Learning how to successfully pass an interview is one skill you need to acquire, whether you’re taking the first steps in your career path or you are already an expert. It’s all about being conceiving.
Hence, you need to use your skills, body language, attitude, and knowledge to make this happen. So are you prepared enough?
No need to worry, as we discuss in the following lines the top tips for a job interview you need to get acquainted with, besides the most common questions, and how to use your body language during this crucial meeting.
What is interview?
We can define the interview as a meeting that is being held between the interviewer and the candidate or the interviewer, the manager, and the candidate. The main objective is to get to know the applicant in person and assess his/her skills to decide whether or not he/she is suitable for this position.
Usually, the recruiter is the one who runs the conversation, which basically consists of questions and answers, divided into personal questions, skills questions, technical questions, and others that also could be added according to your industry.
The interview duration is ranging from 15 to 45 min. Divers according to how many people are attending and whether or not there is a technical test you need to go through.
Then the recruiter and the manager start their selection process, in which they choose the best candidate according to the requirements they defined beforehand.
It’s anticipated that you will receive a mail or phone call in which the recruiter will inform you whether you are accepted or not a few days after the interview.
Why do we have to go through the interview?
You might be questioning the importance of the interview and why you should go instead of sending your CV to the recruiter, and it will tell the whole story. However, that’s not entirely true, as there are so many facets that the CV can’t reveal.
Here are a few reasons why the interview is important:
- It helps the recruiter know more about the candidate, his skills, and whether he is compatible with the resume.
- The resume contains only the main points. During the interview, the candidate will be able to tell more details about herself, her work background, and skills as well.
- Some personal and professional skills can’t be measured through the resume.
- It gives the interviewees the chance to ask questions themselves and learn more about the work scope and its approaches.
What about the selection process?
- First things first, the recruiter and the manager should collaborate to define some criteria by which they will choose the right candidate.
- Then, they will start to schedule interviews with some of the best applicants.
- A filtration process has to be done then to come up with the best prospects.
- In some cases, you will be asked to carry out a task. According to it, the new employee will be chosen, and he will start working immediately.
- Some companies, however, prefer to run a probation period of one to three months, in which the new employee be given few credentials until he proves his proficiency. He will get the full credentials after this period, and he/she will be officially one of the team.
Top common interview questions
Personal questions
Usually, the interviewer will start by asking the candidate some personal questions in order to get to know them more and break the ice. These questions will help you introduce yourself during the interview.
Some of the most common interview personal questions are:
- Tell us more about yourself.
- What is your academic background.
- Have you ever worked in a position like this before?
- Why did you leave your last job?
- Are you ready to join us as soon as possible?
- What was your last salary?
- What is your expected salary?
- Tell us about the your biggest achievement.
Behavioral questions
- Tell us about your key strengths and weaknesses.
- How can those strengths help you to do better in your work?
- Tell us about a struggle you faced during your past job and how did you overcome it?
- Do you prefer to work alone or within teamwork?
- Can you work under pressure?
- What are the skills required for this job from your perspective?
- What makes you perfect for this position?
- What motivates you to work?
Professional questions
- Tell us about your professional background and the skills you’re mastering.
- What can you add to our company?
- What is the approach you prefer to follow to accomplish your tasks?
- How can you prioritize your tasks?
Learn more about interview questions and answers through this link
How to perfectly answer interview questions?
Away from what is the perfect answer for every question, you need to put under consideration “how’ you act while answering questions. Here are some tips to help you through this:
- Make your answers direct and clear.
- Avoid stuttering, try to be calm and make sure your tone of voice is suitable.
- Make your answers clear and avoid getting confused or unclear about the answer.
- Make sure your answers are logical and realistic. Avoid exaggerating in order to impress the interviewer; that’s not going to help.
- Give yourself a couple of seconds to think about the question and comprehend it to find a suitable answer. However, don’t spend too much time thinking about the answer not to seem confused or that you can’t answer.
- Be confident about yourself and your answers. However, stay normal in order not to seem arrogant.
- Use formal language and show respect to the interviewer.
- If you have job interview in English , you need to take extra care to build the correct sentences and avoid faking your pronunciation.
How do you use body language to your advantage?
Body language in interviews is as important as words. Moreover, it sometimes can reveal things that words can’t. Hence, it’s one of the interview skills you need to acquire, in order to use your body gestures for your own good. Here are some points to consider:
Your appearance tells a lot!
It starts from first sight, you are going to impress the interviewer or not. So make sure to choose formal or semi-formal attire during the interview. Also, you don’t need so many colors for the formal outfit; 2 to 3 shades are perfect. This will help you look more professional.
Other aspects you need to consider are combining your hair well, trimming your nails, wearing a clean pair of shoes, and avoiding putting on too many accessories or makeup.
Go for a formal greeting
Consider a formal greeting once you meet the interviewer; try to avoid being too friendly or too serious. Instead, put on a slight smile on your face, shake hands firmly and keep your tone of voice at a suitable level.
Keeping eye contact with the interviewer is one aspect you should also consider, as it’s a sign of respect, confidence, and understanding.
Sit upright
Your body posture is one of the main body language signs you may need to understand. As sitting upright is a sign of confidence and emotional stability, while hunching might convey lack of confidence and boredom. Crossing arms is another sign of boredom and your desire to finish this conversation as soon as possible.
Last impression lasts!
As you started your interview with a smile and warm greeting, you should end it the same way, Make the last impression pleasant, and don’t forget to thank the interviewer for having from his time to meet you and tell him your wish to work together soon.
Interview tips you need to consider
Here are some facets you should pay attention to before going to the interview, as they may affect the way the interviewer look you at. If you want to look professional follow these tips for job interview :
- Attend 10 to 15 min, before the interview.
- Don’t raise your voice or tell jokes before, during, or after the interview.
- Do not hesitate to ask the interviewer about anything that may not be clear to you, whether about the tasks of the job you applied for or about the company’s policy.
- Don’t flatter the interviewer or exaggerate in showing admiration for him/her.
- Avoid telling bad stories about your last workplace or talking about the problems you faced there in general.
- Make sure your phone is muted during the interview.
Other interviews types
A personal interview is not the only form of interviews. Some other interview types are usually given less attention, of which the most important are online interviews and phone interview.
The importance of these types of personal interviews lies in the challenge faced by the applicant, for example:
- Although body language is not essential in these two cases, the tone of voice can tell the person interviewing you a lot about your personality.
- For example, if you have an interview over phone , you need to convince the recruitment specialist with your skills in just a few minutes. This type is usually a preliminary interview before moving on to the personal interview, making it a challenge for the applicant to convince the interviewer of your eligibility.
Bottom line:
Learning how to pass the interview successfully is easy if you gave yourself some time to learn and acquire some related knowledge of how you should look, talk and act, and spend some time preparing for an interview.
It’s an experience that you will most likely be willing to go through repeatedly since it’s a chance to learn about your weak and strong points and master the art of passing interviews.