Coming to job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience. Whether you are fresh graduates entering the work arena for the first time or professionals seeking for new opportunities, everyone will agree that interview always brings mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness among candidates. No matter how many interviews you may have attended, each session seems like a new and different challenge that keeps you tensed and restless.
In an era of tough competition for the right lucrative job opportunities, you should be creative to land the job you desire. Not only your CV has to be attractive enough for an interview call, but you should also prepare and plan a strategy to be successful in tackling every interviewer’s question.
If you need guidance in preparing for an interview, here are main points that the interviewer will rate you on:
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Punctuality
Obviously, if you come late to the interview, you will be rated down by the interviewer. More often than not, interviewer will not accept any kind of excuses for unpunctuality. Make sure to come at least 15 minutes before specified time. You can use the time to check your documents, decide on your clothes, tighten up your tie, or even pray.
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Company knowledge
The most common question asked by an interviewer is, ‘How do you know about the company?’ When you intend to work in a company, first you need to know what kind of company it is. Thus, company knowledge is one of the most important things you should master before coming to job interview.
Even before sending in the application, it is better if you could do a little research to find out the company’s core business functions. So, when you are asked about the business, you can answer them with confidence.
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Skills and experience
‘How do you find your skills match with the job role?’ ‘Tell me your related experience in this field.’ It is important for you to recognize your skills and expertise, so you can use these strengths to contribute in the job roles.
When you fully understand yourself, it would be easier to tell others about it so they get better information about your quality. Make sure that you apply for the job which is relevant to your skills and experience to stand better chances of being hired.
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Replies and body language
Control your tone when you answer. Do not speak too fast or too slow. To avoid blabbering, provide to-the-point answer without much unnecessary information that is unrelated to the question. Speak up only when you are asked or after the interviewer finishes their inquiry because it is rude to interrupt someone.
Interviewers also pay attention to posture, gesture and expression. They will know if a candidate is confident, assured, nervous, confused, or doubtful. Thus, you need to learn how to face such situations through practice.
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Attire and attitude
If you say, ‘Don’t judge a book by it's cover’, you are wrong. From the beginning, people do judge a book by its cover. Physical appearance is the easiest thing from which we can assess someone’s personality. Hence, it is important to present yourself with proper and decent attire to catch interviewer’s attention.
If they do not like your presence from the start, how can they like you for the rest? For standard formal business attire, you can wear white shirt with black suit for a professional look. However if you apply for startup jobs, you can wear less formal yet still presentable attire, such as dark-jeans and nice T-shirt.
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