25% Do Not Prepare for Job Interviews

The Seattle Times blog is asking readers: “How do you prepare for an interview?” Here are the early results from 156 respondents:

• 40% say they do research on the company
• 30% say they go over possible questions and answers
• 25% say they don’t prepare
• 4% say they do a mock interview
• 1% say they videotape themselves answering questions

I’m surprised that more people don’t do mock interviews or videotape themselves. The 30% of folks who review questions and answers may lull themselves to think that they’re ready, but they’re shortchanging themselves by not practicing out loud. It’s absolutely critical to verbalize your responses, listen to the uneven speech patterns, and then polish it off.

As for the 40% who research the company, I’ve found many job candidates spend countless hours memorizing irrelevant trivia about a potential employer. Those that do find relevant nuggets often fail to bring it up to the interview. That leaves me wondering, “Why do the homework if you’re not going to turn it in?”