Job interview: How to prepare
Attending a job interview is a nerve-wracking experience for most people, but it is also your best opportunity to clarify whether the position is for you and whether you have good chemistry with the employer.
Fortunately, you can prepare for the interview and most of the questions in advance, so that you can showcase your strengths as best as possible at the interview.
Do thorough research before the job interview
You have probably already done thorough research when you wrote your cover letter. And if not, now is the time to familiarise yourself with the employer's values, challenges and tasks, so that you can proactively show what you can bring to the position when you sit down for the job interview.
Look at the company's strategy and vision, their areas of work, success stories, e.g. in the media or on their own social media, or their employees' LinkedIn profiles to gain valuable insight into the company's culture.
When preparing your arguments for how you can contribute to the company's tasks and solve the tasks described in the job advertisement, it is a good idea to divide your skills into professional and personal skills. Feel free to prepare some concrete examples of how you have used the skills in your previous jobs.
How to find your strongest skills
Consider possible questions from the employer
Read the job advertisement, your cover letter and your CV thoroughly before the job interview so that you have a fresh memory of what the company is looking for and what you have told them about yourself and your skills.
Imagine what questions they might ask and prepare thoroughly for all questions about why and how you want to do this job, so that your answers come more naturally. Even if you are prepared for the questions, be careful not to answer too quickly – it can seem rehearsed. Instead, think a little before you answer.
Remember that a job interview is a conversation and not an exam. The interviewer will control the interview and ask you a number of questions, all in an effort to find out whether you match both professionally and personally. If you’re well prepared, you’ll already have thought about why you want this job and how you will go about it, and the answers will come easier to you.
They’ll also ask you difficult questions that you’ll have to think about before you answer, and the answers might not all be spot on. If there are any questions you’re afraid they’ll ask, prepare a short, precise and emotionally neutral answer. This will take away the fear, because you’re prepared.
Remember that they’re hoping that YOU are the candidate they’re looking for. They’ll do everything they can to help you do well, but they also need to find the right candidate and therefore they will ask some difficult questions.
Prepare a presentation of yourself
The classic opening question at a job interview is: Tell us a little about yourself. But this is also somewhat of a trick question, because the intention is not for you to share a lot of personal details about yourself.
Prepare a short presentation of a few minutes in which you briefly and concisely describe your experience from previous jobs and/or your education. Select a few highlights from your CV that are relevant to the specific position and a few success stories that confirm your strengths.
If you are a recent graduate and do not have much experience in the labour market, these could be examples from study projects, student jobs and voluntary work where you have achieved good results and received positive feedback.
Feel free to mention your motivation for the job.
Finish with 1-2 sentences on what you do in your spare time. This shows them some another side of you and the atmosphere becomes less formal.
Your presentation should just get you started, so keep it short.
Take your notes with you and take new ones during the job interview
If you are worried about forgetting some of your points for the job interview, it is a good idea to print out your CV and a piece of paper with your most important arguments and take them with you.
It only makes you seem serious and well-prepared - and companies are always looking for motivated, engaged and well-prepared candidates.
Don't overthink what you're wearing for the job interview
You probably have no doubt that you have to iron your shirt or put on nice shoes when you go to a job interview, but how much does your attire matter?
In a survey by the recruitment agency Ballisager from 2022, just 5 percent of employers respond that they react negatively if a candidate wears clothes that do not match the workplace culture. In other words, you can take it easy and show up for the job interview in normal, nice clothes that you feel comfortable in.
Make a good first impression
Your body language plays a big role in making a good first impression at a job interview.
It is natural to be nervous, but do not appear rushed or confused by arriving at the last minute.
Instead, arrive early for the interview so you can calm down and take a few deep breaths before the interview begins.
Contribute to a positive atmosphere before, during and after the interview: smile, laugh, make small talk beforehand, and be curious. Accept the offer of coffee or water.
Use your nervousness constructively during your job interview
A job interview is an exciting situation, and it's likely to give most people sweaty palms. The best thing you can do to curb nervousness is to simply accept it. If your nerves are particularly bad, it might also help to start by saying that you are nervous, so that you don't have to put effort into hiding it. The vast majority of employers understand this.
In fact, the nervousness, if it doesn't become too dominant, is an advantage because it sets you up to perform better. Maybe it helps to think that your body reacts the way it does to help you in your job interview.
Regardless of whether you get very nervous for the job interview or not, it is still a good idea that you practice thoroughly from home. The more times you get to say your arguments, the more naturally you will be able to present them at the interview. But avoid making a speech paper that you have to memorize. Then you come to seem mechanical, and you risk coming to a complete standstill if you forget something at some point.
Be humble without being self-effacing
For your job interview, you must convince the employer of two things: That your professionalism is in order and that you are a good colleague to work with. This means that you have to find the right balance between talking about all your excellence without it tipping over into bragging.
