10 Best Job Interview Tips for Jobseekers
When you
have successfully mastered cover letters, resumes, and job applications and are
receiving requests for interviews, it’s time to understand how to succeed in
the job interview so that you are ever closer to your goal of obtaining one or
more job offers. This article focuses on the ten most important job
interviewing tips for jobseekers.
Dear Candidates,
Greetings from VibrantMinds Technologies (A
Campus Recruitment & Assessment Solutions company )!!! We Provide FREE
of COST Placement Assistance to Fresher’s !!!
Below are 10 basics interview tips which
will help you to get a Job.
1.
Conduct Research on the Employer, Hiring Manager, and Job Opportunity
Success in a
job interview starts with a solid foundation of knowledge on the jobseeker’s
part. You should understand the employer, the requirements of the job, and the
background of the person (or people) interviewing you. The more research you
conduct, the more you’ll understand the employer, and the better you’ll be able
to answer interview questions (as well as ask insightful questions — see #8).
Scour the organization’s website and other published materials, search engines,
research tools, and ask questions about the company in your network of
contacts. Learn more about job search job interview researching here.
2.
Review Common Interview Questions and Prepare Your Responses
Another key
to interview success is preparing responses to expected interview questions.
First, ask the hiring manager as to the type of interview to expect. Will it be
one-on-one or in a group? Will it be with one person, or will you meet several
members of the organization? Your goal is to try to determine what you’ll be
asked and to compose detailed yet concise responses that focus on specific
examples and accomplishments. A good tool for remembering your responses is to
put them into a story form that you can tell in the interview. No need to
memorize responses (in fact, it’s best not to), but do develop talking points.
There are excellent tools available to help you with interview questions and
responses. Also, consider using the STAR Interviewing Technique.
3.
Dress for Success
Plan out a
wardrobe that fits the organization and its culture, striving for the most
professional appearance you can accomplish. Remember that it’s always better to
be overdressed than under — and to wear clothing that fits and is clean and
pressed. Keep accessories and jewelry to a minimum. Try not to smoke or eat
right before the interview — and if possible, brush your teeth or use
mouthwash. Find more detailed advice — including specifics for men and women
jobseekers — in our article, When Job-Hunting, Dress for Success.
4.
Arrive on Time, Relaxed and Prepared for the Interview
There is no
excuse ever for arriving late to an interview. Short of a disaster, strive to
arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled interview to complete additional
paperwork and allow yourself time to get settled. Arriving a bit early is also
a chance to observe the dynamics of the workplace.
The day
before the interview, pack up extra copies of your resume or CV and reference
list. If you have a portfolio or samples of your work, bring those along too.
Finally, remember to pack several pens and a pad of paper to jot notes.
Finally, as you get to the offices, shut off your cell phone. (And if you were
chewing gum, get rid of it.) For additional tips and advice, read our article,
24-Hour Countdown to the Job Interview.
5.
Make Good First Impressions
A cardinal
rule of interviewing is to be polite and offer warm greetings to everyone you
meet — from the parking attendant to the receptionist to the hiring manager.
Employers often are curious how job applicants treat staff members — and your
job offer could easily be derailed if you’re rude or arrogant to any of the
staff. When it’s time for the interview, keep in mind that first impressions —
the impression interviewers get in the first few seconds of meeting you — can
make or break an interview. Make a strong first impression by dressing well
(see #3), arriving early (see #4), and when greeting your interviewer, stand,
smile, make eye contact, and offer a firm – but not bone-crushing – handshake.
Remember that having a positive attitude and expressing enthusiasm for the job
and employer are vital in the initial stages of the interview; studies show
that hiring managers make critical decisions about job applicants in the first
20 minutes of the interview.
6.
Be Authentic, Upbeat, Focused, Confident, Candid, and Concise
Once the
interview starts, the key to success is the quality and delivery of your
responses. Your goal should always be authenticity, responding truthfully to
interview questions. At the same time, your goal is to get to the next step, so
you’ll want to provide focused responses that showcase your skills, experience,
and fit — with the job and the employer. Provide solid examples of solutions
and accomplishments — but keep your responses short and to the point. By
preparing responses to common interview questions (see #2), you’ll ideally
avoid long, rambling responses that bore interviewers. Always attempt to keep
your interview responses short and to the point. Finally, no matter how much an
interviewer might bait you, never badmouth a previous employer, boss, or
co-worker. The interview is about you — and making your case that you are the
ideal candidate for the job. Read about more interview mistakes in our article,
Avoid These 10 Interview Bloopers — Critical Jobseeker Mistakes.
7.
Remember the Importance of Body Language
While the
content of your interview responses is paramount, poor body language can be a
distraction at best — or a reason not to hire you at worst. Effective forms of
body language include smiling, eye contact, solid posture, active listening,
and nodding. Detrimental forms of body language include slouching, looking off
in the distance, playing with a pen, fidgeting in a chair, brushing back your
hair, touching your face, chewing gum, or mumbling. Read more about perfecting
your body language in our article, The Unspoken Secrets of Job Interviewing:
How Your Nonverbal Presentation and Behaviors Impact the Impression You Make.
8.
Ask Insightful Questions.
Studies
continually show that employers make a judgment about an applicant’s interest
in the job by whether or not the interviewee asks questions. Thus, even if the
hiring manager was thorough in his or her discussions about the job opening and
what is expected, you must ask a few questions. This shows that you have done
your research and that you are curious. The smart jobseeker prepares questions
to ask days before the interview, adding any additional queries that might
arise from the interview. For an idea of questions you could ask at the
interview, see our article, Questions You Can Ask at the Job Interview, as well
as our article, Make a Lasting Impression at Job Interviews Using Questions.
9.
Sell Yourself and then Close the Deal
The most
qualified applicant is not always the one who is hired; the winning candidate
is often the jobseeker who does the best job responding to interview questions
and showcasing his or her fit with the job, department, and organization. Some
liken the job interview to a sales call. You are the salesperson — and the
product you are selling to the employer is your ability to fill the
organization’s needs, solve its problems, propel its success.
Finally, as
the interview winds down, ask about the next steps in the process and the
timetable in which the employer expects to use to make a decision about the
position. See our article, Closing the Sale and Overcoming Objections in Job
Interview.
10.
Thank Interviewer(s) in Person, by Email, or Postal Mail.
Common
courtesy and politeness go far in interviewing; thus, the importance of
thanking each person who interviews you should come as no surprise. Start the
process while at the interview, thanking each person who interviewed you before
you leave. Writing thank-you emails and notes shortly after the interview will
not get you the job offer, but doing so will certainly give you an edge over
any of the other finalists who didn’t bother to send thank-you notes. For more
tips on writing thank-you notes, read this article: 10 Tips for Writing a
Job-Search Interview Thank-You Letter. You can also check out these job
interview thank-you letter samples.
Team Placements,
VibrantMinds Technologies |Pune |
Campus Recruitment & Online
Assessment Solutions |
FREE of COST Placement
Assistance to Freshers...!!!
