You will probably feel anxious when you find yourself in the job market. Finding a new job is a daunting task and triggers strong emotions in all of us, regardless of how much experience we have. And when then the time finally comes, and you land your interview, anxiety usually amplifies. Now is the time you have to prove yourself. You must show the recruiter who you are and what you are capable of. This is the moment where proper, thorough preparation pays off, so you go into the interview showing confidence and can entirely focus on being your true self.
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In this blog post, we will share with you the steps of good interview preparation and how Eloovor can support you in every step.
What Interviewers Want To Know
Before diving into preparation, it’s crucial to understand what interviewers are assessing. Every question they ask is designed to evaluate three key areas:
Can You Do the Job? This is all about your skills, qualifications, and experience. Interviewers want to ensure you have the technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and relevant expertise to handle the role's responsibilities. They often look for specific examples of your past achievements demonstrating your ability to succeed in similar situations.
Will You Fit In? Beyond your skills, companies want to know if you’ll thrive within their culture. Are you someone they’d enjoy working with? Do your values align with theirs? Employers often assess this through behavioral questions and observing how you communicate and interact during the interview.
Do You Want the Job? Enthusiasm matters. Recruiters look for genuinely interested candidates in the role and the company. They want to see that you’ve done your research, understand their mission, and are excited about contributing to their success.
To convince the recruiter that you fulfill all three points, you must convince yourself. Ideally, this already happened before you apply (And Eloovor can help you with that by analyzing your personal job fit before you apply), but if you haven't done that enough yet, now is the time.
Research Is King
To prove to the recruiters that you are the right person in all three dimensions, you need to show them that you truly understand the three dimensions. You are working with public information only, so now is the time to dive into that rabbit hole and gather every information you can, for example:
What are the company's missions, values, and recent achievements?
Were there any management changes lately?
What are other employees saying about the company?
What does the job description say precisely about the tasks?
...
Be creative in the sources. Research the company on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, news pages, their company website, and any other page you can think of.
With Eloovor, you can significantly shorten the time you spend on this. Eloovor will research everything we can find about the company and job position, compare it to your own experience and preferences, and share everything you need to know about the company, allowing you to start practicing right away.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Given you thoroughly understand the job and company and how you match the position, now is the time to practice. Let's start with a few simple ones:
"Tell me about yourself."
"What’s your greatest strength?"
"Describe a time you faced a challenge and how you handled it."
We all have heard these, and they feel pretty worn out. Yet, they often still appear in interviews, so do prepare for them. But what is even more important is to ensure you are prepared to speak about your weaknesses and highlight your strengths. Here is where Eloovor comes back in. Having a thorough understanding of where you shine and what red flags recruiters may see when hiring for their position, Eloovor provides you with various behavioral, technical, and role-specific interview questions you can practice with.
Be Prepared To Ask Questions
The interview goes two ways. While you're trying to prove to the interviewer that you're the right person for the job, you should also try to find out for yourself if the job is right for you. So asking questions doesn't just prove to the interviewer that you did your homework and researched their company, but also helps you to avoid taking a new role that will make you unhappy.
Based on your research, what information couldn't you find? What is the job post not explaining? What have you found out that needs a little more digging? Take back the three dimensions earlier and ask yourself what you need to know to confidently convince yourself. An interview preparation tool like Eloovor will provide you with questions that you are likely interested in. But most importantly, stay flexible and make sure the interview remains a conversation. If a question was answered during the previous talks, don't ask it again, and if the previous chat made you think of something, ask it even if it wasn't planned.
With this preparation done, you can jump into the interview with confidence.
It's Done
Congrats, the interview is done. You did your best, and now it's up to the recruiter or hiring manager to take the next step. Time to take a breath and then reflect on the interview. The uncomfortable truth is that this was likely not your last one. So let's take a moment and write down what we learned:
What new information did you just uncover? (Salary range, team structure, success criteria, ..?)
Who did we meet? How was your encounter with them unique?
Are there any red flags you see in the company or position?
What mistakes did you make?
These points are essential for two things:
Continuous Improvement
We all make mistakes, and every mistake is an opportunity to grow. So rather than dwelling on what didn't go well, understand what led to the mistake and work out how to do it better next time. However, there is no going back. Don't write to the interview partners about your mistakes. You do this work for yourself and prepare for the next interview.
Say Thank You
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Sending a thank you note to the interviewer reminds them of the chat you had with them. Personalize the thank you note to every person you meet in the interview process. This is why it is essential to note what made the encounters unique, as you're calling their attention to a positive feeling in the interview process. This interview note should be sent 1-2 days after the interview. Don't shoot it too early when the interview is still fresh on their mind - this would defy their purpose.
Recap: Mastering Interview Preparation
Landing a job interview is an exciting yet nerve-wracking milestone. It’s a moment to showcase your skills, align with the company’s mission, and prove you’re the ideal candidate. To excel, preparation is your strongest ally. Here’s a recap of the key steps to ace your next interview:
Understand What Interviewers Want Focus on the three dimensions: your ability to do the job, your cultural fit, and your genuine enthusiasm for the role. Start by convincing yourself you’re the right candidate, as confidence begins from within.
Do Thorough Research Dive deep into the company’s mission, values, recent news, and culture. Eloovor simplifies this by gathering and analyzing all relevant data so you can focus on preparing rather than searching.
Practice Key Questions Prepare for common questions, behavioral scenarios, and role-specific queries. Use Eloovor’s customized question bank and mock interview tools to refine your answers and boost your confidence.
Prepare to Ask Questions Ask thoughtful questions to turn the interview into a two-way conversation. Use Eloovor to craft insightful queries that demonstrate your research and genuine interest while ensuring the role aligns with your career goals.
Reflect After the Interview Take time to review what went well, what you learned, and what could be improved. Use this reflection to grow for future opportunities.
Send a Thank You Note Personalize your follow-up notes to each interviewer, referencing unique moments from your discussion. Eloovor helps you organize these details so your notes feel authentic and leave a lasting impression.
Interview preparation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With Eloovor as your trusted companion, you’ll tackle every step with ease and confidence. Whether it’s analyzing your fit, practicing questions, or crafting follow-ups, Eloovor ensures you’re ready to shine.
Start your journey with Eloovor today and take the stress out of interview prep—because your dream job is worth it!