In this article, I will be taking you through the things you need to properly prepare for a job interview and pass excellently. I encourage you to read this article carefully because it is going to be interesting and
Tips to become the best interview candidate (Secrets many don’t know)
I recently got a message from a friend just recently about her strong phobia for interviews. She complains “I don’t just know how to ace these interviews…I don’t know why I don’t get the offers even when I am sometimes overly qualified for the position“. This seems to be the fate of a lot of persons.
Now thinking about the process of getting a job, being awarded a contract or winning a sales pitch, you would easily see the glaring reasons why people do terribly in interviews.
So let’s review a job application process together. An Organization sends out ads for job placement requesting qualified candidates to send in their résumé. Thé recruiter would normally put up the requirements which an applicant should meet before sending in an application. Timelines are given and the process begins. Applications are sent in and reviewed – on a rolling basis or at the close of the application period. Thereafter after the applications have been reviewed, the “qualified” candidates best suited for the position in question are called upon for an interview. A similar process is followed in a contract bidding process and sales pitching in some sense.
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Now at the interview stage, a candidate who seemed qualified and was called upon to be interviewed fails to get the offer. As expected, such candidate is dejected, not knowing what could have gone wrong. Sometimes doubting his capabilities and potentials to deliver in the said role. Now a plethora of questions are asked by this candidate- “What did I do wrong… what did I say wrongly…Did I possibly dress poorly… Did I pass on the wrong impression?”
True, it may have been any of the above reasons – Poor speaking skills, lack of sufficient skills, making the wrong impression, et cetera. But it may also have been the reason mostly ignored by a candidate and which is regrettably responsible for most rejections.
Now what reason could this be. In simple terms, I would say it is the ability of the candidate to be friends with an interviewer and make the interviewer have the urge to bring the candidate to his organization. The truth is getting a good staff addition with an ability to add value and positively influence members of an organization is very tiring and taxing.
Your aim as a candidate should therefore be to reduce the burden of the person conducting the interview. Turning the person into your friend before the end of the interview is a great way to achieve this. The mere fact that you were called for the interview means that you are being considered for the position. It means that you are qualified for the position. It is therefore your task during the interview to show that you are not only qualified, but that you are the best candidate for the position. You need to show the interviewer that you would be able to deliver right from the start. That it will take little to no efforts to get Integrated into the organization. You should be concerned with showing these attributes and abilities, not just saying you have them.
Now how does one make an interviewer a friend in the span of say 10 minutes. It’s very easy. Show deep interest in the interviewer, and be a good conversationist. The secret to being good at having conversations is your ability to make even the most introvert of humans and the most stern looking face talk for most of the time. All you have to do is listen closely and make the other person believe that you are listening like your life depends on what he is saying. Make the other person believe you are grossly interested in what he is saying. Humans are generally attention seekers and giving them this feeling will go a long way to endearing yourself to them. You must however be adroit and to this with tact. The only way a person can get talking with great enthusiasm is to make the person talk about what’s of the most interest to them. You may want to ask how a candidate for an interview is supposed to come up with this. It’s quite easy because the same thing is of the greatest interest to us all. And that’s OURSELVES. A person would be most interested and motivated to speak when he is speaking about himself.
How to prepare for a Job interview: 10 Things you should do
1. Carry out proper research on the company: As a prospective employee of a company, it is important that you carry out a proper research and background check of the company. You should be able to know basic things about the company. Things like the date of formation, management and guides in the company. Officers of the company should also be known to you.
This shows that you have enough interest in the company and you will love to be part of the team if you are eventually employed. Again, your interviewer may likely ask you questions about the company to ascertain your readiness to work with her. Where one displays zero knowledge on the workings or basic facts of the company, it goes a long way to prove that one is not ready to be part of the company. This may affect your chances of being selected.
2. Be well prepared for your expected job description: When applying for a job, you applied for a specific role. You should get yourself acquainted with the job description which you have applied for. Applying for a particular role means that you know what is expected of you. You therefore need to go the extra mile to ensure that you understand the nitty-gritty of your expected role so as to be able to answer questions on them.
Without mincing words, the job you applied for is the true test of your qualifications. If you cannot answer questions that are thrown to you on your job description, it goes to prove that you do not have the needed skill or expertise as portrayed in your Curriculum vitae or resume. Before going for any interview, do a proper research on your expected job role so as to be able to defend your qualifications.
