How to Ace Virtually Any Interview?Job interviews are scary prospects for even the most qualified candidates. How you project yourself on paper and how you present yourself in a one-on-one or group interview setting are often two very different things. Fortunately there are ways to solidify your position in any interview regardless of the actual interview purpose. The trick is to know yourself well enough to have a ready framework to fill in any setting. And of course you should always start and end an interview with a genuine smile and a firm handshake, this alone can seal the deal for some interviewers.
Compile Your History
You know where you've been and you might have dreams of where you're going, but to be ready for an interview any time, you need to have these concepts boiled down to pat responses. The majority of interview questions pertain to what you've done and what you've learned from past experiences. Since you already know this information, organize it in your mind so that it's prepackaged and easily deliverable.
Organize Your Present
Once you've got your background material organized, you can move on to the present. What are you doing right now career-wise? What are your interests and hobbies? What do you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses? If you are comfortable with your skills, interests and abilities, you can easily formulate an answer to any of these types of questions – you simply draw from your ready supply of information about yourself.
Know Your Future
Finally, consider your future. What you wish to achieve in your career in years to come? Pursue in education? Do you have a dream of doing something unrelated to your current career? Knowing where you want to be and why, in both a general and specific sense, allows you to toss out a thoughtful answer to a future goals question in an interview. Knowing your goals on a broad level allows you to tie them specifically to a particular job or company during your interview – preferably the one you're interviewed for.
Prepare Yourself
Knowing yourself inside and out, you should also know if you are a strong candidate in an interview situation. If you are cool and collected in the hot seat, you have the edge on the majority of the population who get flustered and lose their train of thought under pressure. Even if you are a superior speaker, practicing ahead of time is a valuable way to learn to position your body and follow through with good interview practices. While practicing at home:
- Say your thoughtful responses aloud so they are more ingrained and less spur of the moment when you're actually on the spot.
- Speak slowly and clearly to be sure you are heard well by your imaginary and future interviewers.
- Look your interviewer in the eye or between his eyes if eye contact is difficult for you.
- Use expressive facial expressions and contained hand gestures to make what you say more interesting and natural (Smiling, relaxed candidates are better than stiff, frowning ones)
- Be a good listener. Often your interviewer will tell you about the company or job and you should listen carefully. Nod your head, show you're listening by making acknowledging gestures or sounds, and ask thoughtful questions to show your interest.
- Lean forward in your seat and keep your feet on the floor – don't cross your legs during an interview. Ladies can cross their ankles and tuck them under their chair.
Finally, you should always thank the interviewer at the end of the interview and with a follow up thank you card a few days later.
