…Landing your first job interview

Maybe you’ve just graduated college, sent in dozens of resumes, and have been sitting around unemployed waiting to hear back. Guess what you just did! Now what?

InTheEventOf…landing your first job interview how can you make sure that you are the one they remember? That you are the one the stands out above the crowd? That ultimately you are the one that they draft that offer letter for? Job interviews can be one of the most nerve racking experiences as you’re literally there to try to sell yourself to a company who, in this market, has dozens of people to choose from. Not only do you have to know your stuff and be on the top of your game but, there are a few other less thought about tactics that can help give you that edge.

Here are some job interview tips that have worked for me:

• Be well dressed – Don’t show up in shorts and a T-Shirt or ripped jeans. Dress professional. Remember you can never be over dressed for an interview (except maybe a tux or prom dress). Showing them you care about the position enough to take a little extra effort on your appearance is always a bonus. Make sure you’re well groomed too you don’t want to be unshaven or have a tangled mess of hair that looks like you woke up three minutes ago. Present yourself well and you will be well on your way to working.

• Be prepared – It is important to do your research. Try to learn as much as you can about the company you are being interviewed at. Get to know what they are about, who they compete with, and most importantly try to find out as much as you can about the specific position you are being interviewed for.

• Be early (but not too early) – There is a fine line between being early and being too early. The problem with being too early is you might appear desperate for the job. Remember that too early may leave you waiting in a small reception area for a longer period of time while they set up everything they need. You want to make sure that you aim to show up early though (10-15 minutes). This way not only do you have a cushion if you do run into traffic or miss a turn but, you have time to fill out paperwork if they need you to thus leaving more time for the actual interview.

• Ask questions – It is very important to ask meaningful questions during an interview. There will come a time when they will ask you if you have any questions, and this is not just small talk, this is a test. They want to see how much of an independent thinker you are. This is where all that research you did will pay off. You can ask about the position, how they think you will fit the position. You can ask about their competitors and how they feel they succeed in supplying their clients a better product. There are millions of different questions and the more unique (but professional) those questions are the more they’ll remember you.

• Make eye contact – Don’t stare. Just make sure that you are engaged in the conversation. You don’t want to be looking at your shoes or up to the ceiling when they are telling you about the position you are applying for. You want to portray to them that you are excited and happy to be there and 100% engaged in the conversation. Making sure you have good eye contact is a sure fire way to show the interviewer that you are listening, understanding, and most importantly interested in the position up for grabs.

• Small talk is important (so don’t just glaze over it) – Small talk is tricky because it can be hard to master. That being said it can become a very useful skill. Talking about your ride to the interview or the weather is common ice breakers interviewer will use to relax your nerves (yes they understand you’re nervous) but, it’s not this kind of small talk that wins you the job.

Small talk is a tactic that one can be use as a way to leave a lasting imprint on your interviewer. Just think about the fact that some larger companies will be interviewing dozens of people for a position, how will you possibly stand out? Small talk is key in this area. If you are able to not only present yourself well in all the above steps but, also are easy to talk to and can run a conversation you may just end up with a slight advantage. Remember don’t be rude, cruel or annoying and try to avoid making too many jokes.

• Don’t freak out – You will be nervous probably for the entire interview, that’s okay, use those nerves to win you the job. It’s normal to be nervous and they will know that you’re nervous. So don’t freak out, believe in yourself, and most importantly remember that they already like you or they wouldn’t have asked you to interview in the first place.

If you can master these interview skills you should be able to stand out among the crowded streets of the unemployed and shine bright enough to join those of us in the working world.

I hope this list of ideas for you will be helpful. Remember you don’t necessarily have to be going to your first interview to use these, in fact, if you’ve been having trouble landing a job you may want to consider thinking about if any of these could stand improvement. Good-luck out there it’s a brutal world but, with some good preparation, you’ll get that job!

Filed under: TheEventOf...