In any job market, many well-qualified candidates are competing for a single position. Your goal is to stand out among the rest as the best person for the position. While your resume will help you obtain the interview, the interview itself will determine whether you receive an offer of employment. Those who are well prepared for an interview will achieve their goals. Investing the time and energy necessary to prepare will make the difference in your interview success. The following tips will help you in preparing for your next interview.
Know the Company
Do your research! What you know about the company will help you demonstrate that you have interest in the company and the position. This shows initiative and motivation. Take notes on the history of the company, their vision and mission statement, the organizational culture and structure, their successes as well as their services or products. Research the website and the annual report. Also, take a look at the position. Understand the core competencies and how your knowledge, skills, and abilities will align with the position to bring added value to the organization.
Know yourself
Take time to think about your skills and accomplishments in your personal life, work life, and school life. Write down everything that comes to mind. This will help you uncover hidden or overlooked skills and experiences. What you might think is a modest accomplishment might be the one that makes the biggest impression. Once you have listed your accomplishments, think about what skills lead to each accomplishment. For example, you may have been in charge of coordinating a college fund-raiser. Write down how your contributions made this experience successful and what skills were implemented in the process. This may have entailed time-management skills, organizational skills, and team-building skills. Think of some examples of how you have developed these skills from those experiences and how you have learned to apply them to future experiences. You should have at least three examples or experiences to provide the interviewer
The First Impression
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Be friendly, but not over-friendly. Create a positive first impression by offering a firm, non-bone crunching, handshake and make direct eye contact.
Confidence
Being nervous is normal and most experienced interviewers understand this. And it rarely harms your chances if you acknowledge your nervousness. However, excessive nervousness can work against you — especially if you continually apologise for it. It makes other applicants, who are more relaxed and confident, seem more attractive. Remember, the only way to appear confident in an interview is to actually believe you are the person for the job.
Punctuality
Punctuality is important, but arriving too early can be negative as well. Arriving on time means to be there 10-15 minutes early. Get driving directions and if not certain of the location, take a practice run.
Dress for success.
Dress for the position that you want and not the one you have. You may be interviewing for an entry-level position, but you want to give the impression that you are suitable for a future management level position. The goal is to be taken seriously as a professional. Make sure that your clothes are clean and pressed. Make sure that you are well rested and alert. And most importantly, be confident and positive.
Show up prepared
Always bring several copies of your resume to the interview. Even though you may have emailed or sent in a copy of your resume prior to obtaining an interview, you should always be prepared with copies to provide to the interviewer. You may have the opportunity to meet with the hiring manager or other team members and should offer a resume to each person interviewing you. Bring a portfolio with a notepad so you can take notes during the interview. You should also bring a list of references should they be requested.
Be a good listener
Pay attention to what is said and how it is said. The interview is intended to be a conversation and not an interrogation. Apply the 50/50 rule; 50% talking and 50% listening. You can learn a lot about the company and the position by listening. Take a look around you and observe the interaction between employees to get a feel for the environment.
Answer questions honestly.
Try to avoid giving blunt "yes" or "no" answers. They reveal nothing. Certainly, a "closed" question ("Do you perform well under pressure?"), generally indicates an unskilled interviewer. You could simply answer "yes" but this doesn't help you. If you get a closed question, give a brief but comprehensive response. Use it as an opportunity to sell yourself.
"Yes, I get a real sense of achievement. But I also like to plan and manage my time so as to avoid crises when possible."
Here are the few questions you need answer honestly.
"Why were you out of work for so long?"
"Reasons for leaving?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Why did you choose this particular career path?"
"What are your salary expectations?"
Answer honestly and completely. As a general rule of thumb, try not to speak longer than two minutes at a time and never dominate the conversation. The recruiter must feel in control. People who mix listening and speaking activities roughly 50/50 have a greater chance of getting hired.
Ask questions
Be prepared with some questions for the interviewer. You can ask if it is ok to take notes during the interview so you capture key details. This may help in formulating questions to ask the interviewer. It shows that you are interested in the position and want to understand as much as possible about the expectations of the position and the organization. Do not interrupt the interviewer.
Intelligent questions can help the employer to evaluate your professional and personal needs. Your chance of being successful increases when the employer believes that the position will be mutually beneficial.
Follow up
After the interview, take the time to write down the names and titles of all interviewers, your impressions, type of questions asked and information learned. If you are undergoing regular interviews, this will help you keep employers and circumstances clearly defined.
Always send a thank you letter to each interviewer immediately. Make your interest in the job formal with a thank you letter. If they have yet to decide who will get the job, use the letter as an opportunity to reinforce your strengths. Be certain that names are spelled correctly and use proper titles. Thank the interviewer for taking time out of their busy schedule to meet with you. Express your feelings about the organization, people, and position. You can express your enthusiasm about the prospect of representing the organization. Keep it short. It should be less than one page and it should be mailed within 24 hours.
In the meantime, Review your performance. What went well? What went badly? Did you sufficient prepare yourself? In which areas do you need to improve? If you have not heard anything within one week, you might want to follow up with a phone call to the human resources representative to determine your status. If you are unsuccessful, ring and ask if you can have feedback about why you didn't get the job.
The Interview Do's & Dont's
To Do
Express clearly with a strong voice and good diction and grammar.
Pay close attention to personal appearance
Offer a firm handshake.
Always look the interviewer in the eye
Fill out applications neatly and completely.
Have as much knowledge about the industry, employer, and position as possible.
Take criticism gracefully.
Display self-confidence.
Bring a pen and small notebook to the interview.
Remember the interviewer's name.
Tthink quickly before answering questions.
Take an extra copy of your resume
Not To Do
Don't Be overaggressive.
Don't Show a lack of interest or enthusiasm.
Don't Emphasize money as the main interest in the job.
Don't Expect too much too soon
Don't Make excuses for unfavorable factors on your record.
Don't Condemn past employers or institutions of education
Don't Be indecisive.
Don't Be late to the interview.
Don't Smoke, chew gum, etc. even if offered or if the interviewer does so.
Salary Negotiation Tips
Negotiating a better salary package is an art. While most of th candidates do not initiate this issue, it is important to note that in the current scenario, candidates are in equal position to negotiate as the employers are. Think about the process as trying to convince the boss that it might benefit the organization with more payment. Here are 10 basic tips that can lead to a better deal-
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Persuasion
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Aim High and Be Realistic
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Start Off with the Right Tone
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Clarify Interests
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Anticipate Boss's Interests
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Create Several Options
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Focus on Objective Criteria
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Think Through Alternatives and Be Decisive
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Prepare Thoughtfully to Achieve Goals
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Review to Learn
