5 Ways to Stand Out in Your Next Job Interview
The job interview is the first in-person interaction between you and the recruiter. During this encounter, your interviewer evaluates your skills and qualifications to ensure you are the right fit for the role. To assess your overall personality and attitude, the interviewer also evaluates the way you carry yourself. To stand out amongst the rest, you need to convince the interviewer that you have the upper hand on other applicants. To help achieve this objective, this post lists some effective interview tips. Read on.
1. Minimize Nervous Habits and Behaviors
Nervous habits and behaviors send a negative vibe to the interviewer, which often impact your chances of landing the opportunity. It is important to control your nervous habits. For example, if you have a habit of shaking your knees, you should try sitting cross-legged. Similarly, if you have a habit of tapping a pen or any other object on the desk try to avoid holding anything in your hands during the interview.
2. Make an Impression in the First 30 Seconds
According to a psychological report, interviewers form an opinion about candidates within the first 30 seconds of their interaction. To make an impression, be poised while walking from the waiting area to the interviewer’s office. Avoid carrying unnecessary props that give a cluttered look. When talking to the interviewer, speak in a slow, confident and clear tone.
3. Answer Questions in a Story Format
Interviews are becoming increasingly interactive, and interviewers want the ability to look beyond your resume as it will them help learn more about your personality traits and skills. To create a lasting impression on your interviewer, weave stories around your accomplishments. If you suggested a new process that helped your last organization save labor costs, use an intriguing opening line such as, “Let me talk about an incident when I helped my employer steady the business ship.” Follow this strategy to answer other questions too.
4. Answer Difficult Questions Tactfully
A long hiatus from work, a short stay at a recent job, or any other inconsistencies are often considered as blemishes on a job applicant’s history. If you have a less than perfect resume you must remember that difficult questions will come up at some point during the interview. For this reason, you must be prepared to answer them tactfully. You must also prepare different lines of answers to handle such questions. For instance, if you do not have a degree which would have been helpful, try emphasizing how your work experience provided you with the required experience and molded you into the professional you are today.
5. Follow-up when the Interview Concludes
Job interviews are a two-way process. As much as the interviewer wants to ask questions, they would like you to come up with questions for them. To express interest and project yourself as a pro-active candidate, ask meaningful questions related to job responsibilities and how the position has evolved over the years. To assess the organization’s culture and environment, ask the interviewer about their experience working with the employer. Ask if the interviewer wants you to supply any additional info. Prior to leaving the room thank the interviewer (or the panel) with a smile.
Ready to Shine?
The job market has evolved over the years, and interviewers now assess the overall personality of applicants when deciding on who fits the bill. Following these tips will help you get one step closer to your dream job. To better your prospects, you should seek the services of a recruitment agency that can help with relevant job openings. If you are in the Dallas area, Delta Dallas would be happy to help you in your quest to scale new career heights. We are a full-service Dallas staffing agency that provides recruitment solutions to companies from different industries. To learn more about us, fill out our contact form or call us at (972) 788-2300.