A good basic rule is that you must talk about your results when you highlight yourself. Instead of talking a lot about how smart and skilled you are in your subject, you can mention a task that you have previously solved and which illustrates that you have the professionalism in order.
Let the employer see your motivation for the job
The most important thing is that the people you meet at the job interview can sense your motivation for both the position and the company. That is why you should practise talking about it.
For example, you can explain why you are interested in the specific challenges the company is working on and that it does so in a way that particularly interests you. Or if the company emphasises that it is innovative and experimental, emphasise that you yourself appreciate being able to think in new and different ways.
If the company is known for collaborating across disciplines and teams, your answer could include this and at the same time show that you want to be part of the team. In other words, show that you fit into the culture.
Give concrete examples of your competences and skills
Giving concrete examples of your skills helps emphasize your practical experience and your ability to handle work tasks effectively.
The examples you use show that you not only have theoretical knowledge, but also practical experience, and these can be an asset for your future workplace.
It could be examples of how you have improved teamwork with your communication skills; trained your analytical skills by implementing precise data models for a project; used advanced Excel for data analysis; re-designed a product or service and thus trained your problem-solving skills; or had responsibility for mentoring someone in a managerial capacity.
Tell about your weak points for the job interview
A typical question for the job interview is what your weak points are.
When preparing for your job interview, think about when you were challenged in a previous job and how you handled it. It could be, for example, that you have had difficulty saying no to tasks, or that you are very thorough and are therefore pressured to meet deadlines.
Then you can explain that you are aware of it and that you have become better at letting go and gradually have a good sense of when things are good enough, and that you otherwise ask your colleagues or manager so that they can help to guide you.
No one is flawless, but it is reassuring for the employer if you are aware of your challenges and dare to articulate them.
Be ready to discuss salary at the job interview
It is a good idea to first find out what the salary level is for the position you are applying for, even before the first interview. Then you have to find out where your lower limit is and be willing to turn it down if you are offered the job with a salary that is below your limit.
When the employer asks what you want in salary, it is a good idea to politely ask what the employer himself thinks is a fair salary for the position. Sometimes the employer's pitch is higher than you expect, and it's a shame to talk yourself down.
After this, you can play a little higher than your real desire, so you have something to negotiate on. If you hope to get DKK 45,000, you can say DKK 48,000. That way you push up the salary, and the DKK 3,000 is not enough to scare the employer away if the DKK 45,000 is within the range.
Read IDA's guide to salary levels in Denmark
Prepare your own questions for the job interview
At the job interview, you will often be asked if you yourself have any questions about the position. Here it shows that you are committed and proactive if you ask, and of course it gives you a better understanding of the job you are applying for.
Examples of good questions can be:
- How would you describe the culture in the workplace?
- How do you prioritize the various tasks in the position?
- What expectations do you have of me in the first 6/12 months?
- How do you work with feedback and sparring?
- What does a typical working day look like?
- What are the professional profile of the other employees in the team?
You will be in a strong position if you have prepared questions about the company's development plans before the interview. And you will be in an even stronger position if you have also thought about how you can develop yourself in the job. This shows that you are ready to keep up with the company's dynamics, and that will be noticed.
Take notes during the interview
It is also a good idea to bring a pen and pad to the job interview so that you can take notes on the go. Write down important information about the job or questions you need answered.
Your notes are also useful if you move on to a second round of interviews, because you can refresh what you have talked about. A job interview is a nerve-wracking situation, and you may end up using so much energy to be present and appear approachable that you forget the details of what you talked about. Here, the notebook is your friend.
On the other hand, be careful not to bring your computer with you for your notes. You may appear more distant when it is between you, and you risk fumbling with technical problems along the way.
Prepare your elevator pitch and show that you are the best fit
At the end of many interviews, you will be given two minutes to convince the company that they should hire you. It is time for your elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch is a short presentation of yourself, your competences and your ambitions. The concept has come about because you need to imagine that you are employed in a major company and enter the elevator, where you stand next to the busy CEO. You now have 30 seconds to present yourself in the best possible way. In a job interview, an elevator pitch may take a couple of minutes.
In your elevator pitch, you must be able to briefly and precisely say what you stand for and what motivates you. What is relevant experience in relation to the specific job? What can you contribute with personal skills? What are your most important professional skills? What results will you deliver - and how will you contribute to team spirit?
How to end the interview well
At the end of the elevator pitch, you can say that you think it has been a really good interview and you are now even more interested in the job.
This way, you can conclude by repeating your best selling points so that they remember them when you walk out the door. This leaves the employer with a positive impression, which can tip the scales in your favour.
A successful job interview is not only about whether you have clarified your questions, but also about the overall atmosphere.