One of the
philosophies that our recruiters adhere to is that if, as a candidate, you’re
going to attend an interview, you might as well perform at 110% during the
meeting. Regardless of the individuals whom you’re interviewing with or the
level of job you’re pursuing, the recruiting team at KAS Placement has
formulated 15 interviewing tips that, when implemented, should convert to a job
offer.
1. Come across in
the interview as someone who wants to be there. Someone who is confident that
you are the right person for the position and as someone candid and fully
invested in the conversation.
2. Go into the
interview with an end-goal of getting the job offer. That’s all you need to
focus on. Many times, when we take a moment to envision success and the rewards
it brings, we are a lot more likely to do well.
3. Talk in terms of
what the interviewer wants. Too often, we think only about what we want and
don’t realize that the best way to get what we want is to meet the needs of the
interviewer, and only then expect the interviewer to give us what we want, not
the other way around.
4. Know where you
want to be in 1, 3, and 5 years. To achieve maximum career results, we have to
set firm goals and relentless pursue them. Be specific:
In 1 year, I want
to be heavily contributing to a company’s bottom line and want to be a
stand-out sales representative at a firm that rewards hard work, has a
competitive product, and is full of intelligent, engaging people.
By the end of year
2, I would like to be responsible for mentoring other people in the office and
want to be recognized as a leader amongst my peers.
Within 5 years, I
would like to be a manager and consistently upgrading those under me and
creating a sense of optimism and hard work in my subordinates.
5. Regardless of
position, interviewers are going to hire people who are self-confident,
optimistic, energetic, passionate and engaging people.
6. Learn how to
focus. Through concentration a person is able to collect his or her mental and
physical energies into the interview. This is as opposed to the individual who
lets his or her brain wander from topic to topic. When your brain is 100%
engaged, you can’t be nervous or self-critical – both of which severely hurt
your ability to persuade a hiring manager or recruitment professional.
7. People want to
hire leaders and leaders are described as those who are problem solvers, who
are selfless, who put the company first, who want to grow others, who are team
players, and who are able to predict everyday hurdles and overcome them.
8. Interviewers are
just as prone to feeling badly about rejection as the interviewee is. Show the
interviewer that you care and you’re more than 50% there.
9. In a job
interview setting when an employer is making a decision about competency and
fit within an organization, the most successful candidates displayed consistent
vocal tone and maintained fluid body movements.
10. When giving
answers, don’t second guess yourself. Rather, explain things in a thorough,
honest and positive manner. It’s the best we can do. We can’t control what an
interviewer does, but we can control how we act.
11. Adapt to the
interviewer’s style; don’t ever expect an interviewer do adapt to your
personality. Some interviewers will just want the answers and that’s what you
should give them. Others will want to have a casual conversation, so schoomze
with them.
12. Never take the
way an interviewer conducts an interview personally. Rather, consider it to be
their sense of interviewing style and have faith that the interviewer is smart
enough to pass you through to the next round
13. People like to
hear their names. It’s like music to our ears. We come across as more assertive
and personalized when we address people by their first names.
14. Thank the
interviewer for their time. Too often, we think about how important our time
is, but don’t realize that everyone thinks that way. Always make sure to follow
up with an email thanking the person and including notes on some of the
takeaways and thoughts you have from the interview.
15. People love
sincere compliments. Find something that you like about the firm.
In the End
Accomplished
interviewers are never satisfied with their current knowledge and continually
seek every opportunity available to gain new, pertinent knowledge. They
understand that the secret of success is to try to always improve yourself no
matter where you are or what your current position is and future aspirations
are.