3. Find out the easiest routes to the venue: Interviews are usually scheduled to hold at a venue which sometimes are not the venue of the company conducting the interview. Again, even where the venue of the interview is that of the company, it is possible that you may not know the venue of the company as the application process for the job was done online.
It therefore behooves on you to carry out a proper research on the venue of the interview. Before the interview date, take out time to know the location of the venue, the easiest routes to the venue as well as the route which takes lesser time to reach putting into consideration extraneous factors that may cause delays.
This will enable you to be punctual on the date of the interview. Of course, you would not like to go through the stress of asking questions about the venue of a proposed job interview on the very day the interview is to take place. No employer will tolerate lateness from a prospective employee. Lateness is a turn off to any potential employer.
So, why not save yourself the stress of looking for a location on a day that is so important to you by undertaking such stress at an earlier date? The answer is left for you to determine.
4. Be Properly Dressed and Appear neat: “You are addressed the way you are dressed” is a popular statement often used when encouraging people to appear responsible. In attending an interview, your choice of clothes should be modest and moderate too. Your clothes should be clean, neat and well ironed. You should not dress to impress your interviewer rather you should dress to be presentable.
You should be smart in your appearance. Your appearance should be appealing. Do not look disheveled or hagard before your interviewer. Your clothing might be simple, yet sophisticated to get the attention of anyone. You may apply make up but not too heavy. Again, remember that you are not dressing to impress your interviewer.
5. Conduct a mock interview: Before going for an interview, draw out a set of questions that may likely be asked and attempt answering them. Set up an imaginary panel and practice standing before them. Answer the questions which you have sent and evaluate yourself on your performance.
This will aid you in answering questions that are put forward. Again, you may go through past interviews of the company or organization to know the sort of questions that are usually asked during the process of their interviews.
6. Be confident: Interview candidates usually experience self doubt when going for an interview. Questions like, “am I qualified for the job?“, “will I be taken?“, and many others will go through the mind of such interviewee. This strikes fear into the mind of the interviewee and at the end of the interview process, he might come crashing like a pack of cards due to unfounded fears.
This notwithstanding, prospective employees should build on their self confidence by making proper research on things that are related to the interview he is attending. There is no gainsaying the fact that knowledge inspires confidence. When one has adequate knowledge of what he is going for, he will be bold enough to withstand any question arising therefrom.
The qualifications are yours. The Curriculum vitae was prepared by you. You wrote the application and you also know what you applied for. This alone should give you the confidence to defend whatever you have written. If at any point in time, there is a deviation from what is embedded in your Curriculum vitae, you should be confident enough to tell the interviewer that such deviation is not included in your description. Sometimes, a bold and confident employee might just be what they are looking for and not one who accepts a responsibilities out of fear only to get it flopped at the tail end of it.
7. Be ready a day before the interview: While preparing for an interview, do well to get all your needed documents intact a day before the interview. This is to avoid a rush in arranging them on the day of the interview before leaving.
Get yourself prepared, keep your proposed outfit in good shape, well arranged and packed at a convenient spot. This shows that you are well prepared for the interview. It also aids in keeping your mind relaxed and at peace.
8. Eat and stay healthy: Your health is very important. Try as much as possible to eat good food and try to be in health on the day of your interview. Know your system and how your system reacts to certain kinds of foods. Do not eat meals that will make you frequent the restroom.
Check your state of health and ensure that you are okay. It will actually not be a nice sight that an employer gets to interview a prospective employee that is sick. Although, we do not have control over our health, we can at least try to be in good health.
9. Be Courteous: When attending an interview, be courteous to any and every one you come across. Be respectful and approach everyone politely. The man you disrespected on your way to the venue might eventually turn out to be your interviewer. Your manners should be at its utmost best. You are most likely to be judged by your attitude the first day you meet your employer via the interview process. To this end, first impression matters a lot. Do well to be at your best behavior.
10. Do a follow-up after the interview: It is necessary that after an interview, you should do a little bit of follow up on the employer. This really shows that you are really interested in the work and did not attend the interview simply because you were invited for it. This shows that you are really serious about getting the job and your prospective employer might give you the chance to prove your zeal.
