Do you have a job interview coming up? If so, then congratulations! It is very exciting to be in the process of landing your dream job. Following are some tips that will help maximize your chances of getting hired.
Dress for success
Wear clothes that represent who you are and do not try to play it too safe. For example, if you typically wear jeans and a nice shirt at work, dress more formally when interviewing with the intention of impressing your interviewer with how professional you can be.
Prepare
Conduct research on the company before hand and know what they do or sell. This will make it easier for you to impress them when they question you on your knowledge of their business.
Be on time
Do not be late. Punctuality shows that you are dependable and can be trusted to do your job well. It will also make a good impression with whoever is interviewing you, as they will most likely see the effort that you put into arriving at their office on time.
Be personable
Answer all questions with integrity and honesty and if asked about weaknesses or failures, always try to turn them around. Show how much confidence and enthusiasm you have for the position by smiling throughout the entire interview. It doesn’t matter if you are nervous or not, it will make a positive impression.
Ask questions
Do not be afraid of asking insightful and intelligent questions about the company. This shows that you care enough about the job opportunity to take an interest in what they do as well as how much research went into their business before pursuing employment with them. Take notes during the interview so that afterwards, when reflecting on any information given throughout by either yourself or your interviewer, you can refer back to these notes for further study prior to submitting follow up or thank you emails/letters.
Thank everyone
Remember, there is more than one person who interviewed you even though it may have only been one person. Send a handwritten thank you card or email to everyone that interviewed you. This shows your appreciation for their time and consideration of hiring you; it also gives them something personal to reference when discussing your candidacy amongst themselves, which may end up in influencing the final decision they make about who will be given the job offer.
Don’t forget to follow up
Sending a brief but professional follow up email after the interview is beneficial because an individual’s name has most likely been forgotten by this point, since there are so many candidates being considered for employment positions at companies these days. This is going to help them remember you.