If you want to join your desired company and work the job of your dreams, you must first attend a job interview.
You might have noticed that in many cases, despite trying very hard to express and promote yourself to the interviewer, you still don’t make it.
Job interviews often have an element of unpredictability. But it’s easy to excel if you can arm yourself with the right strategies. Do you want to excel in your interview? Here are 10 practical tips to follow.
1. Study job description
Before going for a job interview, it’s important to have an understanding of what the interviewer wants. If strict attention to detail is specified in the description, you’d better not deviate from that. With this knowledge, navigating the interview and showing this trait through examples from previous jobs is crucial. Consider doing this for every quality or trait you spot in the job description. This remains one of my favorite strategies, and I’m sure you can get great results from it too.
2. Do a little research on the company
Lots of candidates make the common mistake of not reading up on the company’s current events. It’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the organization, so you can raise relevant questions. Doing your research will show your interviewer that you have prepared for them and are really interested in their company. This is a strategy that will truly help you in your job interviews.
3. Get familiar with your resume
It’s important for you as a candidate to have adequate knowledge of your resume. When attending an interview, an interviewer has access to everything on your resume. Following this strategy to the letter will prove to the interviewer that you are credible. You are responsible for convincing the interviewer that you are capable of doing the job. You need to be able to discuss your previous positions in an intelligent manner.
4. Put together an interview emergency kit
Lots of candidates prepare poorly for their interviews. A smart job interview strategy is to put together a “job interview kit,” which could include a bottle of water, directions to the company, extra copies of your credentials and resume, pens, eye drops, and a notepad. But don’t take everything with you in the office; just the extra copies of your resume.
5. Build rapport
When it comes to a job interview, you only get a single chance to make a first impression. That is why it’s crucial to build rapport. Feel free and relate well with your interviewer when you first meet them, and the positives will rub off on the whole interview.
6. Maintain eye contact
One of the most important interview strategies is to maintain positive eye contact, as it is a crucial form of nonverbal communication. It is possible to read into a person’s qualities and personality based on eye contact alone. Maintaining positive eye contact shows your level of self-esteem and confidence, two highly sought-after qualities by employers.
Thus, maintaining eye contact when you first shake your interviewer’s hand is important. This eye contact should also be maintained throughout the interview to increase your chances of success.
7. Body language
Your body language also has as much effect as positive eye contact. High self-esteem and confidence are easily conveyed through proper body language. When you are in an interview, small details like sitting up straight and being in a relaxed mood will show how confident you are. This is what the interviewer will be looking out for, and you can easily put yourself in their mind.
8. Show your skills with convincing examples
Lots of candidates fail to discuss their skill the right way. They “tell” instead of “show.” The way to go about it is to adopt the use of convincing examples to let the interviewer know about your skills. For instance, if “multitasking” is one of your skills, try showing the interviewer a practical example of how you multitask. It will also help you leave an impression on the interviewer long after the interview is over, and he/she will likely have you in mind when it’s time to make the final decision.
9. Be yourself
Lots of candidates make the common mistake of pretending to be someone they are not. You will only be creating a wrong impression when you finally show your true personality. Most interviewers have been trained to detect a false personality during an interview. Hence, you will benefit more from being yourself and staying professional. When you follow this strategy, you make it easy for the interviewer to notice your genuineness and sincerity, and you will have a higher chance of finding success.
10. Follow up quickly
After completing the interview, consider sending a note to the interviewer to thank them. A hand-written card or an email is fine in this case. The most important thing is to do it promptly. Many hiring decisions are made quickly after an interview nowadays, so it is important to act promptly after the interview.
Related article:
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- 7 Top Quality Engineer Job Interview Questions That You Should Know
- 15 Minutes to a Better Interview: Have Unstoppable Confidence & Turn Every Interview Into a Job Offer
There you have it. 10 useful interview strategies to use. There are many other great strategies out there, but you will surely skyrocket your chances of success if you follow the 10 strategies discussed above.