This post is about 5 Key Steps For You To Ace Your Next Interview!
As our economy is starting to pick up pace, so are job markets. One thing that intrigues me is, though there are many talented people looking for jobs, many can't land one because of their shortcomings in an interview. Here are 5 important ways for you to ace yours!
1: Do your research!
Be it a job for a social media executive to the CEO of a company, many people overlook how important doing some background research about the company is! I would start simply by going on google and searching up the company and learn more about the company and its values. My following step would be to head to websites like Glassdoor to look up what employees think of the workplace to get a better understanding about the organization's work environment. Finally, it would help to keep up to date with news reports and articles about the company. This would really give you a step up when you reference current and past achievements to use that to your advantage on how you'll contribute to future successes.
2: Come prepared.
This sounds so simple but there are still many who don't! When you get a call-in for an interview, take note on what you're expected to bring. Cut the "I'm bringing myself and my talents" BS unless you're on a film set reading lines for an obnoxious interview candidate. No matter the job you're applying for, always turn up in business formal unless stated otherwise. Make sure your suit is well pressed and for the ladies, make sure your skirt (if you're wearing one) covers your knees. If you've got wild piercings, make sure to remove them aside form the standard "one on each ear". Even so, make sure they're appropriate.
Of course you're going to be needing some standard documents like your resume, recommendation letters, portfolios, etc. Personally, I would have them in a leather resume portfolio. I do have one from my school with the "Indiana University" logo on it and a plain one. It shows how organized you are and how you carry yourself. It would also help to carry a notebook with you to take notes on information provided about the company and what is expected of you (not stated on the job description).
3: Keep your game up.
One simple thing people forget is to keep it professional, even if you've had drinks or a casual catch-up before the interview. Always walk with the right posture and confidence, and have that firm handshake with everyone at the table. The reason for that is people want to see your professionalism during an interview which can be telling to what kind of an employee you'll be down the line through minor personality cues. Someone who can maintain their professionalism at the workplace and have fun outside are the ones that are desired. As opposed to, someone who treats everyone like a "buddy" at work and delay deadlines hoping for management to turn a blind eye as they're "buddies" outside.
4: Tell stories like a S.T.A.R.
During an interview, your interviewer might ask you questions like "tell me about a time you handled a conflict within your department". In these situations, you're expected to tell a well-structured and easy-to-follow story aside from the actual content which is based on your EQ. A S.T.A.R format was what I was thought back in my career development training and it goes as such:
S - Situation: What and where was this? And who were the parties involved?
T - Task: What was your task to carry out?
A - Action: What did you do?
R - Result: What was the result of your actions?
To put it in an example, it should look something like this:
"There was a time where two of my team members were arguing over which project to undertake as they both had their unique pros and cons. I, as the team leader, felt the responsibility to diffuse the situation as a team effort required to achieve our goal. I decided to have a talk with the both of them to listen to the reason given from both parties in a well-controlled and professional manner. We then brought these two projects up to the rest of the team to decide which would be best based on our capabilities and needs. In the end, the conflict was resolved and we decided to proceed with project B".
The example given above was just something that came up right the top of my head but there are many situations in which you're going to use this so your interviewer gets all their questions answered in a proper structure. You can also use this when writing your resume! Like this:
"Analyzed over 500 companies each month to identify prospective clients which resulted in a positive average net cash flow of $5 million monthly".
5: Ask questions.
Remember I said that bringing a notebook would be helpful? This is exactly why. Remember that when you're going for an interview, it isn't always about you selling yourself to a company, it is also for you to identify if the company you're going to commit to will be the right fit. At the end of the day, you want to be in an organization you can feel happy about. Hence, you're going to be asking questions after your round of questioning such as "how's the work environment here?", "Does your organization often promote from within, or go with an outside hire?", "I have a family to look after, what are the annual and sick leaves like?", "Are there performance bonuses or profit sharing incentives at your organization?".
Questions like these may seem like you're demanding much but in reality, you have to ensure you're the right fit for the company and both parties can agree. Imagine you're someone who wishes to grow and scale with this organization but they often hire managers outside. This seems like you're probably going to be stuck at the same role for a long time without much progress unless you can be an outstanding employee for a long time.
This post is about 5 Key Steps For You To Ace Your Next Interview!