With employment competition so fierce these days, impressing your interviewer is an important and often stressful part of a job-seeker’s journey. The hardest part of getting a job is creating an amazing first impression. However if you put the ideas below in place, and apply them when going for a role which suits your skills and past employment history, your chances of winning over your interviewer will be high.
1) Understand the organization:
Before you even attend an interview you need to research the organisation thoroughly by using their corporate website and any other information you can access. You’ll be able to find out what values and goals they have, their past achievements, the importance they place on their employees, and the type of clients they want to gain, which will all indicate what is expected in work performance and the general work culture. This will also be reflection of what it’s like to work there. If it’s friendly, and relaxed, then most likely it will be a company which values both performance and the emotional and social side of a working relationship. And once you have an understanding of this, you will be able to talk about these areas in your interview. Also consider researching the CEO or business owner so that you understand the general leadership, management and foundations which the company started from. If you find a leader who has similar values as your own, you will have some common ground, and are more likely get on with this leader in the interview. Your interviewer will no doubt be impressed if you give some relevant reasons as to why you want to work for them and what attracted you to the role and the company. Show the interviewer that you value their goals and ethic, and you will also show that you will fit into their company culture and expectations.
2) Research the position:
It is so important that you demonstrate a good understanding of the role that you are applying for. Read the job advertisement, and if you are able to get a copy of the job description prior – read that a few times before your interview, and review videos on YouTube which demonstrate how to excel in such a role. If you know someone who knows about the position, question them before the interview. “What does a typical day/week involve?” or “What types of responsibilities or duties do you normally do in your position?”. Once you know what’s expected of the position, preparing for the interview is so much easier, and it gives you an opportunity to be able to talk about the responsibilities of the job with ease. Often a job advertisement will advise what skills are essential vs desirably, but if not – try to find out which of the skills required are the priority. When you interview, you can then use this information to highlight your skills relevant to the most important aspects of the role.
3) Build rapport:
Remember first impressions count. From the moment you walk into the interview, try to relax and emotionally detached yourself from the position. It is important to realise that you should not take things personally. Your skill set and employment history will be the most important part of your application. One of the best ways to relax is to assume the interviewer is on your side. Interviewers realise that it is a nerve wracking experience – they are not interested in making you feel uncomfortable, and will be approaching the interview in a professional manner, looking to bring out your confidence in talking about yourself with respect to your skill set and experience. So show the interviewer that you are happy to be in the room, and excited about the opportunity to work for them. Show them that you are comfortable with yourself as a person and your abilities as an employee. Be confident, without being cocky, that they are recruiting to find the right person for the job. By not appearing desperate for the job, but rather understanding the recruiter’s role and objective, you will perform at your best and the interview will seem more like a casual chat than a gruelling and stressful experience. After all, if you have researched the position and the company, and you know you have the skill set to do the job – why wouldn’t they want to hire you?!
4) Be yourself:
It’s really quite simple, just be yourself. You will be doing yourself and the interviewer a favour if you just drop the barriers and let the interviewer see the real you and what you can bring to the position and the company. At the end of the day, interviewers don’t want a phony new employee, they want someone who is honest and simply the best person for the job.
For further assistance with getting the job that you want, speak to Monique at Exceptional Tuition & Resumes – Monique can assist with resume writing, cover letters, selection criteria and more: http://www.exceptionaltuitionandresumes.com.au/
