How to sweep future employers off their feet in a job interview

Job interviews can be quite stressful. You want the job, you need the job, but you don’t get the job. Why is that, have you ever wondered? If the preparation for that encounter consists of putting on a perfectly ironed shirt, a serious ?business? tie and talking to your reflection in the mirror, then this text is meant for you. You need to answer the following questions, if that job is at the top of your wish list.

1. Who are you meeting?

By this, we don’t mean only the name of the person and the company. You need to know their background. Check out their position in the company, what they do and have done, what they have studied, what their interests are, so you know who you will be talking to face-to-face. And even more important part is the company’s profile. Use social media for something other than fun – check out their facebook and LinkedIn pages. See what articles, interviews, and company publications you can dig out. Read the about pages and the annual report on their website, too. Comprehend their way of thinking and their point of view, then gather the information about the products or services they offer. In a nutshell - see what their values, purpose and activities are.

2. What do you have in common?

You need to see what is it that you like the most about that company and how you connect with them and their purpose. This one is quite obvious. But just a quick reminder – you must like your job in order to do it properly. Analyze what you find out, detect shared interests during your research, because that’s what will motivate you and deliver results. That could be honesty with clients, respecting clients’ time, recycling or a pet friendly environment, anything you believe in and agree with. It will make the interview much easier, once you relate to their point of view.

3. What do you offer that they need?

First of all, delve thoroughly into the description of the function you’re applying for. You need to be sure you have the qualities and personality they require. How are you going to make sure you’ll do the job using their values, purpose, and activities according to their mindset? You must persuade them you are valuable and important for their company, by showing them you will be able to solve the problem you will be hired to solve. If you get this part right, you hit a homerun, they will not just notice your effort and interest, they will hire you.

4. How are you going to show that in your meeting?

Be genuine. Be yourself. If you are trying to be someone else, to appear more efficient, more hard-working, more, more, more... they’ll see it. Make some notes on what you want to say, use the examples you came up with, using the information you collected. You will show you are innovative and imaginative. It is also significant to know when to say something. Don’t interrupt someone if you are eager to say your coolest-ever idea on how to sort that problem out. Wait for the appropriate moment, and then amaze them with your approach and fresh ideas. Timing is essential, not just in this specific case, but generally in business and life.

So, do you have the right answers to these questions? Now you can ask them some, too – formulate good questions based on your analysis regarding the job and the company. Show them that you are even more interested than they first thought. Don’t ask only about the money. After all, that is not all you expect from a job, right? Feel free to ?investigate? their business and find out all the necessary information.

The road to a successful interview and ultimately to acquiring the job of your dreams is to prepare an appealing presentation of your skills and capacity, by showing you know your data and displaying it at the right moment. Relax, take a deep breath and demonstrate what you are made of. Be genuine, express your personality and don’t worry. Next thing you know, you’ll be hired.

What are your experiences in attending job interviews? What else do you find important?

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