People spend years looking for a good job that will sustain them, but just when they get called for an interview, they blow up their chances of ever getting the job.

When this happens, some people are quick to blame it on “misfortune” or “village people” as Nigerians would call a spiritual attack. However, the truth is 99% of the problem is self-inflicted.

There are many ways a person can spoil his own chances of getting a job. These include: being late for an interview, being clumsy most of the time at the interview, or not being prepared at all.

Notwithstanding, going for a job interview and acing it can be very simple if you do the necessary things before the interview.

Here are 10 things you must do before a job interview.

1. KNOW THE ROLE YOU ARE APPLYING FOR

You have probably been searching for a job as a graphic designer for well over two years, so you get to the point where you will accept anything they offer you as long as it is learnable, but it does not work that way.

When applying for a job, you have to know what you want and it has to be something you can handle. It is risky to go to an interview with a blank mind, as this will give the interviewer the impression that you have no idea what you want and you are just trying to gamble your way through. So you should know what you are applying for and understand everything in the field including the language and common terms used in the field.

2. KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE COMPANY

Carry out an extensive research on the company you are applying to. Find the company’s social media pages and scan through their interests, find common grounds with your Interviewer and bring it up during the interview. Also check the company’s official website, study the customer or employee reviews and identify any recurring themes that might alter your decision to work with them. This will prepare you to answer any question about the company.

 

 

3. CONDUCT A MOCK INTERVIEW FOR YOURSELF

To have a feel of what the interview will look like, it is advisable that you find someone you can trust or that has an experience in interviews and conduct a pretend interview. This person should come up with questions you do not expect and get you to answer them. At the end of the interview, get their opinion on how your performance was, and most importantly, areas you can improve.

4. PICK OUT A CLEAN AND OFFICIAL OUTFIT

 You do not want to go to your interview looking shabby or not properly dressed for the role. No matter the company, the standard practice is that you show up looking corporate. This is where the saying “dress the way you want to be addressed” applies. You do not want to come off as unfit for the job. Your dressing passes the first message to your interviewer even before you say your first word, so you want to look as efficient as you are. Before the interview, be sure to dry clean or if necessary, get a new outfit that is appropriate for the interview.

 

5. BE PUNCTUAL

Serious-minded and goal oriented people do not joke with their time. So when an interviewer gives you a time to show up, you had better be there at least 30 minutes before the expected time. This will give the interviewer the impression that you are serious about the job and you are also timely. It is usually easy to generalize a person’s character from the first impression, so when you show up late at the first instance, people will perceive you as tardy. You do not want that. If you stay in Lagos, Nigeria for example, you should know that the traffic cannot be an excuse, even though it has become part of the norm, so you need to plan the traffic into your time. Let’s say it will normally take you an hour to get to the venue, plan an extra hour for traffic or unforeseen events.

 

6. TURN OFF GADGETS BEFORE INTERVIEW

Imagine that your interview is already going well and it is already looking good, then your phone starts to ring non-stop, in the loudest volume. If you were your interviewer, what would you do?

There are certain things that seem really trivial but are major turn-offs, depending on the person. Some interviewers might pardon your ignorance and let it slide, but in other extreme cases, the interview will end prematurely and you will not even get the chance to prove that you are the best candidate for the job. To avoid this, the best thing to do is to turn off your mobile phone and any other gadget you have with you before the interview commences.

 

 

7. SLEEP WELL BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

It is very important that you rest well before your interview. Sleep early the night before, so you can get up on time and head out.

If you stay up too late, it might affect you in three ways, first you successfully wake up early but you wake up with a terrible headache and you are not able to deliver well at the interview, secondly, you might wake up early and get to the venue and start to doze off, which is very embarrassing and worse still, you might even sleep past the time of the interview and miss it.

To avoid these, make sure you get sufficient sleep at the appropriate time.

8. STAY CALM AND CONFIDENT

Naturally, you get nervous when you get to the venue of the interview or come face to face with your interviewer, but try to stay calm and confident. Take deep breaths and practice positive self-affirmations. If you have done your research well, then you should have nothing to be scared of.

9. PRINT OUT PHYSICAL COPIES OF YOUR RESUME

Even though they have your resume on file, many interviewers prefer seeing physical copies of your document during the interview. Endeavor to  print several copies of your document out before your interview. In addition, if they ask any question directly related to your resume, you can immediately reference it to address their concerns.

10. WAIT PROFESSIONALLY

Do not get to the venue of an interview and start looking around or gawking at people as they walk past you. Wait professionally. Sit properly and avoid going through your Whatsapp or Instagram and smiling or laughing unnecessarily. If you find any corporate brochures, you can read through that till you are called in.

With these 10 steps, you are good to go!