Job interviews can be a wonderful opportunity to market your unique skills and experience. Sure, they can be stressful and cause all sorts of anxiety, but they are a crucial step in the hiring process. Because you're only given one chance to impress a hiring manager, being able to handle the nervousness and present yourself in the best light possible is so important.
According to Harvard Business Review, there are several things that you can do to maximize your efforts and wow an interviewer. Here are a few of them:
Be prepared – Before going on an interview, you should research the company and have some ideas about where the company is headed and how you see yourself fitting in or helping them reach their goals. If possible, you should even research specific job-related challenges and have a plan to cope with them. It's also a good idea to prepare your answers for some of the more commonly asked interview questions so that you won't end up rambling and forget to mention important points.
Have a strategy – Having a strategy is crucial during an interview. From the moment the interview is scheduled, you should be thinking about why you are the right person for the job and why they should hire you. Use your key points to create your marketing pitch. Once you have a strategy in place, the success of your interview won't be dependent on luck.
Don't just be yourself – So many of my friends say that when they go on an interview, they simply try to be themselves and answer questions honestly, without having anything planned. It sounds like a good idea, but during a job interview, no one expects you to be yourself. I'm not saying that you should pretend to be someone else, I'm only suggesting that you try to be the best version of yourself. Muster up all of your excitement and enthusiasm and allow the interviewer to see who you are at your best.
Plan your first 30 seconds – There's no way to know about the interviewer's personality or they way that you will react to them before the interview. By planning out your first 30 seconds, you can get things off to a good start. This will prevent you from having jitters and will calm your nerves.
Be flexible – Interviews can take place almost anywhere. Sometimes there is only one other person in the room and other times, you'll be interviewing with a panel of people. Try to remain flexible and roll with whatever happens. Pay attention to the interviewer and, if things take a wrong turn, try to put them back on track.
Know when it's not going well – I think that everyone has had an interview that didn't go well. When you begin to feel it happening, try to adjust your approach and redirect the conversation. Don't take it personally or spend the rest of your time agonizing over mistakes. Instead, let it go and say something like, “I'm not sure that I'm giving you what you need.”. By judging the interviewer's reaction, you can take steps to turn it around.
Job interviews aren't difficult, they simply require a well thought out strategy. With preparation and a game plan, you can improve your chances at landing the job and impress a hiring manager with your enthusiasm and professionalism.
What do you do to prepare for an interview? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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