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1) Firm Handshake
At the very beginning, whenever you meet your
interviewer, you need to make sure that you greet them effectively. You’ve
heard that first impressions count. Well, the handshake is an integral part
of first impressions. The key is to be firm without being forceful. However,
be particularly careful when your interviewer has a particularly weak
handshake. You should also be able to adapt and ‘mirror’ alternative
handshake styles. If you’re particularly nervous about the interview then
it’s worthwhile rehearsing your handshake with a friend beforehand.
2) Good Eye Contact
One of the most common reasons for the
interviewer leaving the interview with a negative candidate impression is
lack of eye contact during the interview from the candidate. In a typical
example of such a case, the candidate may leave the interview thinking that
they have performed well. This is probably because they have answered the
questions well, but looked away from the interviewer to concentrate on the
answer to each question.
Making sure that you keep an eye on your
interviewer will not only help you both have a better conversation, it will
make your responses seem a lot less regimented, and a lot more believable.
One trick that you could use if you’re struggling to use enough eye contact
is to look in-between your interviewers’ eyes. They won’t be able to tell
that you aren’t looking directly into their eyes and you may find it easier
to focus on the answer to the question.
3) Good Initial Impression
A good initial impression is intangible,
yet very important. You need to smile at the right time, ask the right
questions, wear the right clothes, have the right hairdo, use the correct
terminology – however if you can’t ‘relate’ to your interviewer then getting
everything else right could be in vain. The key is being able to react to
how they present themselves without loosing your own personality. Only
practice makes perfect when it comes to making a good initial impression.
4) Noticing Your Surroundings
Noticing your surroundings is a great way
of breaking the ice at interview. If you’re able to say things like ‘This is
a great new building – has it recently been built?’ not only are you
initiating a conversation to ease the interview process, you’re
demonstrating your ability to influence and bond with people – a set of very
important traits in most job roles.
5) Put Your Interviewer At Ease
Putting your interviewer at ease is one of
the most important aspects of selling yourself effectively at a job
interview. No matter how experienced the interviewer is, there will be
interviews that he or she enjoys more than others. It is your job to make
sure that your interviewer really enjoys the experience of interview, while
still demonstrating your professional experience. A good starting point is
being pleased to see them and discussing a topical issue.
6) Know Your CV (Resume) Inside Out
Everyone who has ever applied for a job has
written their CV (Resume) more than once. If you’ve written your CV more
than once then there’s a danger that you won’t know which version your
prospective employer is looking at. You cannot let this happen. The best way
of avoiding getting important details of your previous experience wrong at
the interview is to bring along another copy of your CV for yourself. You
shouldn’t have to think about what you did in previous job roles when being
interviewed. Knowing your CV inside out will help you be a lot more
spontaneous with your responses and aid the fluidity of the interview.
7) Listen To Each Question Meticulously
Don’t presume what your interviewer is
going to ask you. Too many interviewees answer the question that they think
they’re being asked instead of the question that is actually being asked.
Make sure that you concentrate fully on the question and don’t start forming
your answer until the question has ended. If you fail to listen to the
question fully not only could you answer incorrectly, you’re failing to
demonstrate effective listening skills.
8) Involve Multiple Interviewers Equally
You have to prepare to be interviewed by
two people. Being interviewed by two people is different compared with being
interviewed by one quite simply because you may have to deal with two
different personality types. On the other hand, one of the parties may
simply be taking notes. However, you need to ensure that you are aware of
the role of each party in order to make sure that one of the interviewers’
doesn’t think that you are paying more attention to the other person
conducting the interviews.
9) Smile
A smile is worth a thousand words in an
interview. A smile not only relaxes the interviewer, it relaxes you. It
helps you keep things in perspective. A smile shows the interviewer that
you’re approachable and caring. It shows the interviewer that you have the
personality to form a good bond with your co-workers and that you have the
ability to relate with and negotiate with your customers. Don’t forget to
smile when appropriate at your interview. Don’t forget to show your
interviewer that you have a lot more to you than the ability to answer
questions like a robot.
10) Use Open Body Language
Remember that your interviewer only has one
opportunity to judge your personality. Your interview will probably be no
longer than an hour and possibly a lot less. That means that you have a very
short time to make a good impression.
By ‘closing’ your body language you
significantly decrease the effectiveness of your answers to the
interviewers’ questions. This means that with the best will in the world,
your interview won’t be listening to you talking as much as they should be
because you arms may be folded or you may appear too slovenly.
11) Know The Job Role That Your Are
Applying For
There’s no excuse not to know as much as
possible about the position that you’re being interviewed for. With the job
title and the company website you can be very knowledgeable about what your
prospective employer is going to be looking for. You should be able to find
out additional information from many other areas such as the online press or
companies house, so not being able to find out information before hand isn’t
an excuse – it’s a reason why your interviewer shouldn’t employ you.
12) Know Your Place In The Company /
Organisation
You need to understand where the position
that you’re applying for fits in the organisation. If you’re not too sure
then there isn’t any harm in phoning up whoever is going to be conducting
the interview before hand to ask them the specifics. Tell them that you’re
doing research on the position before the interview. It can only impress
them that you care enough to find out. If you aren’t aware of where your
position sits in the organisation and how it relates to others then you
won’t know who you are responsible to and who your are responsible for.
13) Understand The Personality Fit Required
It is extremely important that you
understand the style of working environment that you will have the
opportunity to work in if you are successful. Again, have a look at the
companies’ website before hand. Look at the tonality of the content. Look at
previous press releases. Then ask yourself whether you’d describe the
company or organisation as formal, informal, or just plain crazy. You’re
doing both you and the company a disservice if you accept a position in an
organisation that simply doesn’t suit your personality.
14) Ask About Future Plans For The Company
/ Organisation
There are two main reasons that you should
enquire about the future intentions of your prospective employer. Firstly,
it wouldn’t be good for either you or the organisation if you wouldn’t enjoy
its strategic future direction. Secondly, if you don’t enquire about the
company’s future direction why on earth should the interviewer think that
you are passionate about the job role? Remember to ask about the future of
the company – and be interested in hearing the answer.
15) Ask What The Next Stage Is In The
Interview Process
Lastly, you need to know what the next
stage of the interview process will be. Some positions – and this especially
applies to a sales role will actually expect you to ask them whether or not
you have got the job. This shows that you are really keen and have a real
desire to get going with things. However, the majority of positions will
have a formal process that the prospective employer wishes to follow. If
that is the case then you still need to ask what the next stage of the
interview process is. This gives you the best possible chance of being
invited back as it affirms your desire to be offered the role.
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