it is a closed-ended question, first answer directly, and then check if it is necessary to elaborate.

● Read the body language of the people that are interviewing you, and use good body language yourself. Make sure you are keeping the other person engaged.

Ask questions

● If you are not sure you understood the question, ask. Verify you understand what you have been asked, so that you can share the right information. You don’t want to misunderstand the question and share information that you weren’t asked about. 

● At the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions.

Please don’t say “no”! Show interest in the company and ask questions. Focus on meaningful things like how they work, how they make decisions, what the team is like, how you will be able to grow within the company, etc. 

What should I do after a job interview?

The two main things you should do after an interview are to follow up and to keep applying for jobs. 

Follow up

● Send them an email to thank them for their time to meet you. 

● Share more details if you realized you forgot to say something during the interview.

● Send them an email if in one week you haven’t heard back from them, or if they haven’t come back to you in the time frame they mentioned during the interview.

Keep applying for jobs

● Even if you think the interview went well, continue applying for jobs. Why? Because you never know what’s going to happen, and the more options and opportunities you have, the better.

There is no secret here. You have to prepare well. But prepare knowing what interviews are for: 

● Allowing the interviewer to discover if what you said in your CV is true and can be proved. 

● Allowing you to discover if the job you are applying for is what you are really looking for, and if you like the company.

Prepare to explain how your knowledge and experience match the job requirements.

For this, remember to follow a structure: state your point, explain, give examples, and close the idea. Also, be prepared to ask questions. At the end of the day, you are interviewing them as well.