The 4 Things You Need to Do to Make the Most of Your Job Interview

Hopefully you are reading this because you got a job interview. Congratulations! Now you need to make sure you don't squander this chance to create a fantastic impression and obtain the job. You need to prepare and train for the big day. If you were an athlete, you would have trainers and coaches to help you prepare for the big day and teach you how to behave in various circumstances. But as a job seeker, you don't have a coach or trainer and will need to devote your time to improve your interviewing abilities in much the same manner that an athlete would train and practice.

Think of the job interview as the championship game. All of the work and attention you put into the searching and having your resume and cover letter in place have led you to this moment. You have done admirably so far. Now you get to have a one-on-one discussion with the potential employer and tell them why you are the perfect choice for their position. No matter how excellent your CV is, it has done its job and now it is your time to sell yourself. You must prepare yourself or you may lose out to another applicant.

You need a job interview coach or trainer much as players preparing for the big game would have. In the absence of such a trainer, your task in preparing for your job interview is to come up with a method to make yourself stand out and seem confident and competent. There is more than simply providing the correct answers to interview questions. For example, your interviewers will also be looking at your interpersonal skills or how effectively you conduct yourself and connect with others. For example, do you make excellent eye contact or look at the table, do you come across as pleasant, do you give a strong handshake, do you smile, do you have passion and energy in your voice when you speak?

1. Before the interview, do some research and learn about your potential employer.

Being asked to meet your prospective employer is a tremendous honor - it indicates that you made the cut! Congratulations! Now the hard work begins. Take some time to study and learn about the business, any current news, maybe some of the difficulties it has in its market or with its goods or services. You can learn a lot in only an hour or two utilizing the Internet. Take notes on any significant things you learn. Is there any way you may be able to utilize the information you acquired in the interview? Do you now have any questions you would want to ask in your interview? Questions based on your study indicate that you spent time to learn about them and can create a positive impression.

If you haven't previously, you will want to investigate the business utilizing LinkedIn. With LinkedIn, you will be able to discover information on businesses, but more importantly, the individuals that work for them. In fact, many times you will be able to read biographies on the individuals who may interview you. Compare their histories against yours and discover what activities they have been working on lately.

When you are done with your study, assess all of it against your background and experience. Is there a way you can utilize what you have learnt to portray yourself in a better light or have some conversations on subjects that maybe that offer you an advantage. For example, if you discover they are replacing a system or altering a procedure comparable to work you have done previously, you should certainly speak about this. It may offer you an advantage and would be fascinating discussion for the interviewers. These are the kinds of intriguing tales or instances you may offer with your interviewees. More and more businesses utilize behavioral interviewing methods, therefore it is extremely essential that you select and prepare plenty of examples to present when you answer their job interview questions. Being prepared can help you seem confident in the real interview.

2. Task 2: Get Ready to Answer the Most Common Interview Questions

Many individuals worry at the prospect of those difficult interview questions. When people think about interviews, the questions come to mind first. Truth be told, you have no way of predicting what questions your interviewers will ask. To be prepared, you will have to make sure you know how to answer the most frequent interview questions so you are confident in your replies. Since behavioral interviewing is being utilized more frequently today, you will want to have plenty of examples that you can speak about in the interview. Prepare to tell anecdotes about how you handled similar circumstances or outcomes you obtained that are relevant to the position you to which you are applying. Always attempt to connect your responses back to examples since many companies think that previous success is the greatest predictor of future performance.

Learn the correct approach to answer the most frequent interview questions. The significance of this stage cannot be emphasized since spending the time to rehearse will help you answer the questions effectively and look confident at the same time. You may discover a list of the best resources for answers to interview questions on my site that can act as your coach to help you through your interview question preparations.

3. Task 3 - Develop Your "Talking Points"

By now, you should be beginning to realize what your strongest attributes are heading into the interview. As you prepare for each interview, make sure you have approximately three important points to present with your interviewers that highlight why you are the ideal candidate for the position. Your talking points are what you want the interviewers to remember about you after you leave and they should set you apart from the other applicants, thus they must be based on your own experience and characteristics, and how they are linked to their requirements. Remember that the most qualified applicant is not necessarily the one that gets the job.

Memorize your talking points and understand how to highlight them in your interview replies. If you can work each of them in many times, people should be able to connect you with them. This is comparable to how political candidate continue to answer questions using prepared "talking points." Take the chances to make your argument inside responses to your interview questions. Make sure you the talking points thoroughly before you go to the interview.

4. Task 4 - Rehearse the Job Interview Before the Big Day

You need to rehearse the job interview ahead of time to ensure you are confident in your responses and actions. You may practice in many different ways. For example, you might rehearse with a friend or family member, video film yourself, sit in front of a mirror. The idea is that you will only grow comfortable with your answers and recognize behaviors or habits that need corrected via practice. Learn what these things are now while you have time to fix them and make your presentation perfect. Some of the things you want to pay attention to while you practice include:

Slouching or relaxing too much.

Over usage of hand gestures or facial expressions. These are excellent tools to convey enthusiasm and excitement, but do not overdo them to a point where they become a distraction.

Not establishing excellent eye contact with the interviewer(s) (s). I had always been taught to imagine there was a dot on everyone's forehead and to stare at it while you talk to them.

Nervous twitches or movements, such as shaking leg, tapping foot or pen/pencil, licking lips, scratching head, sighs or deep breaths, etc. If you have them, keep them under control and be aware of them.

Not being able to swiftly and confidently develop an excellent answer to a question. Look for lengthy pauses before responding, saying "Um" or other delaying tactics. These are confidence destroyers. Create chances to work in your main selling points.

Speaking too softly or, more frequently, too fast. Find a good volume and speed to talk so you are easily heard.

No zeal or excitement. Avoid monotonous speaking. You are talking about what you know best-you! Sell yourself to them and get them enthusiastic about what you have achieved and what you can contribute to their business. Tell fascinating and thrilling tales in answer to their inquiries. Give plenty of examples of comparable things you have done to address their queries.

Make Your Preparations Count

You should be pleased that you obtained the job interview! This is a huge achievement. Congratulations! It implies that you were at the top of the list of all the candidates. Like an audition, you made the cut. Focus your focus now on preparation for your job interview so you can be the confident and strong applicant you know you are. Know how you will answer typical interview questions. Have some excellent tales about your relevant job experience ready to offer so you can demonstrate them that you have managed comparable circumstances. The hard work on your CV got you this far, but now you need to concentrate your attention and time on preparing for the interview so you can clinch the sale. Make sure they can see your excitement, energy, and confidence. Take the time to prepare and you will perform well.