Day of Interview |
After you have all the required preparation you will feel more confident before facing the interviewer, yet the way you perform in person won't be only judged by your knowledge and skills. Every detail about your performance such as body language, manners and mental state says a lot, here are some tips to shine at any interview. |
During the Interview
Connect with the Interviewer
Try to remember your interviewer’s name or write his/her name in your notepad. Use that name so the interviewer will feel like besides you did your research about the company, you have also identified your possible future manager, coworker or HR manager. Greetings are vital to start creating a connection, your introduction card. Be warm and let your interviewer know you’ve been looking forward to meet. Firm handshakes are a great start -don’t forget to stop at the restroom if you’re having sweaty hands, clean and dry them. Be Aware of Your Behavior Be friendly during the interview. Show interest on what your interviewer is saying, this means that you have to become an active listener, let them finish their questions and it’s totally fine to take your time to answer. One of the most important things about your behavior is staying calm, our body language says a lot about us and usually people that seems to be in control of the situation are most likely to be considered better candidates. Ask Them Questions Part of showing interest is asking questions after the interviewers have profiled us personally. Asking questions you’ll give a sense of awareness and preparation for what it’s coming next. The most important questions are based on the working culture of the company and the available position. You can ask about the pros or benefits of working there, what the interviewer likes the most, performance measurements, short term goals of the department, etc. |
Common Mistakes
Talking Negatively of Past Jobs
A common mistake done when some questions drive to any hard feelings you may have against your previous employer. This is something you should avoid to talk about and if you feel like the conversation is going to take that direction be prepared to handle it without using any negative adjectives or showing emotions. Talking too Much Being precise is the best way to evade falling in this mistake. Talking too much you will increase the risk of saying something irrelevant that will put you in an awkward position. Aspects of your personal life should stay away from the conversation. Taking Drinks or Food with You For very obvious reasons, they become a distraction. They will make you look clumsy in the worst scenario. Never chew gum! not even in the waiting room. Using Your Smartphone The most annoying distraction that will lessen your chances to get the job. If you look at the time it will look like you either want to run away or there are some other things more important to do. Even if you want to show a reference of something you're talking about it would be better to just mention it, or have some physical material ready for that. Just don’t use the phone. Appearing Underprepared or Disorganized Arriving late or even too early can both be seen as negatives. Dirty or disorganized hand bags can let the interviewer think you're disorganized and messy. Not having a resume is a huge bet peeve for a lot of interviewers as well. People love talking about themselves however, you shouldn't pay excessive attention to yourself as interviewers tend to get bored and disinterested. Not Asking For Contact Information Before leaving an interview you should always ask the, "whats next?" question. You should be asking for their contact information to ensure that you can follow up with them in the future. Also remember to ask them what the next steps in the process are. Failing to Follow Up After the Interview Just because you have left the interview and can breath for a minute doesn't mean your part of the hiring process is complete. Your goal is to stand out of the sea of applicants. A good way of doing this, is to send out simple thank you notes to the interviewers right after the interview. Also calling and checking in on how your application is doing or if they have decided to move on with someone else. |