Interview Skills
Finding a rewarding career opportunity or a well-paying job has become increasingly difficult in the current job market. In order to comprehend this challenge, one only needs to walk into any recruiting agency’s reception or the gates of manufacturing plants and companies known to employ casual workers. Unemployment is a key concern in many parts of the world (Shmidt, 2012). This means that at any given time, there are more people who are able and willing to work than the opportunities available to employ them. The job market is flooded with skills that employers cannot absorb; the few available opportunities are therefore highly competitive.
Competition for the few available jobs will continue to increase as the human population grows and education levels improve while the job market remains static or stunted (Shmidt, 2012). Recent economic hiccups have not eased the situation making it difficult for employers to hire more staff forcing them to operate with lean workforces to reduce operational costs. This means that for every available job, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of qualified applicants willing to take the least pay for the positions (Shmidt, 2012).
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For every job seeker, an invitation to attend an interview is an excellent opportunity to get the job. An interview is the only opportunity that the prospective candidate has to showcase their achievements, skills and fit for the job. Unfortunately, most people fail not because they are not good enough, but because these interviews often require just one candidate, or a specific number of people, from a large pool of qualified applicants. Employers, through their recruiters, send more letters of regret to unsuccessful interview candidates than they do congratulatory letters to successful applicants. This underscores the number of times people are unsuccessful at interviews (Schein, 2002). Rejection should not dampen one’s resolve to clinch their dream job and achieve their career goals.
One may then wonder what it takes to be successful in an interview process since at the beginning of an interview process, all shortlisted candidates have the minimum qualifications for the job. Apart from the professional and academic credentials and achievements, succeeding in an interview entails excelling in other factors such as dressing, demeanor, and presentation among soft skills.
This paper will outline the steps that a prospective jobseeker should follow to increase their chances of succeeding in a job interview. Success in an interview depends on the candidate’s performance before, during, and after the interview. This paper will cover comprehensively the key interview skills such as pre- interview preparation, interview presentation, communication skills, personal image and grooming as well as the behavior and mannerism that will impress the interviewers and help an interviewee to stand out.
Be prepared
Preparation is the first, and perhaps, the most critical step in the interview process. Preparation describes all activities undertaken by a prospective interviewee in readiness for an interview. Some of the activities a candidate undertakes in preparation for an interview include preparing a resume or curriculum vitae, collecting certificates and letters of recommendation, preparing copies of the required documents and certificates, calling referees and informing them of the possibility of receiving a call from the prospective employer and lastly, researching the prospective employer. Adequate preparation increases a candidate’s confidence and increases their probability of answering predictable questions adequately. However, preparation should be comprehensive to cover unexpected questions that the interviewer may ask during the interview.
Re-read and edit your curriculum vitae (CV) appropriately
A curriculum vitae is a detailed description of an individual’s experience, skills, academic qualifications, hobbies, interests and references. A resume is a brief summary of experience and skills and highlights an individual’s competence as a job candidate. Regardless of the length of a curriculum vitae or resume, a prospective job candidate should ensure that they highlight the skills and qualities required for a specific job. This means that a job seeker should edit their C.V or resume appropriately prior to applying for a job (Innes, 2012).
Include academic and professional qualifications.
It is imperative for a job seeker to list all their academic and professional qualifications as well as supporting documents such as certificates and transcripts to prove these qualifications. One should avoid giving false information or qualifications acquired from non-credited institutions because the interviewers may construe this as misinformation or misrepresentation.
Ensure you have included your present contact information
Contact information is very important since wrong addresses and phone numbers could cause a candidate to miss an appointment. Provide your most updated postal address together with your daytime contact that should be a personal mobile or home number. Avoid giving the contact of your current employer since this is inappropriate use of company resources. Additionally, provide professional email addresses with one or both of your names. Do not list email addresses with nicknames or questionable numbers.
