Securing a job interview nowadays is not an easy task yet most people don’t know how to ace job interviews. Being called for a job interview means you are a good candidate and possess the necessary qualifications and skills required by your employer. The interview is an opportunity to prove yourself hence you must perform well. This article discusses strategies and tips to ace your job interview.
Strategies to ace your job interview
Some strategies to ace your job interview are explained below.
1. Research well about the company
Read and understand the job description very well. In addition, research the company and get enough knowledge on its mission, vision, core values, and recent achievements. Also, get information on the people who are likely to interview you. In your research, prepare potential questions from your research about the company and develop answers for them.
2. Craft compelling stories
Most interviewers will ask questions about your experience. Prepare well and craft compelling stories that reflect your qualities, skills, achievements, and strengths that relate to the job. It is better to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results) approach to effectively answer such questions. Use stories which reflect how you allowed company achieve its target, reduce waste etc. Moreover, let the stories showcase your ability to function in the position you are being interviewed for. For example, if you are being interviewed for sales manger, tell a story of how you helped a company to achieve or surpass its sales target.
3. Highlight your strengths
When answering interview questions highlight your strengths. Showcase how they have helped you in executing past roles. Furthermore, indicate how your strengths will help the company achieve its target and how they set you apart from other candidates. For example, if you are being interviewed for a data analyst, indicate your experience in data structures, SQL, python, Excel etc. This tells your employers how competent you are and what you can achieve with them when employed.
4. Customize your response
Avoid giving generic answers during your job interview. During interviews, customize your responses to showcase your understanding of your role and the company you aspire to work with. Don’t just say you have good time management skills, indicate how this skill can help in the role you are being interview for. This will show your enthusiasm for the job. In addition, it will make the interview interesting and send a strong signal to your employer, that you are the best candidate for the job.
5. Show good communication skills
During the interview listen carefully and attentively to the interviewers and answer accordingly. Moreover, always ask interviewers to repeat questions, which you don’t hear clearly or understand well. This will give you more clarification and understanding of the question and time to think about your answer. Also, think carefully about questions before answering them. Showing good communication skills is a top quality that most employers consider in getting candidates to fill job positions. No matter the role you will play in a company, you will address or communicate to management or colleagues at a certain point. Communicating clearly is very important especially if your role will require you giving instructions to people. It is very important for people to understand clearly when you speak, so they can act accordingly. Therefore, demonstrating good communication skills will set you apart from other candidates and increase your chances of selection.
6. Prepare questions to ask
In most cases, you will be given the chance to ask questions towards the end of your interview. In instances where your interviewer doesn’t give you the opportunity, you can request. Prepare questions that show your enthusiasm and passion for the work. Also, ask questions that show how interested you are to know the company policies, mission, core values, and set targets. Asking question doesn’t only demonstrate your enthusiasm for the work, it will also give you clarity on things which you don’t understand.
7. Prepare with mock interviews
In addition to all the above-mentioned strategies, it is very important to prepare and practice with mock interviews. A mock interview will give you a feel of how the main interview is going to be. Also, it will help you correct potential errors that you could have made in the main interview. The mock interview will increase your confidence and let you feel less nervous during the main interview.
8. Dress well for your interview
The interview is usually the first point where you meet your employer in person so its better to make good use of such opportunity. There is a saying, dress how you want to be addressed, which means impressions are very important. Have a good hair cut, wear a neatly ironed dress and possibly a suit and tie if you can. Also make sure you smell good. A good appearance also increase your confidence in the interview section.
Conclusions
Acing your job interviews requires a lot of effort and strategies. This article has discussed some things to consider to be an outstanding candidate during job interviews. Use these strategies to increase your chance of selection for jobs. Good luck in your job search endeavors.
