Why Practice Makes Perfect in a Job Interview

Just like you want to be prepared for a presentation in front of your school or your job, you want to be prepared for a job interview. That means taking the time to practice everything and anything that could come your way when it comes to a job interview. 

Whether it's answering your weaknesses and preparing to convert them into strengths, or knowing what to say when you're asked 'Tell me about yourself' questions, you want to know how you'll respond.

With practice, you get rid of the rambling

An interview is always a two-way street and should be a natural conversation between two or more people. If you're answering every question with a speech that feels like it's going on for days, then you need to make it more concise. 

By practising common questions asked in an interview, even if they aren't asked on the day, you learn to be a lot more straight to the point with your answers. You also get those rambling overtures out of the way before the actual interview, and you'll be able to spot them in a safe environment instead of at the job interview, where you may panic.

Practice with a friend or loved one

Don't just practice with yourself in front of a mirror, but also make sure to practice with someone else who's comfortable being critical. Even if it hurts your feelings or confidence, getting proper feedback and advice will go a long way to showing no fear in the real situation. 

You want to be able to have someone willing to tell you that your answer was too long, too vague, or didn't seem strong enough, so you're able to be mindful of this feedback and correct those issues. 

Don’t make it rehearsed

Practising for an interview is not about memorising the answers that you would do so for an exam. You don't want to simply remember everything and regurgitate it in an interview, as you'll come off sounding stiff and well like you're rehearsing the answer. 

Practising for an interview is about gathering your clear points that you want to showcase about yourself professionally and concisely, regardless of what the question may be. When asked about your work history, you want to have the points down in a fluid way so your interviewer can get more than what's on the CV. 

When asked tough situational questions, you want to be able to rotate and use the powerful examples you have naturally, without looking as if you have built out specific answers for specific questions. 

Once you can find that right balance of practising what is essentially a professional conversation about your work history and who you are, you'll feel a lot better and more confident with what to say in the interview. 

In addition, with this type of practice, you're also refreshing your thoughts and key points to be used much more effectively than trying to remember a point when a random interview question is thrown your way.