Secrets To Win Every Job Interview
Confidence
The best advice we can give is to be confident and remember that you’ve made it this far for a reason. Hold your head up high, don’t trip, and remember, ‘you got this.’ Interviews are one of the few times in life where narcissism is accepted and maybe even embraced.
Remember, there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance but during the interview process, you want a beautiful balance of both. Side note – if you’re naturally arrogant, then disregard my previous statement: For you I say, smile and sit down – you ain’t all that!
Do Your Homework
You’ll likely be asked difficult questions during the interview. Preparing the list of likely questions in advance will help you easily transition from question to question. Spend time researching the company. Look at its site to understand its mission statement, product offerings, and management team.
A few hours spent researching before your interview can impress the hiring manager greatly. Read the company’s annual report (often posted on the site), review the employee’s LinkedIn profiles, and search the company on Google News, to see if they’ve been mentioned in the media lately. The more you know about a company, the more you’ll know how you’ll fit into it.
First Impressions
When meeting someone for the first time, we instantaneously make our minds about various aspects of their personality. Prepare and plan that first impression long before you walk in the door. Continue that excellent impression in the days following, and that job could be yours.
Therefore:
- Never arrive late.
- Use positive body language and turn on your charm right from the start.
- Switch off your mobile before you step into the room.
- Look fabulous; dress sharp and make sure you look your best.
- Start the interview with a handshake; give a nice firm press and then some up and down movement.
- Determine to establish a rapport with the interviewer right from the start.
- Always let the interviewer finish speaking before giving your response.
- Express yourself fluently with clarity and precision.
Tell Your Story
You must sell your product, which is yourself, to land the job. Be prepared to tell the interviewer why he should hire you. Some interviewers might not ask you directly to explain why you are the best candidate for the job.
Whether you are asked, be sure to fit in a response during the conversation. Be confident and concise in explaining why you believe you should be hired and what you will do the best job possible. Include your qualifications in your sales pitch.
Make it about how you can help the company.
The job interview isn’t the time to tell your life story; you’re there to show that you can contribute value to the organization. Remember that the interview is really not about you—it is about the organization and how you are going to solve [a hiring manager’s] problem of filling the position with a qualified person—quickly—so be sure to talk about how you can apply what you know to their organization,”
Be Willing to Learn
As alluded to above, you should always be ready to learn during an interview. Jeannie Kahwajy, an expert on organizational behavior, performed research that demonstrates that candidates who are willing to learn can turn negative interviews around. Jeannie ran experiments involving mock interviews.
A recruiter was primed to have a negative bias toward a candidate. Of the three groups of candidates, one was instructed to prove they should get the job; one was told to learn from the interaction; and the final group, the control, was given no specific instructions.
She found that the recruiter’s negative bias was reinforced for the control group and the group that tried to prove they should get the job. However, ALL of the candidates who set out to learn from the interaction reversed the recruiter’s negative bias and were offered a job.
Do-It-Yourself Interviewing Practice
There are a number of ways to prepare for an interview at home without the help of a professional career counselor or coach or a fee-based service. You can practice interviews all by yourself or recruit friends and family to assist you.
Ask Questions
Do not leave the interview without ensuring that you know all that you want to know about the position. Once the interview is over, your chance to have important questions answered has ended. Asking questions also can show that you are interested in the job. Be specific with your questions.
Ask about the company and the industry. Avoid asking personal questions of the interviewer and avoid asking questions pertaining to politics, religion and the like.
Follow Up & Send a Thank-You Note
Following up after an interview can help you make a lasting impression and set you apart from the crowd. Philip Farina, CPP, a security career expert at Manta Security Management Recruiters, says: “Send both an email as well as a hard-copy thank-you note, expressing excitement, qualifications and further interest in the position.
Invite the hiring manager to contact you for additional information. This is also an excellent time to send a strategic follow-up letter of interest.”