Interview Preparation

Going to an interview without any preparation will most of the time, eliminate any chance you have of getting the job. You should prepare and follow the tips outlined below to improve your chance of landing the job you applied for. The first thing you have to prepare is to make sure that your resume is complete and updated as well as have at least two copies of your certificate and ID card. You don’t want to appear unprepared at the early stage when you failed to produce all of them as this is the basic things to do before any interviews. Do some research about the company you are going to interview for. This is to show that you have interest in the company and put in some effort to find out about them. You have to know the basic information of the company such as the field of the business the company is in. Find out what are the goals of the company. If you can tell them how hiring you will benefit the company and help them achieve the goals, you will improve your chance greatly to get the job. Besides research on the company, prepare answers for common interview questions. There are certain questions commonly asked during interview and some of them are:
- Tell us about yourself. You should answer this question by telling them your past experience or your career history. Highlight any achievements you have and tell them about your quality as an employee (e.g. the fact that you are a team player, hard worker, honest etc.)
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years (or any years in the future)Tell them you are looking for a long term employment and job stability. Don’t show that you want to use this job as a stepping stone for a better job in the future. Maybe you could tell them that you want to grow with the company (if the company is a start-up) or you want to be in higher position in the company and contribute even more to them.
- What are your qualities Highlight what are your best traits. Answer this question to match with the job requirement (e.g. if you are applying for sales position then you can say that you have excellent communication skills)
- Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses.


Answer this honestly. There is no trick to tell your strength to the interviewers but there is a correct way to talk about your weakness. While you have to be honest in an interview, try to tell a weakness that can be turned into a positive thing (e.g. maybe you are a perfectionist and sometimes spend too much time at one task to make sure it’s done perfectly.)
- Why we should hire you?What makes you better than any other candidates? Answer this and you can answer the question. Don’t betray your answer with low, unsure voice. Be confident and truly believe that you are better than other candidates.

Some companies will put you through a test (Mathematics/Malay/English/Computer) so make sure that you have all the necessary stationeries such as pen (black and blue) as well as calculator. When you go to the interview, make sure that you dress neatly. Wear long sleeves shirt, tie and shoes with dark socks. Never wear jeans and sport shoes to your interview. It’s inappropriate and shows that you are not taking the interview seriously. It makes the interview thinking that if you are not serious for the interview, what will happen if they hire you? First impression last longer after all so make sure that you don’t leave a bad impression on the interviewer. On the day of the interview, greet the receptionist politely and tell them you are there for an interview. Remember the name of the person that contacts you either via telephone or email. When filling up the forms use black pen and take your time to fill all the information correctly. Avoid making any mistakes or the use of liquid paper. After you are done filling the forms, inform the person who gives you the form, don’t just wait around.While you wait for your turn, try to recall the answers you prepared before about probable questions that may be asked. You may forget the answers due to nervousness so it is a good idea to go through all the answers one last time.When your name is called, try to calm yourself and be confident. Being nervous during an interview is common and the interviewers will understand. Over confidence, to the point of being cocky though is another matter as it will annoy the interviewers. You may have no control of how the interviewers are feeling about you but certainly behaving yourself appropriately is yours to decide. Before you enter the room, knock once or twice as a sign of respect. Walk confidently and make eye contact with the interviewers. Wait until they tell you to sit (don’t just barge in and sit right away - a sign that you lack manners and a company don’t want that kind of person).

Listen to questions they asked intently to show your interest (and listening skills) and answer when they finish asking a question. Don’t cut them when they are still talking. Give yourself some time to answer if you are not prepared for the question. One trick to do so is repeating the question while you think of the answers. If you don’t know some of the questions asked, just tell them so. Chances are the interviewers have the answer but they just want to test you out. Don’t just thoughtlessly giving nonsense answers. You won’t appear any smarter if you answer things you don’t even know about so honesty is best here. Show them that you really want the job by showing your enthusiasm when answering the questions. When the interview is finished, thank all the interviewers for their time (although you have the feeling that they are not interested in hiring you). This is to show that you are a decent person and may be you will be interviewed in the future for another position - never dismiss the possibility.

That’s it for interview preparation tips. Hopefully you put the information to use to help you getting the job. Good luck!

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