You Only Get One Chance At A Dream Job

When you left university, you might have thought that you were going to be overwhelmed with job offers. Unfortunately, thus far, that hasn’t been your experience. Instead, you might have sent out ten resumes and at one point received zero call backs. What does this mean? It could point to an issue with your CV, but it may also just be a sign of the times. These days, jobs are scarce and a callback is a rarer occurrence than most people realize. That’s why when you do get that call or email asking you to come in for the interview, it’s absolutely crucial that you get it right.

So, how can you make sure you show the employer you’re who they need to hire? Well, there are a few different areas you’ll need to address here. Let’s start off by thinking about the first step, the phone call or email.

Missing The Mark In The First Five Minutes

Yes, it’s true some people do get the interview completely wrong from this point onwards. When you’re replying to the email, make sure that you don’t make any formal faux pas such as saying ‘kind regards’ when it should be ‘yours sincerely.’ As well this, you shouldn’t make them work too hard to find a time and day when you are available to interview. Remember, you need to show you are willing to go the extra mile from the first meeting or conversation onwards.

If they call you on the phone, make sure that you are polite and don’t sink into informal speech. They will be treating it like a business call so you should do the same.

Getting Ready

The presentation is everything when it comes to the interview. Don’t kid yourself, employers are looking for someone that matches a certain description. They want you to be impressive, charismatic, well dressed and presented. Something as seemingly small as wearing the right outfit might give you the upper hand over someone that hasn’t put as much effort into theirs. For this reason, you might want to think about getting a proper suit or outfit fitted for interviews. That way, you can always ensure that you are ready to dazzle the employer or the interviewer.

For most interviews, casual formal is going to be the best style choice. So, you might choose a knee length skirt with high heels and a fitted shirt. Although do make sure that you feel comfortable with what you’re wearing, otherwise it could impact the way you react to questions.

It’s not just about what you wear either. You might want to think about other stylish choices such as getting your hair cut. It is worth paying money to have your hair cut and styled before an interview. This shows that you’re taking into consideration the little details. It will also help you feel more confident in yourself. Choose a style that looks great without being too bold. A pixie cut would be a fantastic option. It’s short enough that it makes you look like a professional and shows that you’re up to date with the latest trends.

You Can Prepare!

There are quite a few people who think you can’t prepare for the interview because you can’t predict what questions will be asked. But you can because there are certain questions that always crop up. Why do you want this position? What could you bring to the company? What skills do you have that make you suitable for this role? And, make no mistake, the answers you give to these questions do matter. So, if you can prepare with fantastic answers to these, you should be able to cope with the curve balls such as ‘Imagine blah blah has happened, what do you do?’

Although don’t write notes for the interview. By all means, take time to write some ideas down put don’t take them in with you. You don’t want to give the impression that you can’t provide answers to questions on the spot.

The Biggest Mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in an interview is to go off on a tangent. You really need to treat the interview like a courtroom. Only answer the questions that are being asked, don’t make your own. If you do this, there’s a good chance that you will end up without a point, they’ll probably ask you what you’re talking about, and you won’t know how to respond. Kind interviewers will try to get you back on track. Others will see how far you sink.

Another mistake is being too forward. You might think that you’re a sure fit to get the job and they’d be crazy not to hire you. You shouldn’t say as much though or even imply it. Let your skills, your experience, your knowledge and your qualifications speak for themselves. If you think they have overlooked and important piece of information about you, highlight it. This will show them that you are the right fit without you having to say the words.

One final mistake? You might be interviewed by a board, don’t just focus on one person. If you do this, it’s likely that you’ll alienate the other people in the room and the reason you’re being interviewed by all of them is that they’ll all have a say in whether you get hired. So, make sure you at the very least, make eye contact with each of them and spread your attention.

The Last Tip

Many people walk out of an interview and feel as though they didn’t have the skills they needed or the experience to get the job. It’s important to realize that this is not true. If you didn’t have the skills or experience, you never would have received the interview in the first place. Whatever was on your CV was enough to impress. When you reach the interview stage, you need to show you can put those skills into practice and demonstrate you’d fit into the team. If you do this, you will get the job offer. So always walk into the interview with confidence. If you have reached this stage, then you are good enough to win.