How to be successful in an interview

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Best Techniques for a Successful Job Interview

Interview Advice That Will Help You Get a Job Offer

When you’re interviewing for a job, the little things can make a big difference. Even a small mistake can cost you a job offer. Take the time to prepare so you can make the best possible impression at every job interview you go on.

These interview techniques cover all the basics you need to know polish up your interview technique and ace a job interview. From checking out the company to sending an interview thank you note, make your meeting with the hiring manager a success from beginning to end.

Improve Your Interview Technique

A job interview gives you a chance to shine. What you say and do will either move you to the next round of consideration for employment or knock you out of contention. Here’s how to improve your interview technique and wow the interviewer.

Dress for Interview Success

The first impression you make on a potential employer can make a big difference in the outcome of your job interview. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That’s why it’s always important to dress appropriately for a job interview. What’s appropriate varies by employer, so you’ll need to pick out an outfit that’s a fit for where you want to get hired.

Brush Up Your Interview Skills

During a job interview, your ability to interact with the interviewer and articulate your thoughts are just as important factors in getting the job as the qualifications listed on your resume. Take some time before the interview to ensure your interview skill set is as ready as your resume.

Minimize Interview Stress

Interviews can be stressful, even if you’re a pro who has gone on many of them. There are techniques you can use to minimum stress before and during your job interviews, and strategies you can utilize to reduce the anxiety that may accompany your job search. It will make it much easier to manage the interview when you’re not feeling stressed.

Make the Best First Impression

First impressions really do matter, and you don’t have much time to make a good impression during a job interview. From the time you greet the receptionist until the time you leave the building, you’re being evaluated as a potential new hire. It’s important to leave everyone you meet with the best impression you can.

Sell Yourself to the Interviewer

When you’re in a job interview, it’s up to you to sell your qualifications and credentials to the hiring manager. You’ll also need to show the interviewer that you’re a good fit for both the position and the organization. With some preparation, you’ll be able to present yourself as a candidate any organization would love to hire. Doing your best to get the hiring manager on your side will help you get hired.

What to Do When You’re an Introvert

Interviews can be really challenging when you’re an introvert, but there are techniques to help introverts shine during job interviews, including how prepare and handle an interview, and how to sell your introvert qualities.

Take the Time to Say Thank You After the Interview

Taking the time to say thank you after a job interview not only is good interview etiquette. It also reinforces your interest in the position and shows the interviewer that you have excellent follow-up skills. Use your thank you letter, as well, to address any issues and concerns that came up during the interview.

Practice Interviewing

Taking the time to review typical interview questions you will probably be asked during a job interview will help give you a framework for your responses. It will also calm your frazzled nerves ​because you won’t be scrambling for an answer while you’re in the interview hot seat.

Practice interviewing with a friend or family member ahead of time, and it will be much easier when you’re actually in a job interview.

Use Your Networking Contacts

Who you know at the company you are interviewing with really does matter. Your connections can refer you for a job, provide inside information on the company, and tell you what to expect during the interview.

Here’s how to use your contacts and connections to get an insider advantage so you can ace the interview and impress the interviewer.

Check Out the Company

How much do you know about the company that just contacted you to schedule an interview? It should be plenty, and all the information you need is available online.

Here are tips on how to research a company, get the inside scoop on the company culture, and use your connections to get an interview advantage.

Be Prepared for a Phone Interview

While you’re actively job searching, it’s important to be prepared for a phone interview on short notice. You never know when a recruiter or a networking contact might call and ask if you have time to talk about a job opportunity.

Handle a Group Interview

Interviewing with one person is tough enough, but it’s even harder when you have to interview with a group (or panel) of interviewers. Here’s how advice on how to ace a panel interview.

Interview While Dining

Taking you to breakfast, lunch or dinner provides the interviewer with a chance to check out your communication and interpersonal skills, as well as your table manners, in a more casual environment than an office setting.

Here’s advice on how to handle an interview while dining including what to order, dining interview etiquette, who pays, and more tips for interviewing over coffee or a meal.

