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Your interview is the chance to ace and show to your potential employer that you’ll fit in their corporate environment. Your interview is the place to sell your skills and services. If you’re a beginner or a new graduate, you’ll find job interviews scary when you feel your heart racing, your palms sweating and your anxiety rising. Don’t worry if you experience these situations. Everyone undergoes such happenings because that’s a body’s defence mechanism. To minimize an unpleasant experience, you can follow these tips to ace your job interview. With constant practice and experience, you’ll soon treat interviews as enjoyable conversations.
• Research the company
Your knowledge of the company’s product, services, culture, history, and job responsibilities can increase your chances of getting that monthly pay cheque. The interviewer often asks candidates what they knew about the company and the job responsibilities. Not knowing about the company means you’re not interested in working for them, or simply you didn’t prepare for the interview. Before you head on to your next interview schedule, do your homework. The internet is a vast resource.
• Dress well
Dressing well does not mean you have to wear tuxedos or formal attire. You’ll need to follow the company’s dress code for the interview. Most companies include the type of dress they want for their interviewees. Some require candidates to dress for business formal attire – long sleeve, suit, tie, and slacks. Some expect candidates to wear casual attire such as polos and jeans.
Others don’t bother about their interviewee’s attire, although they expect you to be tidy and well-groomed. Most customer-oriented jobs (receptionist, wait staff, salesmen) are strict in dress code (business attire) while back-office jobs (writers, programmers) are lax in dress code. As a general rule, follow what the interviewer expects and wear a well-groomed attire. Jeans and long-sleeve or polo will be okay for casual, but not for business formal attire.
• Use hand gestures
Interviews are akin to public speaking – you’re in the hot seat. Every eye rests upon you. To minimize stuttering or racing your speech because of anxiety or overthinking of what to answer to “tell me about yourself”, use hand gestures. By using hand gestures, you can emphasize points as you speak. Just don’t overdo hand gestures, as you may across as hilarious or weird. Here are the best hand gestures:
o Open palms resting on the table – Show that you're open and honest.
o Fingertips pressing together – Shows that you’re confident.
o Moving hands – Emphasizes your points and shows that you’re energetic and agreeable.
• Avoid negative body language
Some body languages don’t mix well with interviews. These include:
o Fidgeting – It involves tapping fingertips in the table, twirling hair and picking nails.
o Crossing arms – Shows that you’re defensive other than you’re shivering because of cold room temperature.
o Checking the time – Implies that you need to be somewhere else (perhaps in another interview?).
o Scratching -Scratching your head, elbow and arms show that you’re nervous.
o Not making a handshake – Tells the interviewer that you’re not warm and open.
o Touching your chin and nose – Makes distraction for you and the interviewer.
o Adopting a bad posture – Slouching in the chair shows that you’re not ready or interested in the interview.
o Not maintaining eye contact – Shows that you’re hiding something or only nervous.
• Use positive body language
These good body languages can ace your interview and show your seriousness to land in that job.
o Optimize eye contact – maintain eye contact but don’t overdo it or show that you're ogling or too much staring (that’s uncomfortable). An effective technique is to move your gaze from left to right and then down to the interviewer's lips, following a triangular pattern.
o Sit slightly angled and chin up – Shows that you’re confident and knows what you’re talking about.
o Use a triple nod – Tells that you’re paying attention.
o Carry one item – A bag or perhaps a folder is enough to carry your resume and other credentials.
• Practice, Practice
You’ll notice that as soon you get more interview experiences, the less you’ll experience anxiety. Not all job interviews turn successful. Treat these failed job searches as lessons to hone your skills. After so many long failures, you’ll get two or more offers. Talk to your friend and ask them to make a mock interview.
• Know your network
You may have a friend or relative in that company you’re applying to. Ask them about the company’s culture and policies. Doing so, you’ll gain an advantage over other applicants.
• Review your CV/Resume
The bulk of your interview questions lies in your resume, and the rest are trivial (your personality and other tricky questions). Polish your resume by following resume writing standards and organizing so that it’s easy to read and understand. Your answers must be congruent with the resume.
• Ask and answer the right way
There are right ways to answer some common interview questions. Here are the samples:
o Tell me about yourself – Say concisely about your 2-3 accomplishments and experiences
o Why should we hire you? — Say that you're fit for the job, you fit in the company’s culture and you can deliver results.
o What are your weaknesses? — Tell something about what you are currently struggling with and the ways that you’re doing to mitigate or improve your weaknesses.
o Why did you left the company? — Answers such as the company closed, laid off and studied a course are Ok.
o Why do you have an employment gap? — Tell the employer that you studied some skills related to your previous job or went to school. You can also tell them that you earned a freelance or part-time job.
• Follow-up your interview
After the interview, it’s not finished. Show the employer that you’re keen to work for them. Most interview results need 1–2 weeks before they decide on applicants' status. Follow up by phone call and text.
Acing your interview is the key to getting hired. With practice and readiness, you’ll soon get that dream, no matter how many times you failed. You’ll win because of perseverance and readiness. To look for more interviews and opportunities, visit these career and job resources: maxsupport.com.ph and Ohjobs.ph.