It’s common for candidates to scour the web for tips and tricks before that big interview. Most individuals go by the basic rules such as dressing for the job and offering a firm handshake, and that’s perfectly alright. But that’s also something that every other candidate is doing. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you will have to go the extra mile. Thankfully, doing that is not very difficult. Here are our top five methods to nail that interview.
- Think Like An Equal
Here’s what many people fail to understand – when you walk in for an interview, you’re there to see if a transaction can be made. They need your time, skills, and experience. And in return, you deserve to be compensated with a monthly paycheck. An interview is an interaction between two parties who are assessing if they are a good fit for each other. Thinking of it as a relationship of equals can drastically change your approach and help you exude confidence. Platforms like Monjin, allow you to submit a one-minute self-intro video, that will enable you to narrate your accomplishments and your overall story in a crisp and clear manner to get the right attention. So, walk tall and think like an equal. You’ll be surprised how things pan out
- Watch Your Non-verbal Language
We’ll admit that monitoring your non-verbal language a.k.a body language is not unheard of but very few realize the impact it could have on interviewers. Amy Cuddy, a professor & researcher at Harvard University explains how nervous poses such as hunching forward, poor posture, or avoiding eye contact can cause interviewers to have a negative impression, even if your communication is strong. In this case, actions triumph over words. On the other hand, using power-poses not only creates a great first impression but also allows the candidate to feel confident and in-charge.
- Make personal connections
Every single person in the interview room has a back story and Dianna Booher, an author and an expert in business communications, recommends that you leverage it. What’s a backstory? In this context, it’s any story or element related to the interviewer that you can use to make a personal connection. Perhaps you have a mutual friend in the industry or you both grew up in the same town. For all practical purposes, you might also want to tap into their previous career achievements, such as a commendable project or coming up with an innovative solution to a problem. Of course, this will require that you learn about the interviewer prior to meeting them. But if this isn’t possible, you can always try to find common topics during the interview and improvise.
- Have a nose for news
Read up about what’s happening with the organization you’re applying for; their competitors, and the industry at large. And don’t just read about everything, implement that knowledge in your conversations as well. For example, if you’re applying to BMW, you should have a fair idea of what Audi is up to. This could be anything from a recent automobile launch to any interesting campaigns they’ve run in the last 6 months or any break-through in their R&D. Most candidates do basic research before an interview but very few make an effort to display those nuggets of knowledge. Working your industry knowledge into your conversation helps display your passion in the field and makes a timely, killer impression.
- Thank More
Many candidates only follow up after an interview to check on the status of their application. Don’t be that person. Sure, follow up but you could also add in a line thanking the HR personnel for their time to meet you. If you have the interviewers’ email id, you could forward an article they might be interested in. You could also congratulate them on a recent achievement or simply reaffirm your interest in joining the team. Following up with a personal note of interest puts you on top of their mind and that’s a great advantage to have if you want to land that job. A simple change in attitude can go a long way, especially when it comes to landing your dream job. So, walk in there, put your best foot forward, apply a few methods we discussed above, and have a ball!