6 top tips to help you succeed in your next interview and get the job you want
This is a guest post by Jess Cooper.
Searching for a job and preparing for an upcoming interview can be quite stressful. This goes both for people who have some work experience and for people who are just starting out. In case you were wondering, the key to decreasing this pressure and to passing the interview lies in thorough preparation.
If you’re interested in learning how to prepare for your next job interview, keep reading as we’ll be writing about some really useful things to keep in mind.
What you need to start with is thorough research of the company you’re applying for. You should do this in combination with a careful analysis of the job description you’re aiming for.
Then, you need to focus on your appearance. The first impression is critical when it comes to people making their minds about you. You also need to be careful about your body language - more on that later on.
Moreover, you should think about some smart questions you can ask the interviewer. That shows that you’ve given it a thought. Last but not least, even though this might seem tough, you should try to be relaxed, friendly, positive and polite.
1. Do a thorough research
The first initial step when you decide either to get a job or to change a job (read more about some signs that indicate you need to change careers) is to find the companies you’d like to work for. When you have found them and applied for one or more, it’s time to focus on each one separately.
You should focus your energy on learning about the basic things about them. This includes what their area of expertise is, what they are famous for, what departments does the company consist of as well as how you fit into the company and the job description.
Learning more about the vacancy can help you correlate it with your education or experience, thus giving you more self-confidence for convincing them that you’re just the person for the job. Together with your resume, good preparation means that you had done half a job already before the interview.
2. Practise answering interview questions
The next step is also regarding the pre-interview preparation procedure and it refers to getting familiar with the common interview questions. The best way to prepare well is to think about the actual answers you would give to each question and to perhaps even answer them out loud. That will help you see if there are some questions you need to think about in more detail as during the actual interview you want to sound certain and confident, without second thoughts. Especially pay attention to those questions that are more difficult for you.
There are usually two types of interviews, either both in one longer or two separate ones. The first one is usually a general interview with HR and the second one is usually a technical interview. The technical interview requires you to prepare more about the specifics of the job itself, in relation to your previous work experience.
3. The first impression is crucial: Think about your appearance
Now that we’ve done these two steps, it’s time to focus on making a great first impression. And how are we going to do that? Well, first things first, by thinking about our appearance. We can make a first impression only once, and it sticks, so we really need to do it well.
First of all, your hygiene must be impeccable - even though it is implied, we are still going to mention it explicitly to accentuate its importance. That means all aspects of your appearance are tidy and clean, including your body, hands, nails, face and hair.
You shouldn’t also forget about your dental hygiene and smile. If you have crooked or misaligned teeth, you could consider getting efficient and almost undetectable Invisalign aligners, which can help you bring back your confidence and smile. Also, you could whiten your teeth with some techniques. Some studies have shown that people who have great teeth and who smile more, advance in their career faster than people who are constantly hiding their smile due to their bad-looking teeth.
Moving on to clothes, shoes and accessories. Remember to dress for the job position you wish to have - that means it’s always better to dress up rather than down. Your clothes need to be clean, ironed, appropriate and smart. Your shoes should match your outfit and a bag. And you shouldn’t go overboard with accessories.
4. Mind your body language
All these factors such as your background, education, work experience, personality traits as well as your overall appearance are essential. In addition, body language also plays a key role in determining whether you’re a good fit for the company. We simply link some gestures to certain negative assumptions, such as crossed arms, which can seem off-putting and defensive. Also, things like staring, avoiding eye contact and looking at your watch or phone, among other things are all examples of what you shouldn’t do at an interview.
On the other hand, positive body language includes slightly leaning in towards the person, looking at their eyes and generally being focused and present. It’s also good to use the technique of mirroring and showing empathy.
5. Think of questions you can ask the interviewer
As interviewers expect you to ask questions, it would be good to think about some in advance, before the interview. Of course, you might answer some of them during the interview. However, it’s important to have extra questions prepared just in case. Ask realistic questions about the job position and the typical working day - it will show them that you’re seriously thinking about working there.
6. Be relaxed, friendly, positive and polite
Generally, during the whole interview, you should strive to be as relaxed as possible. You shouldn’t speak about your experiences too negatively, even if they were such. You shouldn’t lie either, but instead, try to be neutral. Emphasise the important lessons you learned from such experiences as they are also part of life.
The line between getting a dream job and not getting it is so very thin. In order to succeed in our intention, we should give our best to do everything we can in order to prepare for it in the best way possible.
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About the author
Jess Cooper is a part-time journalist and blogger based in Sydney, Australia. She is an energetic and highly motivated person with plenty of interests. The most prominent areas of interest include makeup and cosmetics, fashion, style, event organisation and decoration, healthy food, fitness, learning languages, pursuing a career as well as home improvement.
Jess loves learning about new things and having the chance to combine those insights with her ideas and spread them to the world. She enjoys having a mindful and well-organised, healthy life, filled with all kinds of different activities and interwoven with close friendships.