Avoid These Interview Mistakes

What shouldn’t you do when interviewing? Check out the most common job interview mistakes, blunders, and errors a candidate for employment can make. Some of them are minor; others can make or break your chances of getting hired. Then take the time to ​prepare before your interview, so you don’t have to stress about how it went after it’s over.

More Job Interview Techniques to Help You Get Hired

Review more tips for phone interviews, second interviews, lunch and dinner interviews, behavioral interviews, interviewing in public, practice interviewing, and additional advice for interview success.

How to be successful in a job interview

Waking up on the morning of a job interview, people often feel rather nervous and anxious about how the whole process is going to go. Bearing this in mind, it gives us an idea of how much more stressful it must be for people who are going to do an interview in a language that isn’t their mother tongue. Recently Teachers Robin and Del presented a great live class on how to be successful in a job interview in English. Check out the class here before reading on:

What is imperative in different types of interviews?

As we learnt in the video class, some great tips for acing a job interview in English is to make sure that you:

These are 3 absolutely imperative pieces of advice which should be adhered to in absolutely all interviews, irrespective of language. Keeping that at the forefront of our memory, let’s take a look at the types of job interview that we can be faced with when we apply for a new job:

All of these types of interview are different but all pose the pressure on the candidate to give the best interview they can in order to succeed.

What vocabulary is useful when job hunting?

When perusing LinkedIn or other job websites for job adverts that interest us, there are keywords that we should keep an eye out for. Here are a few that we should know:

These may seem like rather obvious words, but it is imperative that you are clear about what they mean so that when you apply and are asked for a “cover letter”, for example, you know exactly what to supply.

Prospective employers don’t only ask about a job candidate’s professional background and experience, but also like to get to know the individual and find out what they are like as a person. Check out this vocabulary for when they ask more personal questions:

When it comes to the job process, useful verbs and expressions to keep in mind, whether you are the employers or potential job candidates, are:

How do we talk about our experience and skills in English?

When we go to an interview, we never know what questions we are going to be faced with until the interviewer asks them, however that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to prepare as much as we can. We have prepared some answers to generic questions so that you have a solid foundation upon which to base your answers. Check out these examples:

In addition to having base responses prepared on which you can build your answer, it’s also important to have a variety of ways to express your experience so as not to repeat the same opening line in every remark. Have a look at the following to see varied examples:

Professional strengths and weaknesses

Interviews are effectively our chance to sell ourselves and show why we are the ideal person to take on the job opportunity we have applied for. With that idea in mind, it is imperative for us to highlight what strengths we could bring to the team. There are certain qualities that the majority of employers look for and it’s important to make sure you fully understand the profile of the person that they are looking for. Professional strengths which are often sought after by many employers include:

When asked about these strengths, it’s impossible to be everything. You should try to be as honest as possible while still emphasising why you are the ideal candidate for the position. Employers interviewing job candidates will not only ask about an individual’s strengths but also their weaknesses which is a tricky question for most people as they really have to think about what they are not great at doing. Check out this set of professional weakness to see which ones most describe you:

There are certainly many other weaknesses, however these are among the most common ones that employers encounter, so it is advised to try and be original and try to think of a weakness that is not the same as everyone else’s.

How to make a good impression

Apart from answering the questions to the best of our ability, we should always be aware of our behaviour and the lasting impression we are leaving with the interviewer(s). As much as people would think it would be common sense, it’s important to reiterate the point about creating a good impression because it is paramount to the success of the interview. To make sure the interviewer(s) remember you, make sure to do the following:

By following these simple steps, your interview should go smoothly. Remember that you are in control of how much preparation you put into the interview.

What not to do when in an interview

As we explained above, there are many things you can do to create a good impression when you go to an interview, however there are many things you should avoid doing as well so as not to create a bad impression. When you have an interview, make sure you do not do the following:

It is just as easy to create a bad impression as it is to create a good impression, so make sure you avoid doing any of the above to ensure that the employer only has a good impression of you as a possible candidate for the advertised position

What are common Interview questions?

As part of your preparation for an interview it’s important that you try to cover as many question possibilities as you can. It is obviously impossible to know what questions you will be asked, but that doesn’t mean you cannot try to prepare, even if your preparation is general. Have a look at some of the most common questions people tend to get asked in interviews so you can prepare for them:

These are the most common interview questions a candidate will be asked in English. If you can prepare answers to these questions to the best of your ability, you will give yourself the best possible head start when it comes to the interview.

