Have you ever walked out of an interview saying to yourself, “I should have mentioned __?” “Oh, I could have explained to them that___.” Rest assured, you are not alone.
The art of completing a successful job interview lies in knowing yourself, your successes, and how you will work in a specific position, and the value you can bring to the company. To pull off a valuable job interview, you will need to prepare for your interview by practicing beforehand.
Sell Yourself
During the interview, you need to present yourself in the best possible way. The most effective approach is to imagine the employer is buying your skills and knowledge. Advertise yourself by sharing the benefit you will bring to the organization or company.
This is one time you can talk about all your relevant skills and accomplishments, bragging a little while maintaining verifiable accuracy.
If your interview skills are weak, you won’t be successful, no matter how many job pre-interviews you secure. Remember, your resume and credentials gain you an interview, but it’s up to you to sell yourself during the interview to win the job position.
The more you equip yourself to excel in the interview, the higher your confidence level will be. Failing to prepare is just like preparing to fail.
Commonly Asked Job Interview Questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Where do you want to be in five years?
- What do your past supervisors think of you?
- Why should I hire you?
- What have you learned on your own?
- What would you like to know about our company?
- How do you work under pressure?
- What do you expect to accomplish here?
- What kind of decisions do you find most difficult to make?
You’d better know the answers—there’s no second chance.
Improve your job interview techniques by knowing your accomplishment-based resume front and back, as most questions will be based on this information. Once you have attained some practice questions and prepared your answers, it is time to practice your interview skills. It is best to practice with someone—a spouse, friend, colleague, and job coach.
Always practice answering questions out loud. This will allow you to hear your voice.
This person will be an invaluable resource to your interview preparation as they will provide you with feedback. Request their opinion of your performance. Ask them key questions like: did you look “comfortable”? Was your voice clear and easy to understand? Did you make good eye contact, and did you appear pleasant?
Videotape Yourself
Once they provide you with information regarding these key questions, you will be able to work on your weak areas—strengthening your overall interview skills. Another fabulous way to find out for yourself what you are like in an interview situation is to videotape your practices.
Watching yourself on tape is an excellent way to determine what you do well and what areas you can improve on. This may alert you to any odd habits you have, like fidgeting or a nervous giggle that you can work on avoiding.
Could you share some advice with other blog readers who are preparing for a job interview? What was your biggest obstacle in the job interview? What questions did you find difficult? Please comment and share this post.
Need additional help? Reach out to Candace to learn more!