I’m pretty sure many of you have heard this expression at some point in your life. As annoying as it sounded back then, it is very applicable to the interview process. Many recruiters indicate that they might have hired someone if they did better in the interview. Recruiters are excited about an applicant prior to the interview. By the way, that’s why you ended up with an interview with the company, because you impressed the recruiter with either your resume or the positive impression that you left after a networking event. However, many recruiters are let down because the applicant doesn’t do well in the interview.
Why not apply the method of practice, to land the job that you want by composing written and verbal responses to frequently asked interview questions? Be sure that you do not memorize your responses; simply have some talking points for your answers. The idea is to feel confident that you have an appropriate and adequate answer for each question that you’re asked. There’s no way to know for sure what question you will be asked but reviewing some frequently asked interview questions will allow you to feel more prepared. Also, the Career Center offers various services such as Virtual Video Interview and Optimal Interview to assist you with practicing.
Here are a few other things to practice before showing up for your interview:
- Practice giving a firm handshake. A good handshake can communicate confidence and make recruiters take notice.
- Practice eliminating distracting behaviors. Listen to yourself when answering sample interview questions. Do you use certain words like “ummm” or “like” repeatedly? Try to limit yourself from using those words. Also, avoid shifting around, and playing with your hair or hands. These can be distracting to the interviewer and may cause them to not pay attention to what you have to say.
- Practice displaying good eye contact and body language. Good eye contact and body language shows your interest in the position and/or company.
- Practice appropriate questions for the interviewer. After an interviewer has asked you all of their questions, they will typically provide you with some time to ask them any questions you many have. Be sure to have a couple of insightful questions that will allow you to learn more about the position or company. Not having any questions, shows a lack of interest. You do not have to memorize these questions. It is appropriate to have written questions that you can read from.
- Practice driving to the interview location. This will help you to familiarize yourself with the roads and the amount of time it takes to get to the location. This will help you to be on time for your interview which is very important!
Want more tips to get prepared for the interview? The Career Center also has books and DVDs in our Career Center library that can assist you for the big interview.
Good Luck!
The article is good, HR people are very good at what they do and pay attention to all the characteristics and methodologies referenced. More and more HR professionals are using Facebook and other social networking sites to screen applicants. Make sure you know whats out there, remember it’s forever.