Table of Contents
Introduction
A job interview can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, if you prepare well and come across as confident and enthusiastic about the position, you’ll have a much better chance of impressing the interviewer. Here are some tips for doing well in an interview:
Be Punctual
- Arrive early. Don’t be late.
- If you are running late, call the interviewer and let them know.
- If you are more than 15 minutes late, don’t bother to show up.
Handshake
To do well in an interview, you must be prepared. It’s important to find out as much information about the company and position as possible so that you can speak knowledgeably about them during the interview.
Once you have found out all the details of the position and company, practice answering questions about yourself and your skills. If a potential employer asks what makes you unique or different from other candidates, know how to answer quickly with confidence (and don’t mention “I have great hair”). You should also expect questions such as: “Why are you interested in this job?” and “Why did you choose us?” These questions help employers determine if they want someone like-minded working for them.
Attitude
Now that you’re more familiar with what an interview is and how it works, let’s talk about your attitude. As much as we’d like to believe that everyone will be selected based on their qualifications, a good attitude can go a long way when it comes to landing the job. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Be positive and enthusiastic: It’s important not to appear too aloof or negative during an interview. You never know what someone else might think of you before they have even met you! On the other hand, if you’re always looking for something negative to say about yourself or others around you, then don’t expect anyone else would either.
- Be confident: This goes hand-in-hand with being positive; however there’s more importance placed on confidence than just saying something encouraging about yourself (although this also helps!). If someone asks if this position is something that interests me then my answer should reflect that fact without hesitation.”
Body Language
Body language is extremely important, especially when it comes to interviews. We may not realize it, but our body language can say a lot about us and how we feel in certain situations. It’s no wonder that employers and interviewers are so focused on this part of the interview process—they want their candidates to be comfortable with them and themselves during an interview, which can help make everyone feel more relaxed.
To ensure you’re sending off the right vibes during your next interview, keep these tips in mind:
- Sit up straight; don’t slouch or cross your legs or arms (unless it’s something you do regularly). The goal here is to look confident without being too stiff.
- Make eye contact with your interviewer whenever possible while they’re speaking (or vice versa). This shows that you’re paying attention, engaged with them as well as what they have to say about the position at hand, and interested in learning more about what their company does for its clients/customers/patients/etcetera!
- Practice smiling before going into an interview so that if someone says something funny during conversation there will be no hesitation on either end 😉
Don’t Criticize Past Employers or Colleagues
- Don’t Criticize Past Employers or Colleagues:
Don’t criticize your previous employers, don’t badmouth them. Don’t talk about the reasons why you left the company, whether it was because of an incompetent boss or not enough pay. You can tell how much someone values their employees by how they speak of their past coworkers and employers. If they are unable to speak highly of these people then it doesn’t say much for their character either.
Be Honest, Not Sneaky
A job interview is a way for you and the company to figure out if you’re going to be a good fit. So, don’t hide anything from them and don’t lie. If they ask about your biggest weakness, it doesn’t mean that you should say something like “I work too hard and need more balance in my life.”
Instead of lying or being sneaky, mention something like: “I am not always as organized as I could be.” This leads into further conversation about how much time management skills have helped you succeed in previous jobs. Or if they ask about salary expectations: “I would love an opportunity where my salary was commensurate with experience.” And then provide examples of your past experience working on bigger budgets at other companies (if applicable).
The point is this—always tell the truth but don’t over-share personal details unless specifically asked for them during an interview; after all, there are plenty of other places in life where we share our feelings freely!
Answer The Question They’re Asking You Completely And Directly
You’re in the midst of a job interview, and the hiring manager is asking you about your experience. They ask a question like “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an angry customer.” The perfect answer would be:
- “I have one example from my time as Customer Service Representative at ABC company where I was able resolve an issue between two customers who were arguing over which one had been waiting longer for service. Even though it was only 5 minutes, one of them claimed she had been waiting for 20 minutes, and she became very upset when I told her that wasn’t possible because we have cameras everywhere and they show exactly when people arrive at our store! She threatened to go somewhere else if I didn’t give her free ice cream on top of what she already paid for (which I did), but later in that week I got another complaint from another customer saying how rude our entire staff was so after talking with my manager about this issue he decided that everyone who works here should take sensitivity training classes next month so hopefully things will get better soon!”
Be Enthusiastic About Everything, Including Your Previous Job.
- Be enthusiastic about everything.
- Be enthusiastic about your previous job.
- Be enthusiastic about the interviewer.
- Be enthusiastic about the company, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into (it isn’t).
Research the Company and Position in Advance
You should research the company and position in advance. This will help you to know what’s expected of you and also show that you are serious about the job.
Here are some ways to do it:
- Research the company’s website. If there is a career page, check out their “About Us” section for more information about their history, mission statement, and vision for the future. You can even find out how many locations they have around town!
- Explore your competition by looking at other companies offering similar services/products as yours; this will give insight into industry trends which might be useful during an interview if they come up in conversation (which they probably won’t). Also consider who else may be competing with them right now–are these competitors more established? Younger? More professional looking websites than yours?
Have Some Questions Prepared to Ask the Interviewer at The End of The Interview
When you’ve finished the interview, don’t leave without asking a few questions of your own. The interviewer will probably ask if you have any questions, so wait for that to happen and then follow up with one or two of these topics:
- Company culture. What’s the company like? Is it laid back or intense? Open or closed off? Friendly or formal? How would you describe the atmosphere at this place?
- Position details. What are the responsibilities of this job, exactly? How do they differ from what has already been described on their website/in this conversation with me so far? Are there any additional perks I should know about (e.g., does anyone get free lunch every day)? When can I expect to hear back from them regarding my application—and how many applicants do they typically consider for each position before making an offer or rejection decision?”
- Opportunities for advancement/lateral movement within the company after several months or years on the job.”
When you have a job interview coming up, be sure to prepare well.
- Researc h the company and position.
- Be prepared to answer questions about your past job.
- Know the type of questions you will be asked in the interview.
- Dress and groom appropriately for the interview.
- Have a positive attitude!
Conclusion
Do your homework. If you know how to interview well, then you’ll be able to impress the hiring manager and help them see what a great fit you are for their company. We hope this article has given you some useful tips and pointers on how to ace your next job interview!