Include at least two referees
A referee is an individual who can vouch for your character, skills, and qualification (Innes, 2012). An appropriate should be able to answer basic questions about aspects of a candidate’s work history and personality. Choose referees who know you for a reasonable period and who can speak positively about your attributes. Appropriate referees include former employers, supervisors, mentors, teachers, lecturers, academic supervisors, or examiners. Avoid using friends or family members unless they have direct knowledge of your work (Innes, 2012).
One may opt to furnish referees upon request. This means that the employer will request for referees when they are considering the candidate for possible employment.
Research the company thoroughly
A company’s website is an excellent source of current information on a company. Other sources include annual company reports, magazines and publications, pamphlets and fliers. Other appropriate sources of information on a company include industry publications, newspaper sources, and news stories (Enisman, 2010) . Interviewers list lack of information regarding the prospective employer’s company as one of the worst mistakes a candidate can make during an interview (Giammatteo, 2014).
The knowledge extends beyond simply memorizing the history, mission, vision, motto, products, and services of a company. It is equally important for a job candidate to research the specific job, current industry trends, emerging challenges, and future prospects. Interviewers may ask questions regarding a candidate’s ability to tackle current and future problems within their desired career (Enisman, 2010).
Ensure that your qualifications match the job advertised. The ultimate goal of conducting a company and job research is to identify the areas of convergence between skills, experience, interests, and the requirements of a job (Giammatteo, 2014). There are numerous online platforms and forums where past, present and future employees discuss the working conditions and pay levels in a particular company. Proper research allows a job seeker to evaluate if the company’s work environment and corporate culture will be a good fit for them. Job seekers often forget that not all jobs are appropriate for their particular skills, interests, personality, and career goals.
The interview; Create a Positive First Impression
On the material day of the interview, the interviewee must do their best to create a memorable first impression. Assuming that the interviewers will review tens, hundreds or even thousands of candidates, a serious candidate must find positive ways to stand out from the crowd. A great first impression begins with adequate rest. Avoid appearing tired or hangover on the day of the interview. Doctors recommend at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep for an average adult (Corfield 2009). Adequate sleep ensures the individual wakes up rested, refreshed, and alert.
Secondly, pick an appropriate outfit for the interview. Most interviews are formal in nature, therefore chose a full suit in conservative colors such as black, navy blue, brown or gray. Ensure the suit fits perfectly and is neither too big nor too small. Where the dress code is flexible, ensure that the clothes are clean, pressed, and well fitting. A casual dress code does not mean that the candidate should wear shorts, flip-flops, hats, costumes, or shimmery accessories.
Grooming also includes nails, hair, shoes, and other accessories. Ensure that nails and hair are neat and clean. Wear clean and comfortable shoes. Maintain proper oral and bodily hygiene by brushing teeth and taking a shower before the interview. Avoid any unpleasant body odor such as bad breath or sweat; similarly avoid harsh perfumes that could irritate other interviewees and the panel. Always remember that an interview panel judges a candidate’s physical appearance even before they speak.
Before entering the interview room, an interviewee should arrange their documents in order according to how they are listed in the curriculum vitae. Consider making enough copies for all members of the interview panel. This is because as soon as the candidate enters the interview room, they should present their documents in the most orderly manner, in the shortest time possible. Fumbling with papers and rummaging through an envelope or bag for documents indicates that the candidate is disorganized and unprepared for the interview. Lastly, switch off any mobile phones or other devices that may interrupt the interview session. It is disruptive and offensive for a mobile phone or electronic device to ring during an interview. Such a mistake could result in poor scores despite high scores in other areas of evaluation.
Once called into the interview room, greet the interviewer and all persons present within the interviewing room. Maintain eye contact while greeting the panel and if you opt to shake their hands, give a firm handshake while still maintaining eye contact. Carefully memorize the names of the panel member to use them later while responding to their questions. Where appropriate, initiate a light conversation with the interviewer as a way of breaking the ice. Such conversations allow the interviewee to gain temporary control of the room and gauge the mood of the panel. Wait for the panel to offer a seat before sitting down. Once offered the seat, sit gently and take an upright posture while waiting for the panel to begin the interview session.
