Tips For Nailing Your Next job Interview

By Francine Fluetsch on September 12, 2014

image via www.beyondcareersuccess.com

Are you in need of a job? Did you just land an interview and are now nervous out of your mind? Don’t be.

Here are some tips on how to cover your bases before getting into that interview room. You’ll be feeling confident in no time.

Landing the interview:

If you are simply applying online, your chances become slimmer because you are now just another nameless applicant. They don’t know your personality, they don’t know you–all they know is what you typed out on your application. You might be perfect for the job, but if you have little experience or don’t have the set things they are looking for on that piece of paper, you won’t be getting a call for an interview.

If you go in and introduce yourself, however, your chances will be raised. Make sure to dress professionally and to be friendly and polite. The manager could be there when you go to visit, and we all know that first impressions do go a long way. If they like you, they might pay a bit more attention to your application.

Research the company:

Whether this is for a part time job during school or a post grad job, you want to make sure you know a thing or two about the company.

Questions about the company may come up in an interview, and you definitely don’t want to be caught off guard. This isn’t to say you have to know every little thing about the place, but just enough that you’d feel comfortable explaining the company to someone else.

Beef up your resume:

As you gain experiences, you always want to be adding them to an ongoing resume so you’ll never forget to list something. While this general list is great for you, you’ll want to cater the resume to the company you are applying to, using your list as a template.

If, for example, you are applying to a part time retail job, you’ll want to put emphasis on past experiences where you had leadership, people skills, working in a fast pace environment, etc. This is another reason why looking up the company is a great idea, because you’ll know what they are looking for in an employee and you’ll be able to re-write your resume accordingly.

This article on career advice says a great way to rewrite your resume is to pay attention to the job post’s wording, and to mimic it in a way. Check out their other advice for building up your resume as well.

Practicing for questions:

The question portion of the interview is usually the most daunting because that is exactly when you forget what your name is and why you even want to work there in the first place. To help avoid this deer in the headlights moment, it’s a good idea to practice some common questions. Sure, you don’t know what you’ll be asked in your particular interview, but going through some practice questions will help build up your confidence.

YouTube has tons of great mock interviews and tips for when you are being interviewed, like this one. They can be a bit dry, but they will be helpful.

Sometimes past applicants post the questions they got on Yahoo answers, and they will say if they got the job or not, so definitely Google that!

A big thing to remember is to be honest and to not make stuff up. When we are nervous, we tend to just say what pops into our heads, but you want to make sure that the answers you give truly reflect your abilities.

You wouldn’t want to tell your future employer that you can fix any computer, only for them to find out once you are hired that you don’t even know how to work one all that well … talk about embarrassing. Dishonesty is a big firing factor as well, so you wouldn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.

Be a good sport:

Whether you get the job or not, it would be a good idea to shoot the person who interviewed you an email and thank them for taking time out of their day to conduct the interview. If you get it, make sure to express gratitude and let them know how excited you are to start working for them. If you didn’t get it, it’s totally okay to politely ask why for future reference.

Maybe your resume was good but your hours weren’t, or something like that. It’s always good to know so you’ll be able to do it the next time around. And remember, everything is a learning experience, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you didn’t get it. We all have experienced rejections, and while they aren’t fun, it’s good to learn what you can from the situation and move on.

So dress for success, know the company, and feel confidant in yourself and you’ll do great. Nail that interview!

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