Interviewing with confidence, making a great impression on the hiring managers, and signing a coveted job contract at the end. Is it easy? Is it difficult? The following ten tips should help you to make it happen. Let’s go!

 

1. Bang on time (or half an hour early)

Check Google maps and plan your journey to the place. Do not rely on the last possible tram, or on a speed of your car and your driving skills, and on avoiding the police control.

Plan the way so you will reach the place of the interview at least twenty minutes before the scheduled meeting. In 9 out of 10 cases, you will be just one of many candidates they interview on the day. The last thing you want to being late, and making them problems with their schedule for the rest of the day.

 

2. Dress for success

Choose the clothes that tell them who you are, clothes you feel good wearing, comfortable clothes. Visually appealing and professional–the words to remember when choosing your interview attire. Read the article for more advanced tips on the choice of your clothes.

Of course this doesn’t mean that you should spend 10 hours in front of a mirror, trying on everything from your closet (and buying ten new pieces). Your clothes are important, but you should spend more time preparing for the questions than choosing your clothes.

 

3. Bring rather more than less

Do you have a work portfolio? What about references from your past employers? Do you have them? Most candidates bring nothing to the interview with them.

Try to do more, the interviewers will always appreciate the “do more attitude”. The bare minimum to bring is your resume, cover letter, and job application. Do not rely on them to print the documents. You are the one who should bring the documents, or anything else that will support your job application.

 

4. Focus on their words

Leave your problems and doubts at home. Turn your cell phone off when you enter the room, there is no need to get distracted. This is your day, your hour of success. You are going to do great, but you will need every single bit of your concentration. Do not allow anyone or anything to take it away from you…

 

5. Smile, smile .. and smile

Smile is like a flu. If you smile when talking to other people, they won’t help their smiles. And you want the recruiters to smile, don’t you?

With smile everything goes easier. Job interview is no exception. So leave your bad mood at home. When life’s not at stake, nothing is. Show them that you are enthusiastic about life and your future. Show them your beautiful smile!

And when things do not pan out, keep smiling. You learned something, you met someone interesting, and you improved your interviewing skills. If not this time, they will hire you in the next one…

celebration at the end of a successful interview. people shake hands and prepare to sign a job contract.

6. Motivation, determination, enthusiasm

That’s exactly what the interviewers want to see in you, want to hear in you, want to feel while talking to you. Your strong determination to get the job–and to do it well, your motivation to grow professionally and to try your best in work, and your enthusiasm for their offer, their company, and for life in general.

Corporations are full of tired and negative people who keep complaining and arguing all day long. Stay positive and determined, and they will be inclined to give you a chance, so you bring some good mood to their workplace.

 

7. Ask relevant questions

Ask about the company culture, ask them about the goals and vision they have, ask them about their future–or even about your future–the next steps of the hiring process.

A good question can help you to succeed in the interview, while a bad one can jeopardize your chances to succeed. Learn more about good and bad questions to ask an employer in an interview. This meeting shouldn’t be your monologue. Make from it a great dialogue!

 

8. Show them your uniqueness

You can easily get lost in the crowd of people (or in a pile of job applications), if you imitate someone. Try to do something special, stand out–in a positive way.

You can stand out with your interview answers, with your work portfolio, with your communication, with anything else you say and do in an interview. Stand out so they will remember you once the interview session ends, and they are deciding who progresses to the next interview round, or who gets the job. You definitely want them to remember you at this point!

 

9. Be who you are

Try to be yourself in an interview. You do not have to reveal all your weaknesses, but admitting that you are a human being and make mistakes (in both professional and private life) will definitely help you at the end.

Good interviewer will easily spot a lie, and you should not risk to lose your credibility in their eyes. At the end of the day, interview is a sales talk, and you should try to sell your skills and abilities. But remember that humility is a highly sought attribute on the job market… Companies do not look for perfect people–they know that such employees to not exist. They look for professionals who are aware of both their strengths and weaknesses, and try their best to improve on everything they do in life. 

10. Do not forget to follow it up

Your work hasn’t finished once you leave the meeting with the employer. Send them a follow up letter, or make a follow up call to ensure you did your best to get the job. Every little detail can make a difference at the end. Sending them a follow-up email will take just a few minutes of your time, and you should always do it.

Sure enough, it won’t alone win you a job contract. But if the hiring managers decide between two best applicants, and you send them a follow-up letter and the other candidate sends nothing, this can definitely be the small detail which decides it for you…

 

Ready to ace your interview? Not yet? Continue your preparation with us:

  • 15 most common interview questions and answers – Why should we hire you? What motivates you in work? Why do you want to leave your present job? Learn how to answer the most common questions.
  • Salary negotiation tips – Salary matters, and everyone in the room will be aware of it. Learn how to leverage your negotiation power and get the best possible offer at the end of the interviews.
  • What job is right for me? – Not sure what you want to do in life? Struggling in your present occupation? Our simple step by step guide will help you to discover your true calling. It is time to get a job you will enjoy doing, job that will bring you joy.
Matthew Chulaw
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