How to Prove Yourself Worthy in a Job Interview
What a job interview is all about? To be specific, it’s just a platform allotted to you where you are a product, your mannerisms and consciousness are the salespeople, and your interviewer is the customer. Any job interview sounds a little simple given that a candidate is accustomed to the ethics and prongs of an interview.
Yeah, a person who is appearing for his first job interview tends to be a bit edgy for sure, and also hysteric about his body language. But this is absolutely not a thing to worry about and quite natural. Everything is under the interviewees’ control unless and until this brittleness affects his performance. Your impression is a key factor, so try to leave an unforgettable impression on the HRs minds which smoothens the way to your selection.
Also read: How to Prepare for a Job Interview?
So, today for many of you who will be going to sit for an interview soon or want to be successful in interviews, we are going to explain everything inside out that you need to keep in mind before appearing for an interview and help you ace any interview in the future. Now, let’s get started!
1. Have a synopsis beforehand
Who are you, what can you do, how can you prove yourself worthy. The answers to these three completely depend on where and for which post you are giving the interview. As if the answers you will be giving in a stock exchange or marketing company interview, will not be the same as the ones in an IT company interview.
Have a clear picture of the company and its ventures where you are seeking a job. Get to know the mission, vision, and prospects of the company, the current head/ CEO and its foundation period, what are the ethical values it possesses, who are their clients, etc. Find relatable information from the internet and have a well-researched synopsis beforehand.
2. First impression matters
Doesn’t matter if your interview is going to be offline or online, be sensible about your outfit and facial expressions. Don’t try something too alluring, you just need to be professional basically. If you are a guy, wearing a tie would be competent. If you are a girl, just have professional attire and that’s all.
If the interview session is online, sit in a well-lighted room and see to it that your face is clearly visible on the camera. Put on a happy face while greeting the interviewer and accept criticisms with a smile.
3. Have time in hand before any interview
Try to reach early for an interview. If it is in online mode, sign into the designated web platform or app and wait for your turn. This will help you to feel calm. Take long breathes and relax, just immerse yourself into the flow. Go through the notes if any, you have prepared to enhance your verbal skills. Recollect everything you have put on in your resume and have well-analyzed responses of what you would answer if asked about a certain aspect from your resume.
The answer to ‘Tell me about yourself / Go through your resume’ just needs to be an elementary one that is neither too short nor too long. This is the part where you are allowing the interviewers to formulate you and how you will be proceeding through the interview.
4. Be aware of your body language
Sit in a straight posture and maintain eye contact. These things portray that you are taking interest in the interview. Sound confident and calm. Don’t get afraid if you don’t know something, just tell HR that you are not aware of it. Don’t be reluctant and rude if you are offended somehow. Just have patience and don’t let out your anger, it’s not the right place.
Talk frankly to establish a friendly relationship with the interviewer. Judge the pace of the interview and just adjust your note accordingly.
5. Prepare meaningful narratives
It is usually evident that you will be tested behaviourally by the HRs. As the interview progresses, you may be asked about your past experiences or what lessons have you gathered from them. Or for instance, they might question any failure that you faced in your life and how you managed to get out of it. If you have mentioned that you are a ‘Team Player’ in your resume, then you can expect a question on how you led your team out of a difficult situation, or how will you tackle an uncooperative co-worker.
Answer these questions diligently and don’t even dare to tell anything false and act smart, you will eventually find yourself countered repeatedly to the point you are contrived to succumb. This might affect your interview negatively to a great extent. Better craft a compelling anecdote comprised of real feedback to highlight your contributions.
6. Culminate your strengths
Your strengths should be highlighted precisely. Why do you consider a particular trait as your strength? Prepare a good answer for it and also have anecdotes ready in your mind if asked to give an answer for an instance where your strengths are highlighted. Try to align them according to the company’s needs and how can you prove to be useful to them. Again, keep in mind, try to be honest. Don’t let out anything you are yourself not entirely sure of.
Also, your weakness should not be highlighted. If asked, only then you should talk about it. But again, don’t foreground it but apex the efforts you are taking to overcome it.
7. Talk about your achievements
Discuss what you have accomplished in the past. How you played a key role in an irksome position. This may be related to your previous work life or anything related to society. Mention any awards or recognition that you have received in your life, what values you have gained, and how you plan to replicate them for the betterment of the company you are interviewing for.
If you are a fresher and don’t possess any significant accomplishment, just be honest and admit it. There’s nothing wrong with it.
8. Put front any previous project
This is very important. Show the interviewer any project, that you have worked on. Explicate its significance, how it works, what kind of problems it sorts. Elucidate your approach neatly.
For instance, let be assumed that you have written a code that evaluates the bill a person has spent in a restaurant. You should explain the code’s logic and its error handling mechanism. Trust me, a project boosts your chances of getting selected profoundly. If you don’t have a project with you, just admit it if asked.
9. Ask something unique
When you realize that you have reached the end of the interview, you may or may not be asked that do you have any questions for him, the interviewer. Regardless of this question being asked, have the urge to ask them some unique eccentric questions at the end which might reiterate your interest in the company and the HR’s interest in you.
Some questions that you can ask your interviewer are:
- Can you describe the working culture of the organisation?
- How does the day-to-day responsibilities of this role look like?
- What training opportunities do the company offer to employees?
- What skills does a candidate need to perform well in this role?
- A few challenges that a candidate may face in this position?
- What is the most exciting part about working in this role?
- Where does the company see itself going in the next three to five years?
Read more:
Best Sites for a Job Search in India
How to Ace your Job Application Letter