Interview tips that could save your life

Are you nervous or unprepared?

When you walk into a job interview, it’s not just your employer assessing you for a job, it’s much deeper than that. It’s an opportunity, maybe even the one you’ve been looking for all this time. It’s an opportunity to pitch yourself to your potential boss and exhibit all your strengths that will help you contribute to the organization, which is why it is important that you complete the interview leaving a lasting impression on your potential employer. This is your shot to getting the job!

The question is, how can you present yourself in the best way possible, during a stressful interview? Here are some tips that could get you the job you’ve always wanted:

1) Be confident:

From the moment you enter the interview room, be confident! Even if you’re just pretending, it still helps. Greet your employer, speak clearly and introduce yourself. Any employer will appreciate a confident person, and even if some nervousness slips through the cracks, your interviewer will appreciate the effort.

2) Be Proactive:

Before you even step into the interview room, it is your duty to do some research about the company and job designation that you have applied for. This will allow your potential employer to see that you have taken the initiative to know exactly what you are getting into. This also increases the chances of you successfully fulfilling the interview, because when it comes to negotiations or when you are asked questions about the vacant position, you will have more clear and precise answers.

3) Be sure of what you are saying:

When speaking about your plus points, strengths and past experience make sure that you only speak of those aspects that you are sure of and will be able to explain in more detail if asked about. You do NOT want to be caught up with a question that you are unable to answer.

4) Maintaining Eye Contact:

Sometimes your body language speaks more than your actual dialogue, which is why it’s important to project positivity. A small instance of projecting a positive outlook is by maintaining eye contact with the interviewer or anyone you are speaking to. This not only creates a great impression on the employer, but also shows that you possess great communication/people skills as long as you don’t overdo it.

5) Honesty is the best policy:

No matter what happens, whether the interview is a failure or success, honesty is always the best route to choose. Although not as often as it should be, honesty is always appreciated by an honest employer. It also shows that, you, as a candidate, have nothing to hide. Transparency is always a welcomed attribute in a responsible corporation.

6) Understand what the company wants from you:

One of the most important things to know about the job you apply to, is to understand what the company truly wants and needs from you. Once you understand what your employer wants, you have greater chances to successfully deliver performance wise.

7) Be open to criticism:

Being criticized is not always a bad thing; it leaves us room for more learning. If by any chance your interviewer critiques you or tells you about anything that he feels that you can improve. Take it with positivity, this will not only allow your potential employer to see that you are open to dialogue but you are also exhibiting the fact that you are always open to learning more and improving.

8) Be YOU!

The most stereotypical piece of advice that has been handed around hundreds and thousands of times is to be yourself. But, there’s a reason why this piece of advice is widespread, because it’s IMPORTANT! Be yourself, let your employer understand that you are not just the university you went to, or your past experience, you are a whole person with much more to offer. So, let it be known, be yourself!

When all’s said and done, advice can only get you so far, sometimes it’s completely up to YOU to make a difference to maneuver through difficult and uncertain situations during an interview. Not all interviews and settings are the same and not all interviewers are the same, each situation calls for its own actions, and it is on you to decide what is the best course of action in that circumstance to improvise and act on it.

If the interview does not go well, learn from it, try to understand what went wrong but do not overthink it. You will definitely get another opportunity eventually to prove yourself once again, when you will be able to rectify your past mistakes and present yourself the way you wanted to. A bad interview is never the problem; the problem is always not learning from that bad experience.