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Now that you have an interview, there are certain things you will want to do in advance to prepare for it. This article will provide practical tips on how to prepare for a job interview. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so you’ll want to do you best on preparing for your interview in advance.

Pick out what you are going to wear on your job interview.

What you wear on your interview is an absolutely crucial part of how to prepare for a job interview. After you choose your outfit, make sure it is cleaned and pressed and you have the appropriate accessories and shoes to go with it. It doesn’t hurt to try the outfit on ahead of time, just to make sure everything fits and you look great. Then put your outfit aside for day of your interview and have it ready to go. Now that you have this crucial step out of the way, you can concentrate on the rest.

Practice greeting your interviewer.

 
You should always greet your interview with friendly smile and firm handshake. If you do this right, you will set off the right energy and the chances of the interview going well will increase. This is a small and simple step that you should always to do to prepare for your interview.
 

Study your resume and know everything on it.

 
Any work experience or skills you have listed on your resume are fair game to talk about during the interview. Your resume is all the interviewer has to go by in order to get to know you. They may pick things out from it and ask you to elaborate. Even though you may have a previous job listed that was many years ago, the interviewer may ask you to explain what you did at that job and your are responsible for providing an answer. This is one step you absolutely won’t want to skip on how to prepare for a job interview.
 

Practice your answers to the most common interview questions.

 
If you don’t know what these are, do your research and find out or see one of my other articles. You’ll want to have your answers ready and practice them. You should always be able to answer “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you think you would be great for this job?” The employer doesn’t know, so it’s up to you to sell it.

Don’t completely memorize your answers so they come out rehearsed, but have a clear idea of what you are going to say. When you are asked, you want your answer to come out intelligently and natural. Be open to other questions as well and really know what you can offer to the company.
 

Research the company and the job position you are applying for.

 
Write down any questions you may have about either so you can ask during the interview. If there any requirement of the job that you are unsure of, you should definitely ask during the interview. It always looks nice when you go into an interview with intelligent questions. It shows you put effort in preparing for the interview. However, never ask questions just to ask questions. The interviewer will see right through that. Your questions should be genuine and relevant.

Find out the type of interview you will be going on.

 
There are several common types of interviews such as one on one, group, and behavioral. You shouldn’t assume you will get a certain one. Don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter what kind of interview will have if you don’t know. The interview will be more beneficial to both parties if you are prepared.

Print out the directions to the interview and be on time.

 
Allow enough time to get there and anticipate traffic. It’s ok to be up to 10 minutes early, but no more than that. Otherwise, the interviewer may not be ready for you. Bring the phone number of your interviewer just in case you get lost or are going to be late. If you are going to be late, call to let the interviewer know.

Follow these tips and you will successfully know how to prepare for a job interview. Interviewers can tell whether or not a candidate has prepared for it or not and they will appreciate it if you did.

The most recent Key Work Health and Safety Statistics done by Safe Work Australia showed that Australia is falling behind a number of countries in terms of work place fatality rates. 

This got us thinking! Might it be of the different industry structures across these countries? How many coal mines do other countries actually have as compared to Australia? Could it be something ‘cultural’?

 Whichever was the case, Australia has set itself targets to work towards a low number of fatality rate in the workplace. Whether you’re from a construction, mining, oil & gas, energy, utilities, transport, emergency services or other industry, it is everyone’s responsibility within the workplace to create and contribute to a psychologically safe working environment.

7 key tips to creating a psychologically safe & mentally healthy workplace

• Pay attention. Keep an eye on your team members’ workload and signs of stress. Do they seem overburdened? Are you noticing a shift in their personality? Take some time to sit down with them, and try to adjust their workload if they seem unfairly burdened.
• Be flexible. Work commitments and home life challenges can collide to create the perfect storm for employees. However, flexible hours, telecommuting policies and compressed work weeks can be effective ways to boost employee job satisfaction and productivity while reducing stress.
• Empower and challenge. Give employees the appropriate authority to do their job and make decisions that are logically within their scope.
• Recognise. Acknowledge a job well done whenever possible. When employees feel acknowledged and appreciated, it can make a big difference to their state of mind at work.
• Be fair. Exercise fairness in all aspects of leadership.
• Promote respect in the workplace. Every employee deserves the right to be respected in the workplace and should feel respected on the job.
• Be supportive. Has an employee come to you with issues they’re experiencing on the job? Or are you aware of an employee who is experiencing a mental health concern? If so, be responsive and supportive.

Suddenly losing your job is unsettling at any time, but it's especially scary during the coronavirus pandemic.

With the unemployment rate likely to skyrocket, COVID-19 is turning out to be an economic wrecking ball.

"Almost every company and almost every sector has been hurt, so it really makes this a very, very different experience for the job seeker," says David Lewis, founder and CEO of OperationsInc, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based human resources consultancy with more than 1,000 clients in 50 states.

"The last thing a job seeker wants to hear in a normal economy is be patient, and it’s the best advice I can start off with for someone who is finding themselves unemployed in this market."

Still, there are you suddenly find yourself unemployed.

File for unemployment benefits

Unemployment insurance is a collaboration between the federal government and state governments to help provide some compensation to people who are trying to get a job but can't find one. As soon as you lose your job, contact your state's unemployment insurance program to begin the process. Visit this page to get started.

The good news is that bipartisan legislation making its way swiftly through Congress is likely to increase average weekly unemployment compensation by about $600 for four months. 

Lost a gig? A new option is on the way

So-called "gig economy" workers, such as Uber drivers and freelance contractors, are typically not eligible for unemployment insurance. But a new program in the federal legislation, if passed, would provide unprecedented jobless benefits to self-employed workers and contractors.

Stay tuned for details on how to sign up for these benefits, but there's a good chance you'll do so through the typical unemployment insurance program in your state.