Attending an interview is one of the least favourite events in our lives as it can be an experience that creates anxiety and nervousness. You would have heard your tutors talk about the importance of honing your interview skills to prepare yourself for the working world. For the sake of clarity and context, in this article, we will be discussing about company interviews and how you can attend them with confidence!
THE INTERVIEWER’S NEEDS
The best way to hit the bull’s eye in an interview is to answer questions that is tailored to meet the job description and suit the culture of the company. You need to do your due diligence in researching about the company that you would be interviewing for.
This exhibits the fact that you know a lot about the company, and it makes you look well-informed and confident. Confidence is not just about appearance, it’s also about how much of clarity one has in his mind. You must show your interviewers that it is in their best interest to employ you!
BODY LANGUAGE IS THE KEY
When someone exhibits confidence, they truly show that they are comfortable in the room that they have entered. A confident individual would not hesitate to look around and make eye contact with whomever they are speaking to. Their gestures would be smooth and broad, and it would not be overdone as well.
It all starts with the way you walk into the room. You have gone to walk as if you are about to accomplish something and give a firm handshake to your employers to show that you are about to give a strong start to the interview.
GIVE EXAMPLES
Usually, the job description or the requirement for selection for the programme you are interviewing for, would be something you would have read and kept in your mind before entering the interview. It is important to give examples of how you have exhibited those traits (that your interviewer is looking for in the past.
For example, if one of the requirements is good communication and interpersonal skills, you can talk about the times in which you have been an emcee for events, or when you had presented your team to speak for a presentation, or the times when you had to communicate with various people to get a project done or arrange an event.
When you claim to have a good trait, it is of great importance to substantiate that statement with examples of the times which you have exhibited that trait in the past. This helps you gain the trust of your interviewer.
BE SUBTLE
Do need seem too desperate with your words! Being too over-expressive might put off some interviewers. Your over-enthusiastic tone might put you at a disadvantage and hence its important to maintain professionalism and be formal in the way you speak, while making sure that you are not monotonous and rigid with your body language.
Interviewers would be more impressed with the comfort that you display while being in a room filled with a panel of professionals. Another way of showing your confidence is by taking command in the room by taking your time in answering the questions; don’t rush into saying something just for the sake of answering the question posed.
YOUR TENACITY
Talking about strengths is extremely easy and you can easily give examples and go on and on about that. However, the key is to give some attention to the weaknesses you have and talk about what you do to overcome that. This goes to show that you acknowledge that no human being is perfect, and that success lies in the ability of one to turn every adversity into an opportunity.
Talk about the instances when everything had gone south, and you had taken the necessary steps to keep yourself and those around you calm to solve the issue right then and there. Be sure to mention about the times you’ve been a team player and state the reasons why you value others’ opinions in a time of crisis.
ASK QUESTIONS
At the end of the interview, it is common for the interview to say something that goes like this, “Alright we’ve come to the end of this interview; do you have any question for us?”. The common response that most of us would have, is to say “no”, breathe a sigh of relief and secretly wish for that nerve-wracking interview session to be over as soon as possible.
This response, however, is not a healthy one and instead, you can ask a few questions to show that you care about the company that you are interviewing for. Something as simple as, “What is the culture within the company like?” would show that are being proactive in knowing more about the company through the people who work there so that you can be prepared for the role you might potentially take up. It also exhibits confidence, in showing that you are not just impatiently waiting for the interview to end.