Tips on how to face a job interview: How to make the best impression.

 

Have you already scheduled your job interview? Congratulations! It's time to be prepared. We are going to help you get the job you want. Here are the infallible tricks to succeed in your interview.

Pre-interview tips

Before your job interview, set aside time to do the following:

1. Research the company and your interviewers. This will allow you to go into the interview with more confidence. Browse the company's website, social media posts, latest press releases, etc. This way you will have a solid understanding of their goals and how you can fit in with them.

2. Prepare answers and rehearse them to common interview questions. For example, "Tell me about yourself and why you are interested in this position. This way you will be able to communicate fluently and quickly who you are, the value you will bring to the company and the job. It's like your personal elevator pitch.
Prepare also your salary expectations, it is good to have it clear and convey confidence with what you want considering the job, the sector, your experience.
 

3. Read again and carefully the job description. Point out or write down the specific characteristics that the employer is looking for. Look at your own experience in a previous or current job to find examples that fit those requirements.

4. Be prepared for questions about past times when you have used a specific skill and recount it by explaining the initial situation, the task that needed to be done, the action you took, and the end result.

5. Ask a friend to help you review the questions and answers. Do it out loud, it is the best and most effective way to prepare. You will find that you gain more and more confidence as you get used to saying the words.

6. You may be asked before or after the interview for a list of references. If you prepare it ahead of time, it will help you complete this step faster and move you forward in the hiring process.

7. Prepare examples from previous or current jobs. It is likely that during the interview you will be asked about some specific jobs related to the position. As you have reviewed the job description, think about those jobs in which you have experience and have been successful doing the job they require.

8. Have as many intelligent questions prepared for your interviewers as possible. An interview has an answering part and a questioning part. The interviewers themselves expect to be asked questions, because that way they understand that you are serious about working for their company.

These could be the questions:

What responsibilities does this job usually have?
What characteristics do you think someone successful in this job would have?
If I were in this position, how would you measure my performance? How often?
What departments are directly related to this work team?
How do these departments collaborate?
What does this process look like?
What are the challenges of this position?

We have already prepared for the interview. On the day of the interview, follow these tips for success

9. Prepare the attire you will wear the day before. Perhaps you can ask before the interview about the dress code at the workplace and choose your attire accordingly.

10. Make copies of your resume (between 5 and 10) and also bring a notebook and pen. Copies can be handed out if there is more than one interviewer. On the resume, highlight specific accomplishments that you can easily refer to and discuss.
Make notes in the notebook and then use the notes to refer back to those details and discuss them while maintaining eye contact as much as possible.

11. Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early for the interview. Consider the route to the interview site and make sure you arrive on time. You can even practice your route to see how long it will take you to get there and if you take public transportation, have a plan B in case there are delays or other inconveniences.
Take advantage of arriving early to observe the dynamics of the workplace for a few minutes.

12. Make a good first impression. Small details are often everything. Shiny shoes, clean and good looking hands and nails, perfect clothes, appropriate accessories for the occasion. Show confidence in your body language and smile at all times.

13. Treat everyone you meet in the company with respect, including on the road, in the parking lot, at the front desk and security. Think of those people you don't know and treat them as if they were the person who is going to hire you. Although it may seem unbelievable to you, your employer may ask them for their opinion.

14. Practice your body language as well as good manners. From the moment you enter the building your body language will be confident and approachable.
Sit or stand with your shoulders back.
Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale gently through your mouth to control anxiety and build self-confidence before the interview.

15. Be positive and authentic, win them over through these qualities. It will help you to be yourself during the interview and the interviewers will feel comfortable relating to you.
A positive smile and optimistic body language can help keep the interview pleasant and constructive.

16. Total honesty with the questions you are asked. Don't embellish your skills and accomplishments, even if it may seem leading. Interviewers find honesty refreshing and respectable.
Focus on your core strengths and the reasons why your experience makes you uniquely qualified for the position.

17. Your answers should relate to your skills and accomplishments. When answering a question, it is important to link your experience on the job with examples of solutions and results you have achieved.
Whenever you have the opportunity, take the opportunity to address the requirements listed in the job description and how you fit into them.

18. Your answers will be clear and concrete with total focus. Interviewers do not have infinite time so it is best not to ramble. Practicing your answers beforehand will help you stay focused.

19. Don't speak negatively about anyone, especially past employers. Employers hire people who overcome difficult situations and solve problems.
If you don't like your current job and want to leave, focus on talking about what you have gained from this experience and what you want to do next.

Tips for when you finish the interview

Once the interview is over, do the following:

20. Ask about next steps. Ask the interviewer, hiring manager or recruiter what you need to do next. They may email you a follow-up to the interview, ask for additional requirements, a list of references or another interview.

21. Send a personalized thank you letter after the interview. You can ask for the business card of each person who spoke with you during the interview and follow up individually by emailing each interviewer separately.
If you had the interview in the morning, send follow-up emails the same day. If it was in the afternoon, send it the next morning.
Each email should be different from the others and it is a good idea to use the notes you have taken during the conversations.