The most important points to remember are:
Greet the interviewer formally through firm handshake and a little smile.
Ensure that you have eye contact with the interviewer.
Initiate a light talk with the interviewer as you are ushered in. Project your voice while maintaining an upright posture.
Wait for the panel to offer you a seat. Afterwards, take a seat and adopt an upright posture.
Answering the interview questions appropriately. The main purpose of an interview is to meet a potential candidate and determine their qualification for a particular job based on their achievements and abilities. According to Corfield (2009), the ability to answer interview questions correctly is crucial to passing an interview and advancing to the next stage of the recruitment process. Even though correct answers are important, an interviewee could still fail if they are not audible. Therefore, practice how to answer questions in front of a mirror and a panel of family or friends. A serious candidate should learn how to project their voice in addition to articulating their thoughts in a coherent manner (Spiropoulos, 2005).
When the interview panel begins their questions, the interviewee should;
Answer the questions properly and thoughtfully without waffling. It okay to seek for clarification where a question is not clear before attempting to answer. Take a few seconds to internalize the question and to form your response.
Always be positive when answering the questions. Avoid answer that paint other individuals, employers or institutions in bad light (Shmidt, 2012). Always make positive comments and observations about otherwise negative questions and experiences.
Ensure that your body language is formal by sitting upright and maintaining good eye contact. Body language plays a major role in communication. An individual’s body language sends accurate non-verbal cues about what they are thinking (Shmidt, 2012). Sitting up straight, maintaining eye contact and a neutral arm position demonstrates openness, honesty and confidence.
Do not fold your arms, lean back or look at the floor. As mentioned above, body language provides non-verbal cues regarding the state of an individual. Folded arms indicate a defensive stance meaning the candidate could he hiding something . Similarly, lowered eyes may show that the candidate is shy, lying, or bored by the ongoing proceedings. Leaning casually in a chair is a clear indication of disrespect to the panel since the candidate seem too comfortable to care about proper posture. Other offensive body language to avoid include chewing gum, spitting, sniffing, coughing with an open mouth, and picking the nose (Shmidt, 2012).
Expect the unexpected
It is natural to expect certain standard questions such as questions on who you are, what your experience it and what skills you possess that would be useful to your prospective employer. However, interviews are not always scripted. The interview panel is free to direct the interview in whichever direction they see fit. For example, an interviewer may opt to use French instead of English, if a candidate mentioned that they are proficient in French. Similarly, a candidate should expect practical problems as opposed to conversational questions. Numerous unpredictable scenarios could occur during an interview. The trick to acing such situations is to prepare, have confidence in one’s abilities, and speak honestly, where a situation is difficult or uncomfortable.
Sometimes, interviewers may ask trick questions in order to make a simple question tricky. These are some of the tips to remember when answering such questions.
Be attentive to the interviewer as well as the interview questions. A simple word change, like placing “not” in a sentence could change the meaning and therefore the answer (Giammatteo, 2014). Pay attention and ask for clarification to understand the question before attempting to answer.
Expect unexpected questions or those aimed at pinning you. Preparation reduces anxiety and helps a candidate to maintain confidence.
Appear relaxed and controlled when answering these questions. Maintain an audible tone and avoid raising or reducing your voice drastically as this indicates anger or fear respectively.
Ask the interviewer to repeat the question whenever necessary or if you do not get it right. Asking for clarification shows that the candidate is interested in understanding the questions before offering an answer (Giammatteo, 2014).
Do not evade any question asked by the interviewer. It is better to admit ignorance of a particular subject than offering wild guesses or worse, ignoring the question (Giammatteo, 2014).
Develop rapport with the interviewers through genuine and in-built tactics .
