Interviews are tricky. You felt you delivered your best, the bald interviewer on the corner seat even smiled at you, your guts told you, it was certain that you had it in the bag, but when you do your follow up call after a long pondering await, your hear a crisp, snotty female voice on the other side saying, “I’m sorry ma'am, that position has been filled. Thanks for calling us and we’ll keep you in mind if any other slot opens up. Good day.” At that moment, you start doubting your religion, your educational qualifications, your family who supported you and worst of all, yourself. Now, we are here to present you with a set of tested, approved and implemented guidelines to rid you of all hesitancy and smash that Interview.
01) Do the homework on the company.
There is nothing more dissatisfying for an interviewer than meeting with a “clueless about us” respondent. “So do you have an idea on what our company does” is almost a requisite question and stuttering with the answer scores you no brownie points. Being familiar with the company’s work, policies and relations portrays an image of enthusiasm, earnestness and worthiness.
02) Greetings done right.
Most companies operate on client dealings. A prospective employee is judged on his charm at first impressions. Greetings and the luster at the starting can make a lasting impression on a looking employer. A polite and clear good morning or afternoon, depending on the time of the day of course, a round of three pump business handshakes and a smile, mind you not a berth, should do the trick for you.
03) Body language in your seat.
The seat requires a poised, eager but not a thirsty nor cocky candidate. Avoid leaning back and looking at home on the chair to ward off an air of arrogance and egotism while taking care not to lean forward that has telltale signs of nervousness. Sit straight back up and cross your legs at the ankles instead of at the knees to maintain a healthy posture with your hands clasped gently on your lap.
04) Bringing along of a document folder or an iPad
Market yourself without selling yourself. The folder or the pad on the desk shows off legibility of the candidacy, back up materials to support your CV. The iPad perhaps can carry along a short presentation which even if is not asked for can make a decent prop. A collection of previous work in the form of a portfolio, necessary government issued paperwork if you are on a visa, recommendation letters from previous employers and some records of valuable achievements is advised to be the contents of the folder.
05) Answering of questions.
Leave the inner story teller in you at home. Keep your answers upto point as well as upto date, short, informative and delivering. Relax and speak without a haste or stumbles. Where required, support your statements with any encouraging documents.
06) Asking of questions
Your online research probably do not cover the in-depth knowledge of operations needed for your job description. It is not rude to ask about the company dealings and affairs in order to educate yourself. Doing so thus, earns you a spot in the short listed candidates.
07) Maintenance of eye-contact
Looking down at your hands, the table , the giant wall clock behind the interviewer’s head, the dog chasing his tail outside the window or anywhere else but at the interviewer’s eyes is a mistake. Eye contact exhibits confidence, assurance and trust. Obviously a piercing stare is far from advised.
08) Tone of the voice
Maintain a voice of calmness and self-assurance with no overbearing tones and overpowering vibes. Conserve a clear, intelligible voice that is not punctuated with loudness or pitching. A confident and knowledgeable voice adorned in the right grammar, vocabulary and pronounciation is sexy to the ears of the beholder.
09) Dress the part.
Yup, power dressing is a thing. Your attire can make that much of a difference between wannabe and established man. Don’t be stingy to splurge on a good business suit or a fitting dress and some killer shoes. Impressing the panel starts the moment you walk in through the doors.
10) Be impressive
It comes down to your knowledge and charm, your wit and your grit. Let them feel the key added values in your resume, “self-motivated, high achiever, risk taker” take flight into reality by your speech. Let your brains speak out and enthrall the panel with your wisdom.
And that concludes our top ten interview hacks. Interviews could be as plain as any verbal test during your time in school if the code is cracked successfully.
Good luck and go nail it.
Lemme know about your experiences in the comments below 👇.
Love, Akido. 💖
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