How Job Seekers Can Impress Recruiters at Interviews

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation”. Arthur Ashe.

Finding a job is like finding suitable accommodation, and finding accommodation is like finding a compatible partner. The truth of the matter is that the process requires a lot of time, patient effort, tolerance, and skills in managing frustrations. That’s the ample reason for the excitement you feel when any opportunity pops up.

Think about your feelings once an agent’s call comes in for an inspection schedule, or when the woman you’ve invested reasonable time and resources agrees to go on a date with you. The feelings in these scenarios are not far from the feelings you get for an interview invite.

But before you drain your brain in the excitement, here are the things you need to know to make the most of any interview opportunity that comes your way.

The invitation for an interview is evidence of a good result of long and rigorous efforts in research, calls, visits, physical submissions, and online broadcasting of your CV.? It is a tangible result of the stress, spending, and follow-ups for your job application.

You feel hilariously excited. Some of you behave as if you’ve already gotten the job. Whatever feeling the invitation for an interview elicits in you is worthwhile, given my field experience then, I can state categorically that to get an invitation for an interview from a recruiter or employer is a big-time achievement.

If I am right, you no longer think God does not answer your prayers, or your village people are at work. would you?

Before we delve deep into the discourse of how to be successful at the interview, let’s first take a look at what the interview is not:

• The interview is not a job offer as some applicants see it. It is a mere invitation
• The interview is not a call for resumption of duty. It is an opportunity for you the applicant, and the potential employer to get to know each other face-to-face. You’ve known each other on paper or screen through the hard copy or soft copy of your CV and the company’s advert respectively, but not in appearance and manners. That’s the gap the interview intends to fill.
• The interview is not an opportunity to make casual friends, but a platform to relate with the real persons as formally as possible; i.e., the candidate and the recruiter, and figure out if there is a matching ground for both to work together for tangible results, especially in this dispensation where teamwork is the passcode for desirable productivity.
• The interview is not a channel to beg for a job. It is an opportunity for you to sell yourself to the company. Here you have to seize the moment and tell the employer what you can do for them to achieve their business and strategic goals. The interview offers you a chance to tell them if you can do the work, how you will do it, and what you would accept as a reward for doing it.

The above and many more are what the interview is not. So, don’t launch into social media and announce that you have landed the expected job. If eventually things turn out otherwise, the accompanying disappointment can plunge you into an undesirable psychological condition.

So, take note, the interview is not a job. I repeat, so that if you end up not getting the offer it doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It simply means you and the organization could not reach a common ground to work together.

With this understanding, you can put things into perspective and carry on with your job search until you get the right work for you.

Now let’s take a detailed look at the following tips for a successful interview session

12 Tips for Success at The Interview

1.?????? Make proper Preparation: the key to success is for a man to prepare for his time when it comes said a two-time British Prime Minister, Benjamin Di’sraeli. Another learned person puts it this way: “Preparation + opportunity = Success”. Thus, the most important aspect of the interview is for a candidate to prepare and put forward his/her best shot when the opportunity presents itself.

?2.?????? Show Up: according to renowned industry experts, one of the winning ways for an interview is the ability and commitment to show up. Although showing up atimes comes with a reasonable cost, doing so shows you are serious about your cause and respectful to the recruiter.

3.?????? Research: you might have known a little about the company through the shady research you made during the job search. Not a bad one. That was to put your feet forward. Now is an opportunity to prove yourself and convince the employer to give you a chance to contribute your quota in helping his business achieve its goals. What is the best way to do this without substantial knowledge of the company and the business it does? And the sure way to gain this knowledge is through research. You can discover the truth about the company’s interests through primary sources; the insider contacts you have, or secondary sources through its websites, magazines, or product catalog. Having substantial information about the company and the business it does makes you a step ahead in the interview.

4.?????? Make A Good First Impression: from your telephone manners, and your email etiquette, to your first appearance before the employer, strive to make a good first impression. Note that any impression you ever make at the first instance could last throughout the entire hiring process.? The best place to start building this first impression rapport is on the telephone, through what we call “phone power”, a technique where you have to smile over the telephone while answering a call. That’s an expert suggestion that will show in your voice. Everyone likes relating with happy people as happiness is contagious.

