Tips for a Successful Job Interview + Outfit ideas

Pants: Akiabara - Sweater: Zara - Shoes: Zara - Watch: Swatch - Sunglasses: Union Pacific

As some of you may already know because of this post, I have recently left my office job, which means that now I am actively searching for a new one. Even though I have spent the last 7 years of my life working in the same company that doesn't mean that I never went to a job interview during that period of time. It was actually quite the opposite. Only in 2015, I have had 5 interviews in that company and even though they weren't successful in the sense of actually getting the job, they allowed to learn a lot and understand better the interview process.

So, in order to get ready for the future interviews I will be having, I thought it was a great idea to share with you some of my tips and outfit ideas.

Let's start with the tips!

1. Always make sure to do some research about the company you are applying for: This is a very important thing to do before going to a job interview. It's important to get to know the company you are applying, what type of product/service they offer, how many employees they have, in which countries they operate and the most important for me is to know their values and their mission. Knowing this information will allow you to think whether those values match with yours and also it will help you to think about specific examples in which you can show how you apply those values to the interviewer.

2. Think your examples in advance: Once you have gathered all the information about the company and the position you are applying for, it's time to think about the examples that you are going to share with the interviewer. Not all the interviews are the same but, going through many of them made me realise that most of the times they questions they ask are very similar: "Tell me about a situation in which you failed or things didn't work out as you have expected and what didi you do to overcome that?", "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client and what did you do to solve the situation?", "Tell me an example of a situation in which you had to influence people and how did you do it?", and the most important for me is "Which skills you consider that you can bring to the position or the company?". The important thing here is to think about real life situations, specific examples that show how you use your skills and how you would manage these scenarios. Try to present them in a very concise way, start with explaining what was the situation or problem, which were your actions to solve it and what was the result. 

3. Be yourself and stay relaxed: going to a job interview can be a stressful situation but it's important to remember that every single interview is an opportunity to learn, to meet new people and companies and it's part of a process in which you can be selected or not. Try to arrive early to the interview in order to reduce some of the stress as well as prepared with some of your answers and examples ready. This will allow you to feel more comfortable because you already know what to say. In case the interviewer asks you something you don't have a prepared answer just take your time to think about it and reply. In the end of the day, if you weren't selected don't take it personally and just appreciate that you had an opportunity to show your skills and also to practice when the next interview comes you will feel a lot more confident and relaxed :)

Last but not the least, one of the things I enjoy more about going to a job interview is thinking about what I am going to wear. So, I also prepared some outfit inspiration to show you! My favourite pieces to wear to a job interview are pants because they make me feel more comfortable and they look very professional. I also sometimes wear some nice flats because I want to make sure that I'm able to walk properly. In addition, I like to wear a blazer as well because it's the easiest way to look professional. In regards to the colours, I normally stick to black, blue and grey for the same reason, those colours are the ones that make you look responsible, professional, capable and all those things we want to show our future employer. I hope you like this post and please let me know which outfit is your favourite and also what do you normally wear to a job interview.

Pants: Akiabara - Shoes: Vía Uno - Sweater: Zara - Necklace: Isadora 

Pants: Akiabara - Sweater: Zara - Blazer: Desiderata - Necklace: Isadora - Shoes: Prüne