4 Ways to Avoid Botching a Job Interview – The Motley Fool

Happening to a job interview can be your ticket to a promotional letter and the start of a great new career opportunity. The problem? Most job candidates do not.

A good 55% of the professional professionals have admitted to botching a job interview, according to LinkedIn. The top offenses included being too nervous (32%), not prepared well enough in advance (27%), and mispronouncing words (10%), which can be problematic if the relevant words are business terms you should be familiar with. 19659002] Of course, one reason why it's so hard to excel in job interviews is that most of us don't go on them all that often, especially when we have established our career. But nailing a job interview is the only way to get yourself into a new company, so here are a few ways you can do just that.

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1[ads1]. Research the firm at hand thoroughly

Showing up to an interview unprepared is simply unacceptable, as it sends the message that you could not be bothered by spending time doing the survey. Don't send that message. Instead, you read on the company you are going to meet. Examine the site and search for articles about it so you are aware of news and developments. It also helps to get acquainted with the company's products or services. If you can't try them directly (say, because they cost too much money), read up on them so that you come in the education.

2. Prepare to answer tough interview questions

It is common to have tough questions thrown at you during a job interview. You know what is more common? The questions themselves. Classics like "What is your biggest weakness?" or "How have you failed in the past?" are more likely than not to be beaten on the road, so spend some time thinking about how to respond in advance.

3. Doing some trials

You can think you're ready to go to a job interview, just to get extremely nervous or tossed the moment you step over from your interviewer into a conference room. A good bet is therefore to get help from a family member or friend and go through some trials. It may seem like hokey or unnecessary, but it may end up making it very important to make you comfortable with the process as a whole.

4. Use Free Resources

The Internet is loaded with free resources to help you exchange an interview – then use them. LinkedIn, for example, recently launched a new set of interview tools to help you prepare for the process. These and similar tools are developed by professionals, so why not leverage their expertise?

Binding a job interview is a good way to guarantee that you will not be hired for that position. Instead of letting it happen, examine the companies you meet with, read up on regular interview questions, train the actual interview update, and explore online tools at your disposal. With some luck you will wow your next interviews to the point where a promotional letter follows quickly.