When you’re asked to go for an interview, you’re normally expecting to go into a room and speak to a potential employer about a role. So, what happens when you’re invited to a working interview?
Working interviews are used to give your potential employer an idea as to how well you’ll be able to work for them within their company.
Whilst other forms of interviewing can be equally important, some employers prefer for the candidate to have a form of trial, in which both you and your potential employer can see whether the job may be a good fit for you.
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Why Do Employers Ask for Working Interviews?
Depending on the industry, a working interview can benefit both you and your employer in a multitude of ways.
Trial The Working Environment (How Do You Feel About the Role?)
Firstly, the working interview gives you a chance to trial the job and see if it’s a good fit for you. You’ll be able to interact with other employees if necessary and get a good feel as to how the other staff feels about the job.
You’ll also get a good grasp of how the managers interact with their employees – whilst they may be nicer to set a good impression, you’ll still be able to see if they have a good managerial style.
Things You Should Consider:
- Are they patient?
- Do they answer your questions?
- Are you receiving enough direction?
- Does this seem like a good workplace environment?
- Can you see yourself working here?
You Can Show The Prospective Employer That You Can Do The Job
The one thing your employer wants to know is whether you can do the job, and a formal, sit-down interview doesn’t allow you to demonstrate your abilities to carry out the job, it’s more of an opportunity to pitch yourself as a good candidate for the role, by going through previous experience and qualifications.
A working interview allows you to demonstrate your abilities without having to provide any qualifications.
The working interview may be more of a working from home assignment, where they send you some work to do and send in – or you could be required to actually go into the workplace and fulfill the role there – it depends on what the duties of the role.
You Can Make An Informed Decision On Whether You Want The Role
Often, a lot of prospective employees will snatch a job offer up, even before they know whether they can do the role, or what the role fully entails.
A working interview allows you to assess your ability to the job – if you find that you struggle in the working interview, you can then make the informed decision not to take the job, especially if you can’t see yourself enjoying that role for an extended period.
How To Prepare For A Working Interview
Dress Smart, But Practical
Unless they tell you otherwise if you have to go into the workplace for the working interview, make sure that you are dressed appropriately to carry out the task at hand.
It’s important to ensure that you are still presentable, as you need to impress your employer. But showing up to a working interview that requires you to do heavy lifting in a suit might not be the smartest choice.
Stay Enthusiastic And Confident
The best thing you can do to convince a prospective employer that you’re a great fit for the role, outside of performing the role to the best of your ability, is to remain enthusiastic and confident.
Nobody wants to hire an employee that seems like they’ll be miserable in their role – employers know that it’s better to hire individuals that will be motivated to complete their jobs, over candidates that seem like they might drag their feet.
The best way to counteract this potential misconception is to ensure that you come across as enthusiastic and confident, eager to do your job to the best of your ability.
Staying confident can help with anxiety around job interviews – acting confident can help you to feel confident.
Remind yourself of the reasons you applied for the job in the first place – of course, you won’t be expected to do it perfectly, but staying quietly confident will do wonders when it comes to demonstrating your capability – maintaining confidence under pressure is always a desirable trait in fast-paced work environments.
Do Everything You Can To Make A Good Impression
Don’t let yourself be forgettable – make sure that your personality shines through! But also make sure not to come across as arrogant.
Think about what your prospective employer might want to see in a candidate – if you were in their position, what sort of person would you want to hire?
Try your best to embody these qualities. Don’t allow yourself to be overlooked – but also make sure that you aren’t making yourself stand out because of a negative reason.
Research the company. Making sure that you’ve got a good understanding of their goals as a company, and their company ethics can help them to see your commitment to the role.
It also gives you a good idea of what your prospective employer may be looking for in a candidate for the role.
Socialize with other employees – allow your prospective employer to see what it would look like if you were an official part of the workplace.
Ensuring that you are someone that the other employees feel capable of working with, as well as demonstrating that you can work effectively as part of a team, can only work in your favor here.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been invited to a working interview, you’re being given an opportunity to showcase your skills and prove that you are a great fit for the job.
Now that you know everything you need to know about working interviews, and how to set a good impression, the only thing left to do is go and do it!
Working interviews can feel scary, but seeing them as a trial run for both you and the prospective employer can help you to feel a little more comfortable.
Remember to make a good impression, but also remember that you are interviewing your prospective employer, just as much as they may be interviewing you. Good luck!