5.?????? Make a Proper Arrangement: create time a few days before the interview to put the necessary materials in place from the clothes you will wear to the items you will use to write if need be. Don’t think you have all the time if the interview date is two or three days ahead, you may be shocked at how time flies. As a matter of fact, in this Gen-Z era, interview notifications barely take days. They can come in between hours after you send in your CV.? The best way to catch up with the spirit of the time is to have your interview outfit washed and ironed on standby so that whenever the call comes in, you are good to go perchance. Also don’t forget the unexpected happenstances that occur at the eleventh hour. I don’t need to name all that you need to do ahead of time, but for the sake of the newbies, your credentials, stationery, files, and CV, are to be kept handy. Your shoes are well-polished, clothes washed and ironed, and above all, do the necessary updates and photocopies and keep them ready before the date of the interview. Avoid last-minute rushes, they get things complicated and messed up.

6.?????? Pay Attention to Your Appearance: it is otherwise called “grooming” in the fashion world, and no man or woman is immune to fashion. Keep a neat and smart appearance. The rule of thumb is to “dress as you wish to be addressed”. However, never forget that you are not going for a show, but business, a corporate one for that matter. So, make an effort to appear as formal as you can. For the ladies, know that you are not going on a date. And for the guys, know that dreadlocks or curly hair is a vogue in the entertainment circles, but a bad idea in the corporate world. While a nice dark suit, white or light blue shirt, or plain or patterned tie might fit the corporate world, air-coloring, baggies, and jeans might be the ultimate rudeness. All-in-all, let moderation prevail over your fashion freaks.

7.?????? Embrace Silent Means of Expression: this has to do with the utilization of some special ways to project your personality. Another way of communicating this is to express yourself through means like your dressing, gestures, strategic silence, etc. Make your mode of dressing stand out by adopting a smart dress code, and corporate appearance, and exerting a confident personality.

8.?????? Know Your Way: ?if need be, go the extra mile to locate the venue for the interview ahead of time. In former years this used to be hard, but in this latter year technology has lessened the task. Google Maps can handle a greater part of the job for you. The best way is to visit the venue if time is at your disposal.

9.?????? Be Likeable: the interviewer is more likely to consider you for the role if he/she appears to like you. Irrespective of how average your performance is and how good the other candidates are, every employer prefers to work with the guy he/she likes even though he or she may not be the best. So says top industry experts such as Max Mesmer, Rebecca Anthony, and Gerald Roe. How can you make yourself appear likable? By beginning every conversation in a friendly manner, and becoming genuinely interested in the employer, what he has to say, his office, his staff, his company’s business, finding common grounds, and many more.

10.?? Show Your Uniqueness: do everything to protect your Unique Selling Point (USP) i.e., something that stands you out from the rest of the pack. Haha, we’re not talking computer (IT) tech here, but it matters. Don’t be afraid to communicate your core values and the things that make you different from other applicants. That could just be what they are looking for in a candidate they want for the job. Demonstrate that you are a team player, fast learner, critical thinker, a versatile or principled person who hardly compromises even though it means standing alone for what is right. Also, don’t forget to show them your leadership and problem-solving skills.

11.?? Watch Your Grammar: have it at the back of your mind that what you say is as important as how you say it. That’s where grammar comes in. Remember also that how you talk talks much about you as a person and how you reason. If you were to be working alone with no principal to report to, no clients to contact, no reports to write and no superior or subordinate to communicate with, grammar wouldn’t have been an issue. But with all the above-mentioned items to deal with in the workplace, grammar plays a key role in determining your success, and this starts from building your CV, continues at the interview where you communicate your skills to the employer, and concludes at doing the job properly by how you communicate with stakeholders. So, give serious consideration to your communication skills and approach while preparing for the interview.

12. Don't Beg: finally, ensure that you don't beg anybody around the office you interviewed for money. It is okay to seek assistance if some needs arise, but strictly on matters relating to the interview. But try to avoid it altogether or minimize it to the barest minimum. However, try to be self-sufficient in matters of finance.

In the preceding lines, I believe I have been able to differentiate between what the interview is and what it is not. It is also expected that you have learned the necessary techniques and approaches to communicate your skills and experiences to the potential employer as convincingly as possible when you have the opportunity to interview with any organization.

?In the subsequent article, we shall be looking at the most common, usual, and unusual interview questions and how to answer them successfully.

?You can share your thoughts on your experience on the subject discussed above.

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