Now it’s time to go and ace the interview

Now that we have given you some top tips for doing a job interview in English, it’s now up to you to prepare for your interview. If you follow all of the steps we mention in this article, you will give yourself the best possible chance to succeed. In addition to following these steps, you can also sign up for free to the ABA English course. By doing so you will get free access to 144 video classes that will help improve your English grammar. Don’t wait any longer and start improving your English with us today.

How to Be Successful in an Interview

Posted: September 7, 2018 12:00:00 PM CDT

By Kennedy Kluthe

Are you preparing to receive a big scholarship or land your dream job? Typically, part of the process to reach these achievements includes an interview. The interview is the first time that you will be seen off paper and as a real person. The interview is often viewed as the “make it or break it” point in the selection process. In order for you to get your big scholarship or dream job, consider following these five easy steps.

1. Practice Your Handshake

Imagine yourself walking into that office. The interviewer stands up and smiles, and your first go to move is (drumroll) the handshake. In America, the handshake is our customary form of greeting, particularly in business situations. In an interview, the handshake is the first impression the interviewer gets of your personality and character. It may seem crazy that someone could judge your personality off of a handshake, but it happens every day. In fact, there have even been psychological studies over the first impressions of different types of handshakes. Researchers have found that the firmer your grip is, the more likely you are to be extraverted and open to new experiences and the less neurotic you are likely to be (Chaplin, Phillips, Brown, Clanton, & Stein, 2000). Extraverted and open individuals are more likely to have a successful interview and land the job or scholarship, so make sure you practice a firm handshake.

2. Perfect Your Style

It is important when you go into an interview, that what you are wearing reflects the type of person you want to come off as. For example, if you are applying for a business job or scholarship, you will want to look professional. If you are applying for a fashion job, you will want to be a bit trendier. It is generally a good rule of thumb to dress blandly so that the interviewer’s attention goes to your words and not your appearance. The colors you wear can also have a significant impact on the interviewer’s impression of you. There is evidence that suggests when color enters the eye, it indirectly affects the hypothalamus (Adler, 1999). As stated by Coon and Mitterer (2016, p. 74), “the hypothalamus is a kind of master control center for emotion”. The colors black, grey, and brown are all associated with strength, making them great wardrobe colors for an interview.

3. Make Eye Contact

It is extremely important that you make eye contact with the person interviewing you. When you make eye contact with a person, it makes the other person’s brain find you more interesting. Eye contact can cause the brain to release the neurotransmitter dopamine (Kampe, Frith, Dolan, & Frith, 2001). Dopamine is correlated with the rewards system of the brain. Even something as simple as making eye contact with your interviewer can make them react more positively toward you (Coon & Mitterer, 2016).

4. Speak Up

It is important when you go into an interview that you speak loud enough so that the interviewer can hear you. This may sound like an obvious statement, but it is crucial. If you do not speak up, you will come off as indecisive and timid, which in the work place would relate to low productivity. However, if you speak too loud, you may come off as hard to work with. The volume throughout your interview should be like a normal conversation, right around 60 decibels (Coon & Mitterer, 2016). It is also important that you do not talk too quickly and rush your interview. Try to stay relaxed and confident for maximum success in your interview.

5. Have a Confident Posture

It is important while you are in your interview that you maintain proper body posture and sit up straight. Body language tells half the story, so be sure to stay calm and refrain from wiggling in your chair. This will not only make you look more confident, but it will also make you feel more confident. It has been shown that sitting upright in a stressful situation helps you to maintain high self-esteem and a positive mood as well as increase your rate of speech (Nair, Sagar, Sollers, Consedine, & Broadment, 2015). A little self-boosting is always beneficial, especially in a stressful situation like an interview.