The work of the interviewer is just as challenging as that of the interviewee. In some cases, a panel sit for several hours in order to interview all candidates invited to an interview. It is only natural that they will feel exhausted after a while. It is the responsibility of the interviewer to create a positive impression by showing concern for the panel. An interview candidate can show genuine interest for the panel by asking about their day and appreciating them for taking their time to sit and interview the candidates. Include humor where appropriate but avoid political, religious, racial, or tribal stereotypes as these may come across as offensive (Corfield, 2009). Humor is very effective in establishing rapport because it makes people laugh and this rarely happens in the tense interview session. Some of the key tips to remember when using humor during an interview are;
Use of humor to establish a long-lasting rapport and not to make fun or an individual or a group of people.
Have a sense of reasonable humor; do not go overboard by turning the interview into a comedy session. Stick to one-liners as opposed to long stories with stretched punchline.
Show energy; do not tell a joke as if it was memorized. Make it appear as natural as possible.
Be positive and enthusiastic about the interview.
Appreciate fact that interviewers are also human beings, appeal to their natural senses.
Seek clarifications .
This may seem like a repetition but it is an important point to emphasize. Interviewees are often tense during an interview, it is therefore very easy to misconstrue a question and end up giving a wrong answer. Always seek clarification where a question, task, or instruction is unclear or ambiguous. Avoid making assumptions and conclusions based on unclear situations (Giammatteo, 2014: Spiropoulos, 2005). This could lead to mistakes even for the simplest tasks that a candidate could have scored easy points. Therefore, to reduce incidences of such avoidable mistakes;
Interact with interviewer through questions. An interview candidate should feel free to ask questions. An interview is not a one-way process but an interactive session comprised of informational exchanges between the interviewer and the interviewee.
Ask questions to seek clarifications about issues. Ask specific questions regarding the question or topic under discussion. Don not ask random question that are unrelated to the issues at hand.
The interviewee should ask the interviewer they have any questions or information that they would like candidate to clarify.
The interviewee should always have one or two appropriate questions to ask the interviewer when invited to ask (Spiropoulos, 2005). A common question candidates ask the interviewer is the date or time that they are likely to receive communication on the outcome of the interview.
Remember your mannerism and demeanor could make or break an interview. A prospective candidate should adopt a mild and respectful personal. Employ polite words such as “thank you” , “please”, “may I” “I beg your pardon” and “I am sorry” (Byers, 2008). An interviewee should also watch their demeanor since it is an outward indication of internal emotions. An individual’s demeanor starts from how they look, dress, speak, and sit. An interviewee should aim to present a professional image and a positive attitude. Employers always look for sings that an employee has the right attitude to work in their organization.
Reaffirm your qualifications and reasons that you should be offered the job.
Inform the interviewer that you are interested in the job and opportunity to work with the company.
Detail the advantages and qualifications that you will bring to the company that make you unique and the most suitable candidate for the position.
If possible, ask for the company’s business card or contacts to express your gratitude for the interview.
Thank the interviewers for giving you a hearing as well as listening to your submissions.
Exit the interviewing room respectably.
References
Byers, A. (2008). Great resume, application, and interview skills . New York: Rosen Pub.
Corfield, R. (2009). Successful interview skills: How to prepare, answer tough questions and get your ideal job . London: Kogan Page.
Enisman, E. (2010). Job interview skills 101: The course you forgot to take . Poughkeepsie, N.Y: Hudson House Pub.
Giammatteo, G. (2014). No Mistakes Interviews: How To Get The Job You Want . Cork: BookBaby.
Innes, J. (2012). The CV book: Your definitive guide to writing the perfect CV .
Schein, E. H. (2002). The Anxiety of Learning. Interview by Diane L. Coutu. Harvard Business Review , 80 (3), 100-6.
Shmidt, F. R. (2012). Getting Hired: Handbook for College Graduates . iUniverse.
Spiropoulos, M. (2005). Interview skills that win the job: Simple techniques for answering all the tough questions . Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
