First of all, congratulations! You just passed the basic screening process of your dream job. Now all you need to do is nail the interview and come out as the ultimate winner. Honestly, it doesn’t take much to impress the interviewers once you have got your nerves under control. However, why leave the result to chance? Following the tips below, you can prove yourself to be one of the strongest candidates whom the recruiters cannot afford to ignore!
1. Know your position
Before preparing yourself for the interview, you first have to know what really you are getting into. If there is a job description included in the job offer post, read it carefully. Take mental notes or even written notes about the most crucial points of their requirements.
If there isn’t any such detail available, do a Google search with the job designation. Many helpful points and articles will come up within seconds.
Study yourself too a bit and prepare a list of sorts about your strong points. Then try to match them with the required skills and on-job responsibilities.
2. Research the company
You must know what the company stands for and what its core values are. Go to their website and focus on two pages the most – About Us and Career. From the first one, you will get an idea about its journey and background story, while the second one will have details about their office culture and priorities.
Its homepage might have a list of the services they provide and snippets of their success so far. If possible, remember one or two statistical figures you can insert into your answer during the interview.
3. Rehearse responses
Practice makes a candidate perfect – no matter what the context is. It is very easy to think of the perfect answers with best vocabulary when all of them are happening inside your head! Take them out to reality and put the answers to test.
You need to have a list of all possible interview questions and also, your responses to them respectively. Now, you don’t really need to memorize them all. Literally learning them word-to-word is actually a very bad idea. You should never come across as rehearsed but you do need to remember the key points of an answer and the approach you want to take while delivering it.
4. Study your resume
We know you are probably the one who wrote this resume, or you may have downloaded one from a job-based site like LinkedIn (in which case we recommend – modify its design to stand out). However, we often mix things up in our mind and might miss out on important resume points out of nervousness or mindlessness.
While talking about your previous job positions and experiences, you should be able to explain the responsibilities clearly and in brief. Then relate those duties you carried out to the current job you are interviewing for. This will play a great role in convincing the recruiters that you really are fit for the job.
5. Prepare an interview kit
If you are actively looking for a new job, it is a smart choice to prepare an interview kit. On this kit, there will be all the necessary components required for a job interview. There should be several printed copies of your latest CV, a copy of the job description, directions to the office address, a small notepad, a mouthwash and a pen.
All the documents need to be in a neat A4 folder. The other objects can be taken into a small handy bag, so that you can keep both the holder and this bag into the main carrying bag. Always keep this main bag in the car to avoid a day of forgetfulness ruining your chances at the job!
6. First impression
No matter how much they say outside beauty is not important, in case of jobs – it kind of is! The first impression matters a lot on the interview board.
Keep your position in mind and imagine what would someone in this designation look like to others; what kind of persona should he/she embody. The culture of this particular company also comes into the equation as to what kind of outfits they allow or what kind of vibes they encourage.
At the same time, since dress is a reflection of one’s personality, try to think of an assembly of clothing pieces and colors which resemble your inner self. However, try not to make it seem offensive or “damn-care” – two things nobody wants in their employees.
7. Arrive on time
Punctuality is crucial for any company. If you are the newbie there, you need to prove your capability from the very first encounter. So try your best to be on time for every interview, especially if it is preceded or followed by an examination.
It is ideal to arrive at least 10 to 30 minutes before the interview. Being there any earlier can make it a little awkward for them since you have to go by a long time without really doing anything. Bless smartphones which can make you look occupied for as long as needed in such situations!
Don’t lose yourself in the bottomless pit of Facebook posts or Instagram hashtags though. Keep some materials on phone’s note app to go through before attending the interview.
8. Make strategic small talk
It is a great approach to make connection with the interviewer on a personal level. There might be many candidates who have technical skills and qualifications similar to yours. But what can stand you out is how much of a strong impression you can make on the recruiters. If your interviewer shares the same hometown with you or has the same hobby as you, gently slide in that information during the conversation.
For this, you can check out the possible evaluators’ social media accounts to get an idea of their personalities and lifestyle. The simplest strategy is to compliment on their appearance or similar characteristics, but it has to come out naturally. Otherwise, your game is over.
9. Use concrete examples
Try to use as many examples as possible while explaining either your previous job responsibilities, experiences or any abstract topic. By using examples, you can easily prove your capabilities and knowledge about the particular job.
10. Have questions for the interviewer
You are here to answer the recruiters’ questions and prove that you are worth the job. But during this time, you will also need to come across as someone genuinely interested in being a part of the company. So come up with some questions to ask them at the end of this interview. They can be related to the company’s vision, upcoming projects, regular clients and the career development possibilities it can offer you. Try not to bring up the salary figures until they do. You can, however, ask them about the office hours and holiday policies.
11. Confidence and congeniality
No matter what you wear, confidence will always be the most important accessory for you at a job interview. The way you converse and carry yourself should radiate confidence. The interviewers should feel you are sure of your own capabilities and truly believe that you can bring more productivity to the company. You must speak clearly and with a warm attitude. They should feel that your presence is making the atmosphere in the room more pleasant. You can keep the anxious nerves under control by reminding yourself that these interviewers are good people with a genuine interest in finding new members for the company.
12. Make eye contact
Taking a cue from our previous point, you will need to make proper eye contact in order to mark your confidence territory. It is a strong way to convey your high self-esteem without the use of words. Look them directly in the eye while shaking hands and answering questions. This will also make them more interested and invested in what you are saying.
13. Body language
Maintain a friendly and confident body language throughout the interview. This involves the way you sit, your hand movements and your reflex actions. Each of those will borrow the sign of what is going on inside your brain. Through these signs, the interviewers will get an idea immediately about how your performance beforehand.
Make sure you send a positive vibe all around and sit up straight. Don’t keep your arms crossed because that gesture suggests, you have no interest in this whole conversation. Even if you are an introvert, keep smiling and approach every answer with warmth.
14. Be yourself
At the end of it all, remember to be true to yourself. Don’t imitate someone you consider a perfect interviewee. You may take tips from that person about how to keep composure and provide answers like a pro, but never try to completely embody him or her. You are a completely separate individual and must have many unique qualities. Focus on bringing them in front during the interview and let the people on the other side see what you are really about.
15. Ask for a follow-up
Most of us feel so relieved once the interview proceeds to an end. But hold on! You don’t want to be like the “most” do you? Be one of the participants they will especially remember by asking for a follow-up. Let them know what they thought about your answers or performance at the interview so that you can work on them later. This will prove your commitment to growing yourself both as a perfect job candidate and as a valuable employee.
In the end, there is only one thing that can create true magic on an interview board – attitude. Keep that in check and remember, your presence in the interview queue is proof enough of your capabilities. Don’t doubt yourself for a moment and ACE that interview!
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