When you look for an office job, preparation is key. After all, a great job interview is a great way to showcase your strengths to a potential employer. With that in mind, today we bring you five steps you need to take to prepare for an office job interview.
How To Prepare for an Office Job Interview?
Even if you are a seasoned office worker, interviewing for an office job can be daunting sometimes. But there’s no need to worry, outlined below you will find a five-step program to help you ace your interview:
- Make sure you understand the job description
- Research the company
- Prepare to answer some common questions
- Practice
- Prepare everything you need, dress professionally, and arrive on time
Make Sure You Understand the Job Description
Any job search begins with a job description. If you apply for a job and a potential employer calls you for an interview, make sure to reread several times the original job description. In a way, this is your roadmap: it tells you what the company is looking for and it will help you create a strategy to highlight how your strengths are a good fit for the demands of the job.
Research the Company
The next step is to research your potential employer. Luckily, this couldn’t be easier thanks to the internet. Visit the website of the company as well as their social media profiles (especially LinkedIn, if they have one) and ask yourself these questions:
- What image does the company convey? (Creative, professional, dynamic)
- What language do they use? What phrases stand out or feel memorable?
- Judging by the information you’ve gathered so far, what makes you a good candidate to work at this company? (Be as specific as possible)
Be Ready To Answer Some Common Questions
A key part of preparing for an office job interview is to be ready to answer some common questions. While no two interviews are the same, chances are good that when you interview for an office job you’ll be asked questions such as:
- Tell me about yourself
- What are your strengths?
- What do you know about our company?
- What administrative duties have you performed in the past?
- What administrative equipment/software are you familiar with?
- How do you stay organized?
- How do you handle conflict?
To learn more about the questions you could face, be sure to check out our previous blog, “30 Administrative Assistant Interview Questions.”
Practice
You know the old saying: practice makes perfect. Well, the same applies to job interviews. To practice for an office job interview, seek the help of a friend you trust and ask them to conduct mock interviews posing as a recruiter. Ask them to adopt different attitudes (such as neutral, confrontational, or inquisitive) and simulate different interview situations. To gain even greater insight into the process, you can switch roles sometimes!
Prepare Everything You Need, Dress Professionally, and Arrive on Time
At this point, you are almost ready for your interview. The night before the big day, gather everything you want to bring to the interview (for example briefcase, printed resume, USB thumb with relevant documents, etc) and prepare your outfit. Wear clean, neatly pressed clothes and make sure to arrive on time — punctuality is highly appreciated in any industry, particularly in an office environment.
Looking for an Office Job? Driven Talent Can Help!
Whether you are an employer looking for the ideal candidate to fill a position or a job seeker trying to take the next step in your career, Driven Talent is here to make things easier.
Contact us today by telephone (657-533-2980), through our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram), or fill out the contact form to learn more about our services and our philosophy.