3 Job Interview Tips

You’ve probably spent a lot of time searching for jobs and sending companies your resume and cover letter. So much time, in fact, that you didn’t stop to think about the interview process. The face-to-face job interview puts you on the spot, so you need to master effective job interview tips to ensure you’re prepared. Remember, proper preparation gives you the confidence needed to ace your interview.

Ask Questions

Before your job interview, prepare a small list of questions to ask the interviewer. The goal isn’t to grill the person interviewing you, but rather to help create a two-sided conversation. This creates a more relaxed atmosphere, and gives the person conducting the interview a little more insight into the person behind the resume.

During your job interview, it’s important that you politely answer the interviewer’s questions before asking any of your own questions. This way, you don’t accidentally interrupt the interviewer, you stay focused on the questions asked, and you don’t ask a question that’s answered during the interview process. It’s okay to bring a list of your questions with you to your interview. It shows the interviewer that you took the time to prepare before you arrived. Just make sure you don’t pull out your list until the end of the interview when the person interviewing you indicates that it’s time for you to ask questions.

Stay Calm

Staying relaxed during a job interview is easier said than done, but it’s extremely important. If you’re nervous, chances are it shows. It’s common for people to ramble about unimportant things during an interview because they are nervous, and you don’t want to sound like a gibbering idiot. There are several things you can do to help you relax, including:

• On the way to your job interview, listen to music. Opt for soothing music, and let your mind focus on different instruments of melodies. Or, create a playlist of your favorite songs, turn up the volume and sing at the top of your lungs.
• Arrive early so you have time to relax. Practice deep breathing exercises before you enter the building or spend a few minutes journaling. Write about how you feel, your pre-interview fears and list your strengths. Both exercises help you relax by clearing your mind.
• Slow down during the interview. If you start to feel anxious, take a deep breath and focus on the interviewer's questions, one at a time.

Remember to Smile

While it’s hard to believe that an action as simple as smiling can make or break your interview, it’s true. A surprising number of people don’t smile often, so there’s a good chance that the nervous applicants before you didn’t smile. Use that to your advantage. Practice smiling before your interview until you know how to smile in a natural way that doesn’t look forced. By perfecting your smile, and smiling during your interview, you appear confident, relaxed and generally more appealing.

Most job interview tips take a logical approach to teaching you how to prepare for your interview. However, it’s your mannerisms and behavior during the interview that matters. You should always prepare for a job interview, do your best to remain relaxed during the interview and smile. When you master these skills, it’s simple to ace a job interview.

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