Use the Job Description to Prepare for Your Interview

The job search requires candidates to carefully craft resumes, customize cover letters and connect with professionals in the industry to obtain leads. This preparation is crucial for landing a job, but rehearsing for a job interview is essential to ensure you present yourself professionally. Seek information from the job description to better prepare yourself for a meet and greet with employers and to improve your chances of landing the position.

Job descriptions can better prepare an applicant for a job interview because the information detailed in these listings may fuel the discussion and provide talking points. Prepare for interview questions by noting the keywords in the job description, and rehearse responses that focus on the skills and qualifications desired by the company. Companies create job descriptions for advertisements to locate individuals who are qualified.

Use this information to your benefit by brainstorming your technical skills and personality traits that match what the employer is seeking. Highlight your accomplishments, skills and experience that are in line with traits listed in the job description during the job interview, such as leadership experience or a team-oriented approach to meeting deadlines.

Focus your questions on aspects related to the job description during the job interview. Inquire about the types of projects or duties required, and respond with specific related skills that you possess. For example, if you are proficient in computer software or hardware, provide examples of how you might utilize these programs to improve productivity and profits, especially when the specific programs or equipment are detailed in the job description.

Provide the interviewer with stories of how you demonstrated the desired skills while in previous positions. Use keywords from the job description when describing how you met sales deadlines, satisfied or acquired clients, or enacted strategies to troubleshoot customer problems. Typically, hiring managers seek candidates who can provide scenarios that show action versus empty words that seem rehearsed. Be sure to effectively communicate the applicable skills and experience you would bring to the company without vague statements.

Hiring managers usually seek candidates who can present themselves professionally. Scan the job description for soft skills and traits the employer values, such as an attention to detail, the ability to professionally represent the company, or the desire to work with teams. Highlight how you embody all of these traits with specific examples of successes from your past job experience. Detail your leadership style, team-oriented approach and willingness to coach and help team members during the job interview to prove your value to the employer.

A job interview is an opportunity to sell your skills and experience. Display the right information to hiring managers by analyzing the job description and connecting the traits you possess to those desired by the employer.

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