8 tips to help you from interview to accepting a job proposal

By Sarosh Fatima ⏐ 10 years ago ⏐

4 min read

You are going to spend almost half of your day at work. Wouldn’t you want to work at a place that makes you happy instead of draining your energy and increasing tension in your life.

We all have our own goals when we are looking for a job. Some people are looking for experience, some are looking for money, some are looking for satisfaction, but let me tell you, the best job is a complete package. It pays you competitive rates, gives you the exposure and experience you need.

Such kind of jobs are hard to find, but there are such organizations who are looking for stars so that they can start the give and take process.

Also Read: 10 reasons why you didn’t get interview call for the job!

Have a look at this brief but worthwhile read, which may change the way you have been exploring the opportunities so far.

1. Do I have what they are looking for?

For the starters, the first and foremost thing you should ask yourself is; do I have the skills and knowledge which an organization is looking for? It is something which you should always be asking yourself every now and then.

Remember, you need to be practical and realistic about this question. Either fake it till you make it or try looking for some other option.

2. Do your homework about the company

Be proactive, do your homework about the company, workplace and the activities they are executing. Check out their website, see what services and products they offer. How long have they been in the game? Who are their customers (what demographics and business sectors will be enough), and in last see their contact details. This will give you a brief overview about the company which will help you during the interview.

3. A cooperative working environment

Here you need to play the role of a networker and a researcher. Because one cannot know about the internal environment of a company, unless they have been there themselves. So the real question is, how would we know? The best answer lies in the social networks. You need to have a good presence of yourself on the social networks. LinkedIn is best in this case. You can get in touch with people who have been working there and especially the people who have left. It will give you a great insight.

4. Do they offer market-competitive salaries?

There are two things at play here; one is the salary you have been offered, and second, is that what you were expecting when you asked around?
If you have given a salary expectation, it will be negotiated so be flexible. For this kind of information ask around about the company general reputation about payments and compensations.

5. Favorable to future

Does the job align with the goals you have set for your life? This is the most important question you should be asking yourself. You don’t want to do a graphics designing job when you see yourself as a developer in future.

There are many key point indicators which depict the future of the organization, and in turn your own future. For example, you can ask;

What kind of training and development strategy they have?
What are their plans for the next 3 years?
Do they have social events and gatherings?
Do they support education and insurance programs?

Questions like these will reflect good on you as the interviewer will see you taking keen interest. On the other hand, it also shows your concern about yourself and your family.

6. Ratio of gains and pains

You should be clear about your role during the final phase of the interview. You should know that what your role would be? What will be the organization’s expectations of you? What kind of technologies will you be working on?

In case of startups, you will be expected to wear different hats but for established organization you will have a fixed role under a department.

7. Customary or Innovative?

This is something which is determined at the time when you post your CV for the job. Then, you focus your questions and observations during the interview process regarding same aspects that if the organization is innovative and supports knowledge-sharing?