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Top 10 Tips for a Perfect Job Interview

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After mastering the art of the cover letter, putting together a perfect resume, and submitting the ultimate job application, you start getting interviews and you need to know how to master the process of job interviews to land your dream job. In this article we’ll be focusing on our top 10 job interview tips.

1. Research the Employer and The Job Opportunity
If you want to succeed in your job interview you need to build up knowledge before going into it. You need to understand more about the employer, the job requirements, and even the interviewer’s background. The more you research the better an understanding you have and better the answers you can provide to their questions. Look through the website of the employer and their published materials, as well as looking on search engines and with other research tools. Don’t be afraid to talk to your contacts and get their knowledge about your potential new employer.

2. Prepare Answers for Common Interview Questions
Succeeding in job interviews also means having the best answers for the most common questions. You can find out what kind of interview you’ll be having from the hiring manager. Will you be in a group interview or a one-on-one interview? Will you be interviewed by just one interviewer or a whole group? You need to learn more about what you are likely to be asked in order to come up with great responses that include specific accomplishments or examples. One tip for remembering answers is putting them in the form of a story to be told during the interview. You don’t need to memorize an entire answer, and it would be bad to anyway, but you do need to come up with talking points to discuss.

3. You Should Dress for the Job you Want
Your outfit for the interview needs to match the organisation and the culture there. You need to look as professional as you can. Keep in mind that you can be overdressed but never underdressed. Also wear clean and pressed clothes, with as few pieces of jewellery and other accessories as possible. Avoid smoking or eating before your interview too. Don’t forget brushing your teeth either.

4. Show up on Time and Prepared
You should never be late for your interview. Unless something goes really bad you should arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of schedule to get past any extra paperwork and so you can settle in. Turning up early also gives you the chance to understand how the workplace operates.

Put together some additional copies of the resume you submitted, along with your CV and list of references the day before you have your interview. Take along your portfolio with work samples if you have one. You also need to take a notepad and some pens so that you can take notes. Finally don’t forget to get rid of chewing gum and turn off your phone when you reach the office.

5. First Impressions are Key
If you want to succeed in an interview you should be friendly and always greet people warmly; be polite to any parking attendants, receptionists, hiring managers, and anyone in-between. Employers want to know how the job applicants will treat other staff members. It’s possible to lose your chances of scoring the job if you come across as too arrogant or rude. When you get to the interview don’t forget how important the first impression – the first opinion that an interview forms of you instantly – is. You can land a good first impression with the right outfit, arriving ahead of schedule, and greeting the interviewer properly. Stand up straight, smile, maintain eye contact, and give them a firm handshake. Don’t forget to have a positive attitude about the interview and be enthusiastic about getting the job and working with the employer from the word “go”.

6. Don’t Neglect your Body Language
As important as the way you respond to interview questions is important, you can be let down if you neglect your body language. To maintain good body language you should smile, maintain eye contact, keep a good posture, listen properly, and nod along. Avoid slouching, looking into the distance, fiddling and fidgeting, brushing your hair out of your face or touching it, chewing gum, and not talking clearly.

7. Be Authentic
After you start the interview you need to give high quality responses and be smart with your delivery. The goal is to always be authentic and honest with your answer. You also want to move forward, so you have to give focused answers to showcase the skills and experience you have, as well as how well you would fit in to the job and with the employer. Give them great examples of the accomplishments and successes you’ve had, but be concise in your responses. When you put together answers to the common questions you’ll be able to avoid making a long and rambling response that turns the interviewer off. You should keep interview answers short and make them to the point. You should also avoid talking bad about your previous employer or any old co-workers and bosses even if your interviewer baits you to do it.

8. Sell Yourself to Close The Deal
Sometimes it’s not the person with the most qualifications that gets the job. The candidate that wins the job is typically the one who is better able to showcase how well they fit the job and the company, and provide proper answers to interview questions. Some people compare doing a job interview to being the same as doing a sales call wit you playing the role of the salesperson, and how well you provide the organisation with what they need being the product you sell.

When the interview starts to come to a close you should ask questions about what comes next and how long you expect it to be for the employer to make a decision.

9. Ask Good Questions
Studies have always shown that an employer will assess how interested an applicant is about the job through how many questions they ask. That’s why you should always ask some questions, even if your hiring manager managed to clearly explain everything about the job and what they expect from you. Asking questions shows the employer you’ve done research and you’re curious. A good jobseeker will put together potential questions before going to an interview and come up with further relevant questions about what transpires during the interview itself.

10. Thank the Interviewers
Being courteous and polite can go a long way in the interview process. That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised by how important it is for you to thank everyone involved in the interview. Start thanking people during the interview itself by thanking the interviewers on the way out. Putting together thank-you notes and emails won’t really get you the job, but it does give you a bit over an advantage over anyone else who didn’t take the step.

Final Thoughts for Success in a Job Interview
To succeed in a job interview you need to do your research, practice, and be persistent. The amount of effort you put into preparing for the interview is reflected in your chances of succeeding and landing the job; especially if you follow our top 10 tips for job interview success.

There also some tools to help you prepare for your interview, few such tools are Phone Interview Pro and Big Interview.

Hope you found these interview tips helpful. Comment below to suggest your interview tips.

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