We’ve all been there. Staring down the barrel of a job interview. Landing an interview after submitting dozens of applications is a huge accomplishment and should be an exciting step in the job-search process! Every interview, successful or not, is a chance to improve your interviewing skills, which will be relevant for your entire life. Hence, here are 5 tips to get ready yourself better and up your game.
Do your research about the company.
Learn as much as you can about the company and culture. Search for their Mission, Vision and/or Value Statements. Use social media to peek at who will be interviewing you. You’ll feel significantly more prepared if you know as much about the company as they do about you. Not every company cares if you know when they were founded or what their motto is, but it never hurts to know just in case. Even if the interviewer doesn’t explicitly ask you specific questions about the company, the more information you know, the more you can align your answers to the company values and make yourself stand out as someone who aligns with the interests of the business.
Have great questions to ask.
Never ask a question just for the sake of asking, because asking thoughtful questions can also make a positive impact. We all know “Do you have any questions?” is coming so be prepared and use this inevitable moment to stand out and shine. Be creative. Proactive. And whatever you do, don’t be predictable. Also, do cross questions it will determine whether the job and referred the company is good for you or not. Afterall, while giving an interview you also need to evaluate whether this is the right set up for you to work in future or not.
The only question you should not initiate in a first interview, is one of compensation.
Be the best version of yourself.
Be the best version of yourself, it sounds cliché, but you really don’t want to get a job based on an interview where you felt removed from your true personality do not try to fake it but just do your best. If you do not see yourself aligning with a company’s core values or management system, it’s not worth squeezing yourself into their mold just for the sake of being hired.
It’s better to be rejected for staying true to yourself and your values than to be accepted for a position that will force you to abandon your principles in favor of the hiring company.
It does benefit you to come to the interview well-prepared and researched, just remember that nothing about your responses should feel forced or empty. Staying true to your own abilities and clarifying what skills you are best at while what you have never done, also gives a clear scope to the hiring managers to plan better training and future career prospects for you. It also helps you to not to fell in the performance stress while in case you get an assignment you do not completely know about.
In short, stay true to yourself and everything will go fine once you do that.
Always Remember the Basics: Appearance and body language
When meeting in person, never underestimate the power of a bright smile, good eye contact and proactive listening. One of the most impacting elements is confidence and that can be reflected by how comfortable you are in the environment as well as in your outfit. If you are unprepared with either of these factors, it can add unnecessary stress and distract you from the interview also, that can impact the interviewer as well. You want to look and feel professional, but not at the cost of your personality or your comfort. Dress in a way that feels like an elevated version of your typical style, always formal and neat. Yet should not be something you are wearing for the first time.
Positive attitude and clear communication
Having an attitude that causes people to want to be around you is not something to step over. Having a positive mindset will make you more appealing, which is very important for a job interview. The person interviewing you will attract toward you if you have positive and open mindset. The more time they spend with you, typically it will give them more opportunity to understand you. Be crisper and more precise when you are answering the question. You can even get more clarity on a question if the intention is not clear to you. Always remember that the interview is a time to show your clear business communication capabilities. Storytelling style can kill the time allotted for the interview and irritating or pressurizing the interviewer to take decision in rash or with lesser information.
