Master Your Interview With Confidence: 5 Steps to a Great Interview

Are you going to a job interview? It is important that you come across as a qualified and confident individual who is not only capable of getting the job done, but also capable of taking initiatives and managing crises. Here are some tips to stand out in the interview.

Step 1

Yes, you read the headline correctly. Confidence is the first step and the most important aspect to achieve a great interview and land your dream job. Clearly, the employer already believes you are qualified and interested in your previous work and accomplishments; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten the interview in the first place! So take a deep breath and focus on that fact: they already like you! Now let that idea replace any doubts you may have and go in with complete confidence. After all, if it seems like you’re second-guessing yourself, chances are the employer is too.

Step 2

Keep in mind that the interviewer or person you hire is often not the first person you meet when you walk into a business. Be friendly and courteous to everyone – your interview begins the moment you walk through the door.

Step 3

You’ve probably heard this before, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to make eye contact and genuinely smile when greeted by your interviewer (or anyone else). Eye contact shows confidence and a smile shows you’re happy to be there, two small and easy things that can have a big impact on whether or not you get hired.

Step 4

Be conversational! The interviewer has already reviewed his resume and qualifications; he’s not looking for a bullet point list of his accomplishments. Match your experience to tasks that match the current position you’re trying to get. Do your research on the company! Go in with an idea of ​​how to answer standard interview questions (and a few “zingers”) like:

– What was your greatest achievement related to work?
– How do you handle conflicts in the workplace?
– Give an example of a situation where everything seemed to go wrong; How did you handle it?
– What is your greatest weakness?
– If you know your boss is wrong about something, what would you do?
– Why should we hire you?
– What are your future professional goals?

step 5

Follow up. Yeah, I know, they said they’d call you. However, go ahead and send an email (or even better: a handwritten note) thanking the interviewer for their time and reiterating how excited you are about the opportunity to work at their company. This will let them know that you are serious about working there and that they were not just a stop on your job search route.