How to get that job!
29.07.2012
You have applied for many jobs and finally you have an interview! Yeah!
Here comes the problem. How can we make sure to show the best we’ve got to our interviewer and get the job we have applied for in just 20 skinny minutes?
I’ve done so many interviews that you won’t believe it! Some of them were very difficult, some others were easier for me, but they all have some points in common. Here I’ve written down for you few things to keep in mind and some others that you should always expect from an interview.
Let’s see them together:
1) You are cool!
Wake up in the morning of the interview and say to yourself that you are the coolest person ever. Repeat to yourself that you are smart, you work really hard and you deserve a job where you can apply all the skills that you’ve earned through studying and working so hard. This will help you to acquire confidence in yourself and your expertise as well as having a positive attitude. Remember, no one likes cranky people!
2) Dress smart but be you!
Everyone always says that’s important to dress smart for an interview. I agree with that even though I believe that you need to be yourself at all times otherwise you will look uncomfortable and this will definitely be an element of stress during your meeting. Put on something nice that is appropriate for the role. If you are a girl a nice dress that you love will do the job, for a boy your best shirt and some nice trousers will say that you have a good sense of style and understand the dress code at work. Sorry no trainers!
3) Who likes sticky hands?
You are about to meet the interviewer and shake his hand. Just before you meet him, touch the side of your leg (be casual of course!) to make sure it’s not too wet! Often you will sit down on a chair waiting for the interviewer to pick you up so you’ll have plenty of time to do so. This might sound like a silly suggestion, but the truth is that no one likes sticky hands and on top of that sweat shows that you are nervous. Being nervous is a natural thing and there is nothing wrong with that, but if you have applied for a job where you will need to deal with loads of responsibilities and meet many clients every day, then there is no room for panic, you are supposed to be confident.
4) Strong handshake and great smile
First impressions are all! I know it’s a pity but it’s true. People generally remember about you, your handshake and your smile. So give them a nice friendly smile, a genuine one that says: I am a positive friendly person and you will love to work with me. Your future employee wants to feel that you and him could get along well. Also if you have a positive attitude you are likely to feel good about yourself and your answers throughout the duration of the interview.
5) Body language
It’s quite important that you keep eye contact with your interviewer; this is a sign of honesty and confidence. Would you like to speak with someone that doesn’t bother to look back at you? Probably not and neither will your interviewer.
During my interviews, I used to pretend to speak with some old friends of my parents, that forced me not to be too friendly and never be too corporative!
Remember to sit properly on your chair; you are not in your living room, relaxing on your sofa.
Here are some possible questions:
– Tell me about yourself and your key duties in your current role
Here you will need to identify key duties / tasks on your CV. Have a close look at it and pick significant strengths from your resume. You should always know perfectly what is written on your CV.
– What are your strengths?
What do you like about yourself? Think about it and then speak about your values. Often you will need to work in a team so always make it clear that you are confident in working with others as well as being independent in undertaking duties and new projects. Perhaps you could speak about something that you had created or improved in some previous jobs.
– Why do you want this job?
Make sure to do some research about the company you want to work for. What are they doing, but most importantly why? Find out theirs goals and ethos. You should always do this because you might learn that you don’t even want to work for them! Also this will give you an advantage, you’ll discover important information that will help you to articulate why you want to have that position. Tell them why you admire their company and why you share their vision, if you did good research you will definitely find something to say; avoid lies because they are likely to spot you!
– What are your weaknesses?
I really hate this question but sometimes it pops up in interviews. Keep your answer short and sweet. Here you can simply say that often you really work too much, say you are a workaholic!
– Why should we hire you?
This is your opportunity to ensure they understand what a great person you are!
Don’t go on and on about how much you can learn from them, emphasize that you can help them to grow their business; you can offer your expertise and improve their company. Remember that they will pay you for work, so they want to know that you can really help them with running their organization. Of course you will learn too and you can certainly say that you wish to improve your skills, but they need to be sure that they will not waste their money on paying someone who is under-qualified for the role.
Ok your interview is finally over, shake their hand again, give them a nice smile and thank them for spending their time on you. Leave the place with a happy mood, it will show that you are satisfied with the interview and confident in yourself.
Let me know how it goes, and fingers crossed!
