Has an employer recently contacted you to schedule an interview? Here are some tips to help you success in this coming interview.
- Prepare yourself
First, you can make some research about the company. Go to its website, read its history and then visit the career section in order to know more about the philosophy and the values of the company.
Think about how your personality can match the company’s personality and what you can bring in terms of skills and talents.
You can also prepare a list of questions you have for the interviewer. In fact, asking questions about the position or the company will show your interest to the interviewer.
Always bring a copy of your resume with you in case the interviewer does not have one on hand.
Last but not least, practice answering sample interview questions to gain confidence before the interview.
- Make a Good First Impression
The interview is your opportunity to market yourself. Once you get the interview, you need to create a good first impression by being prompt, being yourself, attending to your nonverbal behavior such as a firm handshake and maintaining eye contact throughout the interview, and by taking the first few minutes to develop the rapport with your interviewer. You shall appear comfortable and relaxed during the interview. A good first impression will set the stage for a successful interview.
- Emphasize your skills
Focus on your skills and accomplishments, including high school/college coursework, volunteer, and co-curricular activities, and your computer and language skills. Previous internships or work experiences are important as well as describing your transferable skills: communication, interpersonal, organization, strong analytical and problem solving, etc…
- Provide clear examples of your skills
One form of interviewing that is popular today is called Behavioral Interviewing. The interviewer will provide you with a scenario and ask how you would handle a specific situation. You should prepare for these types of questions before the interview in order to be able to provide a quick reference to previous relevant experiences.
- Make sure you understand the question before answering
You can always ask the interviewer to clarify or repeat the question. It is better to know exactly what the interviewer is looking than answering too quickly and not provide the right answer.
- Follow the Interviewer’s Lead
Don’t speed too much, take the time to understand the question and answer correctly entire question before going on to the next one.
- Emphasize the Positive
You may be asked during the interview to give a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Remember in these types of questions to focus on the positive. When referring to weaknesses, recognize those things you feel you need to work on and quickly shift to actions you have taken to improve in this area. Specific examples can be helpful to illustrate your progress.
- Close the Interview with Confidence
The beginning and ending of the interview can be the most crucial aspects of the interview. End your interview with confidence. Thank the interviewer for his time and ask when you may expect to hear back from him.
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