Interviewing…we have all been through it at least once in our lives in one capacity or another.
Some people are “interviewing experts” and are naturals when it comes to getting through an interview.
Others…not so much.
I personally have been on both sides of interviewing (interviewer and interviewee) and from my experiences I have put together this list of basic tips to help you interview better!
Now I am no expert. So as a disclaimer, any and all information and advice I give in my blog is simply my own personal opinion and comes with no guarantee. (In other words, you can’t blame me if you don’t get hired!!)
Tip #1: Personality
– Be yourself and let your personality shine through! One purpose of an interview is to get to know who you are and determine if the job is a good fit for you and if you are a good fit for the job. It is very hard to determine who a candidate is if they don’t show some of their personality. If you are sitting there describing yourself as a happy and outgoing person, yet you are not smiling, show no excitement and have no voice fluctuations…How am I supposed to believe what you are saying?!?
Tip #2: Passion
– Be passionate about the position you are interviewing for. As an interviewer, we want you to want the job you are interviewing for. If you don’t want it, don’t apply for it!! If you come to the interview with an attitude and it appears that you really don’t care if you are there or not, I am not going to be compelled to hire you and deal with that attitude every day! Now don’t go overboard…remember there is always the risk of going too far in the other direction. It is possible to be passionate and not obsessive. Find that balance.
Tip #3: Prepare
– Prepare yourself for the interview. Think about what kinds of questions they may ask? More than likely you will be asked to describe yourself or your background, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Do not answer “I don’t know” to any of these questions!! Have a friend or a family member interview you. Let them spring questions on you so you get the chance to answer as you would in an interview situation. Practice makes perfect! But again, don’t go to the other extreme. You do not want to sound rehearsed or robotic when answering. You want the answers to be sincere and natural.
Tip #4: Poise
– Be poised during your interview. In other words…have confidence in yourself. If you come in with confidence in yourself that you can do this and would be the best person for the job, then the person interviewing you will get that same feeling from you! Remember though…confident, not conceited…nobody likes a know-it-all.
This is a short and very basic list of tips, but if you can master them it will greatly help your interviewing skills!
The most important thing to remember is that everybody gets nervous when it comes to interviews. It is natural to be nervous and the interviewer knows that. But you can’t let your nerves paralyze you. You are there to “sell” you and you are the best expert on you so that should be easy to do!
Now get out there and mind your P’s and good luck to you!
Until next time…
Compassion Bulldog 