When a call for applications is made, the employer is looking for particular qualities to fill a specific job description and many people will as per custom submit their well formulated CVs, however, your application can only take you as far as an interview. Note that when you are called for an interview, chances are that the employer has seen certain traits about you in your CV and application that suits the needs of the organization. Therefore, it is important to take the call as an opportunity to sale yourself to your prospective employer. The following tips when applied correctly will help you leave a lasting impression on the interviewers.
1. The first thing is preparation- as the adage goes, "prior preparation prevents poor performance". As you are going for that job interview, you need to prepare yourself in three fold. Firstly you need to do a background check on the campany, what it does, how it makes money, any activities it has done in the past in areas of investment, corperate ventures or PPP. This will help you connect with the interviewer, showing that you have an interest in the well being of the company. You can also take this as an opportunity to find out in which areas the company needs to improve to enhance its operations and suggest them to the interviewer.
The second area of preparation is gathering knowledge on the job in question. This is where you use the knowledge you gathered researching on the organization to show that your qualities will help enhance the organization. Based on the job description, connect your qualifications, qualities and competences with the needs of the organization and how you would satisfy the job description.
The third area of preparation is on your dressing and grooming. Confidence develops from such things, if you look good, you feel good and confident. Dress appropriately, do not over dress or under dress....just be formal.
2. Confidence is key for any interview, no matter how competent and qualified you may be, it will take you nowhere if you are not confident. Some people that got certain jobs ahead of you did not even know as much as you, but they communicated the little they knew with confidence. Show that you know your stuff, a job interview is a chance for you to sale yourself. The interviewer is like a buyer on the other side of the table with little to no knowledge about you, at that point you have the power to capture his/her attention and give them information about you that only you can give. Speak confidently and audibly, show that you are deserving of the job.
3. Delivery is also as important, sometimes it matters less what you say but how you say it. In as much as most interviews are like monologues, turn it into a dialogue, have a chat with the interview about yourself and the job on offer. When a question is asked, take your time to understand what the interviewer is looking for in each question and if you are not clear ask for the question to be repeated. No matter what happens, try not to panic, sometimes interviewers will try to put you in a position that will possibly make you panic so as to see how you would react in certain situations. So start each answer with gratitude and go on with a smile on your face.
4. Give good examples about your past experiences personally and professionally: As has been mentioned earlier that a job interview is an opportunity for you to sale yourself to the interviewer, stories are a way you can bring the interviewer into your life experiences and appeal to their humane part. For example when asked about your weakness, you can remember a time your weakness led to a particular happening and how you rose above the challenge and how you have worked to turn your weakness into a strength. Stories are more memorable because they are relatable, beyond all the interviewers professionalism, is their humanity and they also have stories and chances are that they have probably experienced some similar situations as you.