References

Adler, L. (1999). Responding to Color. Cooperative Extension Service, Retrieved from web

Chaplin, W., Phillips, J., Brown, J., Clanton, N., & Stein, J. (2000). Handshaking, gender, personality, and first impressions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 110-117. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.79.1.110

Coon, D., & Mitterer, J. (2016). Introduction to Psychology. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Kampe, K. W., Frith, C. D., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, U. (2001). Reward value of attractiveness and gaze. Nature, 413(6856), 589-590. doi:10.1038/35098149

Successful Interview. How (not) to Fail?

This article shares valuable tips to face your next job interview. We all want to know how to be successful in an interview, and to do that, it’s important to watch out for the following common interview mistakes. This will give you more confidence in your chance of landing that dream role.

Best Practices: How to prepare for interview

Did you know that on average, only one in six interviews end up with a job offer?

Here are some common interview mistakes that people can make when thinking about how to go in for an interview. Take note, because they may seem simple and like common sense, yet some people will surely be making these mistakes and damaging their chance of being that 1 in 6 successful person who gets the job.

What NOT to do?

Information about the company

We know that it’s important to go into the interview with some knowledge on the company you’ll be working for, but that does not mean focusing on details that actually have no relation to your role.

So if you find yourself on the company’s website, don’t focus on things like errors in their web design, or judgments about their writing copy or images. Sharing this with your interviewer won’t impress them at your level of error-spotting, it will make you come across as arrogant and really just missing the point, even if you have strong attention to detail and want to give your opinion – it’s not worth it.

Scheduling the interview

Successful job interviewing really does start the moment that the interview is being scheduled. You’re already making the first impression before they even see you, in how organized and professional you are when you are setting the interview.

Don’t reschedule your interview, unless something absolutely urgent comes up. Here’s what to know in how to schedule: Go with the time that the interviewer suggests and if it doesn’t work for you, provide many different options for times that work. This will ensure that you come across as accommodating and organized in your own professional schedule.

Key points to prepare for interview meetings

Below are the key points to remember in your preparation for your interview.

Best practices: How to dress for an interview

The next step in how to prepare for interview meetings is to decide on the appropriate clothes to wear when you’re working out how to go for interview meetings.

What NOT to do?

Do not dress casually and show a lot of skin

Common interview mistakes also include how you dress for the interview. Also, if you have tattoos and piercings, cover them up. You may also have to let the interviewer know that you have them, but you don’t need to flaunt them in order for them to be aware. Cover them and tell them, and this will look far better for the interviewer to see that you’re willing to cover up if needed.

Consider makeup and hair

Tip 2: According to a Career Builder study among HR managers, the colors of a candidate’s clothing will actually make a different impression in an interview. About 23% of interviewers recommend choosing blue shades, which can indicate that the candidate is a team player. Wear something black to show your leadership potential. Additionally, 25% of the interviewed HR-managers say that the worst shade of clothing for an interview – orange – is a sign of an unprofessional candidate.

The best way to dress for a successful interview

The following successful job interviewing tips on how to dress will make sure you’re making a professional and positive impact.

Best practices: When you arrive at the interview

What NOT to do?

Don’t show up late

Again, when thinking about how to be successful in an interview, know that it is not just the sitting down talking part that is important. If you only think about that part and disregard how you are showing up to the interview, this won’t look good.

With this in mind, don’t be late. If you know that you may be late due to something out of your control (like public transport breaking down or something else urgent) then call ahead. Also, if your interview is scheduled for 1:00 pm, do not arrive at 1:00 pm. As ‘on time’ is also considered late in this kind of scenario.

Tip 3: Mastering the art of casual conversation is going to be great for your interview. In a recent study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Texas Universities, candidates who were able to support small talk before the interview, received higher ratings than those who didn’t make any small stock. This indicates that small talk is a great first impression that you can make on the interviewer which could affect their subsequent decision of hiring you.

What you should do when you arrive at the interview?

The following tips are going to give the best impression to the interviewer in terms of how professional and interested in the role you are.

Best practices: How to behave in an interview

Successful job interviewing requires the ability to balance speaking and listening, answering questions in a confident manner, and really just showing up as your best self.

What NOT to do?

Below are some of the common ‘types’ of interview behaviors that are definitely not going to help you land a job. Make sure you’re not playing one of these roles in your upcoming interview.

