Strategies To Survive a Job Interview

You're reading Strategies To Survive a Job Interview, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

In today’s competitive market, you need to work every single day in order to stand out of the crowd and climb the career ladder. To work in cooperation and make a success of it if, you should be able to present yourself in the best light, negotiate, work under pressure, and somehow get the job done.

A job interview is just the first step that one needs to take in order to get into the business world game. Some people are getting very stressed during an interview, which usually leads to poor performance. That’s why you should prepare before the meeting starts.

If you don’t want to get another job rejection email, apply these strategies:

Discuss your educational background

After exchanging pleasantries, an interviewer will ask you to tell a bit about yourself. That’s your chance to highlight your skills, tell your HR manager about your diploma of business management and work experience.

Your main challenge is to connect your education to the job role. If you have a degree in something that is not relevant to a job the company offers, tell an interviewer what skills your degree helped you to develop. For instance, you can say that in university, you developed your ability to work under pressure and other skills such as leadership, time management, and critical thinking.

Speak positively about your education. Avoid saying that years spent in college were just a waste of time (even if it the truth) or that you still can’t get out of student loan.

It is essential to mention about extracurriculars in case they are relevant to the job. For example, you can say you held a position in student government or that you had an internship or did volunteer work. It can benefit you, especially if you are a fresh graduate who doesn’t have years of work experience.

Go through the questions

Every interviewer has a list of standard questions – there is nothing new under the sun, you can find all the questions online. If you apply for a job at Google or any other top company, do your research. The world’s largest companies are looking for people who can think broadly and offer creative solutions. Check out these tricky Google’s questions:

Tell me a joke (for the executive assistant position)

What service would allow people to travel to the future? (for interaction designer position)

How would you build a system to communicate with a colony on Mars? (for associate product manager position)

As you can understand, the job interviews with other companies are not as difficult as at Google.

Quite probably, an interviewer will ask you what you know about their company, why you want to work for them, and why you are the right person for this role.

Some answers are obvious – people apply for a job because they need salaries. However, it is not what the interviewer wants to hear from you. Your potential boss wants to see that you are sincerely interested in the job.

Whenever you are asked why you want to work here, tell them that you are qualified for this job, that you can make an excellent contribution and that you are fascinated with the company.

Be positive

No matter how frustrated you are with the job search right now, you should stay positive during the job interview. It helps to show your confidence and make a good first impression. Let’s not forget that employers want to hire mentally strong people who can get along with other co-workers, managers, partners and clients.

That’s why you should smile, have open gestures, and use positive language during the interview. For instance:

If your interviewer asks ‘We have X thing to do. Can you do it?’, avoid saying ‘I don’t know how to do it’, ‘it’s not what I want to do’. Instead, you can say that you will be happy to learn it or that you are very excited to have a new challenge. That’s how you can show your can-do attitude. Being flexible is a very important professional characteristic in the job market these days.

Also, don’t speak about your previous employers in a negative way since it might paint you in a bad light.

Obviously, something didn’t work for you at your previous job if you are looking for a new job. Usually, HR managers don’t ask why candidates change their jobs.

However, if they ask this question during your interview, you can say that you decided to look for better career prospects and professional growth.

In case your interviewer asks inappropriate questions (e.g. Are you planning to start a family soon?), be tactful and keep your answer short. Losing your temper will not get you a job. However, you can always stand up and leave in case your HR manager asks illegal questions (e.g. about religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, marital status), but avoid making a scene.

Ask questions

Last but not least, – prepare some questions. At the end of your interview, the HR manager will give you an opportunity to ask them. Even if it feels like you have covered everything already, it’s better to ask a question since it can show that you are interested in this position and engaged in the conversation. Also, keep in mind that the final word belongs to your interviewer.

So, you can ask about the company culture or how the typical workday looks like. Negotiate your salary only once an interviewer brings this topic up.

Conclusion

Try to make an excellent first impression but also remember that a job interview is a game for two. If you have a lot of work experience and knowledge, the HR manager should also care about getting you on board.

It is not the last interview in your life; you will have plenty of them, so remain professional and keep it easy. Let your adventure in the business world begin!

You've read Strategies To Survive a Job Interview, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you've enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.