10 Steps to Rocking Your Dream Job Interview
Prepare, prepare, prepare!
Preparation is the only thing you have total, 100{54d2fcdcd494adb6982253be6fe8d5492e5f586157f419110131714f9092ec60} control over, says HR expert and consultant Lucy Cherkasets of Clarity Media Group (she’s interviewed more than a thousand people, so she would know!) Don’t just assume you can wing it. Research the company and the person interviewing you and practice your answers.
“Tell me about yourself.” Don’t answer this by trying to cram your entire life story into a two-minute spiel. “This should be your cue to tell me why you’re at this table,” Cherkasets says. Be friendly but focused, narrowing in on the aspects of your personality that make you perfect for this job.
Think stories, not answers. Come up with five skills you’ve picked up from different jobs and craft stories about how you acquired them. There should be a clear beginning, middle, and end, so your interviewer isn’t tempted to zone out. This will prepare you for those general questions like “Are you good at working with a team?” Instead of a flat “yes, of course!,” tell a story about a team project you worked on that boosted your company’s numbers like crazy.
Know what you want to get out of this. Well, a job! But go deeper than that, says Cherkasets. “If you have a goal, you can guide the interviewer through the experience as opposed to them being in control.” Think of key things you want get across (your time studying abroad, your love of the finer points of data collection), plus questions you want answered and how you want to leave the conversation.
Put that webcam to good use. Record yourself practicing your answers so you can get rid of the hair twirls and “ummms” peppering your otherwise awesome interview. You might cringe (everyone sounds so different on recordings, right?!), but you’ll be thankful for it when you’re in the room.
Being a perfectionist is not a “weakness.” When you get the dreaded “what’s your weakness?” question, resist temptation to turn it positive. Your future employer is going to see your weaknesses, anyway! “We want to know what area you have to continue developing and see that you’re working on that,” Cherkasets says. “I’m not judging you based on what your answer is, I’m judging you based on what you’re doing about it.”
Think of yourself as a consultant. It’ll give you the headspace you need to stay calm. You are the expert, and you’re offering something to the company. Instead of a desperate “I need this job!” attitude, you’ll give off a “Here’s how I’m going to help you” vibe. Much better.
Allow a do-over. This is the job interview, so it’s normal to be nervous. If you stumble over words or ramble, take a breath and say, “I’m so excited to be here that I got a little ahead of myself! Let me reiterate what I wanted to say.” Cherkasets is all about taking control of the interview, and this action shows you know how to do that.
Pause. “Taking a pause doesn’t mean you don’t know the answer,” Cherkasets says. Instead, you’ve bought yourself a few seconds to organize your answer and then begin speaking. Don’t feel awkward—as long as a strong answer follows the pause, you’re golden.
Follow up. Cherkasets is on team Email and Thank You Card. Why? Multiple platforms mean you’ve covered all your bases. “Email is the way to get an actual response,” she says, “so it can be more detailed. See the email as another argument for why you should be hired.” Keep the card short and sweet—and then pat yourself on the back for nailing the interview.
Source, (Image: Shutterstock)