How important is Job Interview Preparation? What can I do to prepare?

Getting ready for your job interview is a critical step, but in my experience working as a Job Interview Preparation Coach specialized in working with non-native English speakers, I've seen some strategies that work and other strategies that don't work.

In this post, I want to address two questions: How important is job interview preparation? What can you do to prepare for a job interview in English?

How important is job interview preparation?

Benjamin Franklin wrote, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." The same applies to job interviews, but exactly how important is job interview preparation for non-native English speakers getting ready for job interviews?

First, preparation does not involve improving your English level. Going from one level of the Common European Framework of Language (from A2 to B1, for example) requires hundreds of hours of practice. In most cases, there simply is not enough time before a job interview to go from one English level to the next.

However, you do have plenty of time to work with a coach to understand which are the most important points you can make in the interview, as well as the best way to communicate those points so that your interviewer can easily understand what you're saying.

Secondly, in my experience, most candidates do not prepare, OR prepare ineffectively. Most candidates do not work with a Job Interview Preparation Coach, and if they're practicing, they're practicing without a professional's feedback. Moreover, job interview preparation is not a skill that employers develop for their employees. Think about it: When was the last time your employer offered a training on how to get ready for your next job interview? I would imagine, never. After all, why would your current employer use resources to get you ready for your next employer?

If you work with a job interview preparation coach, you're likely the only candidate for the job who has taken that step that can drastically improve your performance on interview day.

What can you do to prepare for a job interview in English?

There are a number of activities that you can do to get ready for your next job interview in English, but the most important first step is to take some time to do lots of reflection and analysis of your career. It's important to begin preparing answers, not questions.

One recommendation I make with the clients I work with is to make a Career Roadmap. Think about your past, present, and future, and develop a diagram that shows the steps you've taken in your career. As you're developing your roadmap, ask yourself what some of the most important steps and turning points in your career have been, and try to identify any deficits you might have. Ask yourself: What were the soft-skills that you developed along the way, and where? How have each of your past positions led you to where you are now?

The goal is to get a snapshot of your career journey, so that you have a clear foundation to craft your communication strategy.

In your analysis, ask yourself some key questions:

1. What were some of the most important moments in your career journey?

2. What are your proudest achievements?

3. What were some of the most positive experiences?

4. What were some of the most negative experiences, and what have you learned from them?

5. What are some of the strongest examples of teamwork or leadership that have either been positive or negative, and how have they helped me grow?

These are just five questions, but with some analysis of the position's job description, and your knowledge of trends within your industry can be helpful in narrowing your focus as you ask yourself more questions.

Then, practice speaking about each of these moments. It's important to practice speaking, not writing! Speaking and writing are two very different productive skills, and since the final product is a spoken answer, if each phase of practice and development is spoken, you'll have a stronger final result.

Aim to develop at least eight stories that you can share during your interview that communicate when you've developed and practiced the soft-skills that are most relevant to the job for which you are applying.

And of course, if you need assistance in getting ready for your next interview in English, consider professional Job Interview Preparation Coaching!