Mysterious Type

Hysterical Type

Tip 4: Though it won’t be helpful to make too many hand gestures, don’t underestimate the power of gestures in also creating a positive impact. In an article for Business Insider, Shana Lebowitz explains that open palms indicate sincerity. Moreover, if the candidate holds his hands mainly with his palms down, this indicates his dominance, and if he taps his fingers, that expressed impatience. In general, know that excessive use of gestures can distract from the essence of what you say, and open body language can help to develop trust with the interviewer.

Hero Type

Neurotic Type

Tip 5: The University of Guelph in Canada conducted a series of studies that sought to find out why neurotic and anxious candidates were not invited to roles that they applied for. According to the results, the main reason is the fact that overly excited and nervous-looking candidates do not give the impression of confidence and assertiveness.

Victim Type

Revolutionary Type

Tip 7: You can easily steer your revolutionary nature in the right direction and project it into energy and enthusiasm. As Jonathan Golding and Anne Lipert note in their study for Psychology Today, candidates with a high degree of energy and emotionality, which is expressed in a passionate (but not over-the-top) way, will more often get jobs than their calmer and more melancholy rivals.

Busy Type

The best way to behave during the interview

It is important to remember that generally, there are three types of interviews:

Depending on which interview you are taking, the way you interact will vary. The following tips, however, are still going to be valuable for how to be successful in an interview of any of the three types.

How to get a video call interview on Skype

For conducting remote interviews, Skype is often used (as a generally accepted tool), as well as video conferences from Google Hangouts or other messengers.

Here, the main stumbling block is usually a poor-quality connection. To ensure a good connection and an interview that won’t be disrupted, don’t skip a test call. Make sure the camera and microphone are set up properly and also have a neutral background and be in a space that doesn’t have loud or distracting sounds.

Tip 8: Check the speed of the Internet (for example, via https://www.speedtest.net/ or https://speedtest.net.ua/). For a comfortable video call, you need at least 8 Mb/s, and for audio – 3 Mb/s. It’s actually better to postpone the call than to conduct it with a poor connection, but try not to do this last minute, as that will seem like you were unprepared.

Remote interviews will also benefit from the same points as the normal interviews – smile, look neat, keep eye contact, speak slowly, and behave confidently. Keep a notebook and pen on hand to write down important notes, and let the interviewer know that you are doing this at the start of the interview. Also, in a notebook, you can write out a list of questions that you need to ask so you don’t forget anything. During a remote interview, you can peep at the “cheat sheet” as much as you like, which is a plus!

Best Practices: How to behave after the interview

counting”, the most important are the first ten minutes, after which there is often no reason to add Just because the interview is over does not mean the process of the interviewer considering you is over, so be mindful about how you are behaving after your interview, as that is something people can miss when thinking about how to go for interview meetings.

What NOT to do?

Even if you feel like you’ve had a successful first 25 minutes of the interview, it could all be ruined in the last 5 minutes if you’re not careful, or even after the interview is over in terms of how you act in the follow-up process.

Don’t call the employer immediately after the interview to ask for their answer. The same goes for a follow-up email. You can email to express your gratitude, but don’t ask about their decision the same day of the interview.

How to best behave after the interview

Take into account the following tips on how to best behave after the interview in order to raise your chance of success. It’s not just about how to go for interview meetings in the preparation and during the interview. These tips will be really helpful after the interview ends.

Tip 10: The results of a study published in SAGE Journals show that candidates often underestimate the power of follow up emails that express appreciation. They can go a long way, so don’t forget this simple, but important step.

How to be successful in an interview: In summary

Tip 11: An interview is not only an opportunity to prove oneself but also to learn more about the company that you’re looking to work for and what the role would be like if you were to get the job. 61% of employees surveyed say that the reality at a new place of work differs significantly from the expectations that arose during the interview. This means that the interview is a way for you to be able to walk out more clear about what to expect in this job, as you learn more than when you walked in.

Remember that during the interview you are presenting yourself not only as a professional prospect but also as a person. Show your personality, be confident, speak with conviction, and remember the tips shared above, and you’ll be on your way to successful job interviewing, and maybe even your dream job.