HOW TO KNOCK THAT JOB INTERVIEW OUT OF THE PARK

Interviews are usually one of those life-changing and rather nerve-racking events a good number of people get to experience. It can either go very well as expected by one that is adequately prepared or take an unexpected turn down south and leave you feeling as though you just are not good enough.

It is important to note that the outcome of your interview is directly proportional to the level of effort you put into preparations ahead; because at the end of the day if the tide does not turn in your favor you will have yourself solely to blame.

Below are some of the details you need to pay close attention to in order to convey intelligent responses and leave an indelible impression on your interviewer- leaving them no choice but to use your eloquence, carriage, and subtle demeanor as a yardstick for the other candidates. These are salient, rudimentary details that every interviewee must have at the back of their mind that will get you at least halfway through the grilling process.

Do extensive research on the company

Check out the company website to get in depth background information about the company. Your aim here is to discover what makes the company tick and what makes them who they are. You need to get to the soul of the organization and find out not only what they are doing but more essentially, why they are doing it.

Research the panelists

Run a background check on the panelists in the interview to find some common ground and discover some of their interests that will help ease up some tension in the room. Endeavor to strike a balance between formality and familiarity in order not to give yourself off as being unserious or too playful.

Test run the company’s products or services

In a bid to expand your knowledge base about your prospective company, it is necessary that you try out products or services the company has in its product line in order to have that firsthand user experience. This will enable you confidently convey responses of substance when questions bordering on product knowledge are thrown at you. Do well to share your user experience with them, complementing the product at first and then politely suggesting product optimization options and areas that need to be tweaked a bit more.

Ask… Answer…Repeat!

To ensure that you’re not caught unawares during the interview, you need to make sure you cover all bases by anticipating and studying sample questions you may likely be asked on the day of your interview. Such questions include:

• Can you tell me about yourself?
• Tell me some facts and figures about this company
• Why do you want to quit your current job?
• What do you consider to be your greatest strength?
• What do you consider to be your weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What are your salary requirements?
• Consider doing a practice interview with friends or family as this will be helpful in boosting your confidence.

Click here for more sample questions and answers.

Scrutinize yourself

In this day and age where your personal information can be seen with just a few mouse clicks, it is rather imperative to make sure that any implicating content is expunged completely from your socials; as it will be a terrible impression to portray yourself in crooked light. Employers often review social media platforms to get information and background on prospective employees.

Organize yourself

A key area interviewers always watch out for in their prospective employees is their level of personal organization. In the interview setting, these 3 basic points are used in generally accessing how organized you are as an individual;

-Dressing: This should be done in a moderate, formal and decent fashion. You can go beneath the surface to find out the dress code in the company and dress accordingly.

-Avoid tardiness: Make sure you plan your commute way ahead of time to ensure prompt arrival at the interview venue. The last thing you need is for your prospective employer to have the impression that you are not a punctual fellow. Make sure to turn off your cellphone so it does not ring or buzz during the interview.

-Assemble all essentials: Be sure to bring all the necessary documents and materials required for the interview from copies of your credentials, to your passport photos, to writing materials and so on. Get all assembled ahead of time to avoid adopting panic measures.

Present yourself as valuable

Every employer appreciates an employee that adds value to the organization through their ability to solve problems in order to meet organizational goals. As an interviewee, a good part of your preparation should be centered on identifying challenges in the organization and coming up with novel, cost effective methods to tackle and arrest the challenges. Do this alone and you will automatically become the interviewers’ most valuable candidate at the end of the exercise. You are welcome!

Renew your mind

Most people perform terribly at interviews not because they were underprepared or unqualified but rather because they nursed a wrong mindset. A lot of people were not as prepared but because they entered the interview hall with a resilient, “never back down” mindset, they managed to scale through as opposed to those who spent hours preparing but didn’t invest any effort in conditioning their mind.

I’m convinced that the best thing to do ahead of a job interview is to prepare for it twice as much as you think you might need to, adopting one or more of these points shared above and fine-tuning it to your own peculiar situation.

Welcome to your new organization! Don’t forget to thank and appreciate the panelists for the opportunity to be part of the exercise, reassuring them of your unalloyed commitment to achieving organizational objectives.

Congratulations on knocking your job interview out of the park!