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Job Interview Tips: Follow These Steps During Your InterviewJob Interview Advice These job interview tips will help propel you towards the job you want. My experience tells me that by using job interview strategies such as those outlined below will catapult you to the top of the list. The job interview is a two way process, so decide if the organization is right for you. It is not the be all and end all situation as far as you are concerned. In fact they(and the job)may not fit your career direction. Use these job interview strategies to help you decide. Whatever happens you can't lose. Anyway use these job interview tips and techniques to your advantage. During your Interview: • It is important to give yourself as much time as possible to arrive at the interview venue. Be there at least 10 to 20 minutes early. Our busy schedules mean that roads are busy and trains and buses run late so prepare well in advance and if needs be, do a dry run a couple of days earlier to gauge the traffic etc. • Be professional at all times. Be polite, courteous and well mannered. You may be nervous but this is no excuse to abrupt or rude to anyone, regardless of whom they are. Remember these could be future colleagues so don’t let yourself down. • If you carry a mobile phone, turn it off before you enter the interview room to be sure it doesn't ring. • Let the interviewer ask you the questions and pause and think of what your answer will be before you respond. Like any job interview sometimes we tend to hear only a part of a question due to a certain degree of nervousness. That said it is not a good idea to interrupt the interviewer, even if you are eager to answer the question. I suggest you check the Complete Job Interview Success Guide E-book it provides the most comprehensive job interview strategies available. The book contains numerous job interview tips and techniques including a further 120+ job interview questions and answers from Entry level through Executive Level which is bulging with critical information for your complete success. Big Job Interview Tip: • Always be conscious of your body language – It is important to maintain eye contact with all panel members but do not stare at them! Be aware of twitching with your ear, putting your hands towards your mouth and crossing your arms. These are classical defensive non-verbal cues that an interviewer will pick up in a second. So try and avoid these at all costs. • By all means show enthusiasm and gesticulate with your hands to emphasize your salient points. This shows the panel that you have passion about the subject matter. • Give yourself enough space between you and the interviewer. Too close and the interviewer will back off because you are invading their space. Too far and you will have to shout your answers. Your posture should be upright but comfortable, avoid twitching and leaning back in your seat.
• You must be enthusiastic, self-confident and self-assured. Arrogance is not a trait you want to portray. There is a fine line between over-confidence and arrogance so don’t try too hard to the panel how wonderful you are and what they would be missing if they didn’t employ you. Keep it real. Tell the panel of your experiences, your attributes and your capabilities and you will win the day. • In relation to past employers keep it professional and positive. Any negative feedback about a past employer may not go down too well at this point. Why? Because those people in front of you could be your future employer! (Please see the samples of job interview questions and the answers page for more help) • A good job interview tip I give to all interview candidates is to listen to the question very carefully. Sometimes questions are asked in two or even three parts so please listen attentively. Take the time to gather your thoughts in order that you provide the panel with the most comprehensive answer you can give. If you don’t understand the question, ask the panel to rephrase it or to clarify it further for you. This is OK to do and it gives you a bit of breathing space to gather your thoughts. Please check out • If you have any questions of your own, ask them at the end of your interview. Please see the Questions You Should Ask page • If you are unsure of what next steps to take ask the interview panel and the end of the interview. One of the most common questions I have been asked is ‘When will I be likely to hear the outcome?’ Just ask. It’s expected of you.
• Thank the interviewer for their time at the end of the interview. • I have seen a number of theories around offering a handshake to the interviewer at the end of the job interview. My suggestion would be that if the interviewer offers you a firm handshake, by all means reciprocate, make eye contact and respond with a confident smile. On the other hand if it is not offered, don’t worry about offering a handshake first, if at all. Thank the panel again and leave the interview with grace and confidence. I hope these job interview strategies go some way to helping you. I wish you continued success at this stage of your job hunt.
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