Many of us take for granted the tricks of the trade when it comes to having a successful job interview. Like some, we think that a good resume and a positive attitude will get us into the companies that we are applying to. This may have been the case years ago when
the interview process consisted of seeing the owner of the company as opposed to seeing several people in the human resources department and sometimes passing certain aptitude tests that the company has lined up to quickly “weed out” unworthy candidates. It would seem that the interview process has changed in recent years and we must adapt to these changes. In some cases an individual has to attend a series of interviews with different people in the company to obtain a position. This process is stressful to say the least but one can manage to endure and to overcome the stress if they follow a few of the tips below.
- Dress job specific. If you are going to apply to be a welder, you do not show up in a white shirt and tie. Nor do you show up in ripped jeans and a muscle-shirt. Comfortable pants and a dark colored long sleeve shirt would be appropriate attire for such an interview. Conversely if you where going to apply for an office position the tie and the shirt would be a must. Body piercing jewels should be put aside for the time being, and if it's an office environment that you are applying to you should make every attempt to cover up tattoos. I know many have the attitude “If they don't like it, they don't have to look.” Well unfortunately they don't have to hire your tattooed butt either! Use your common sense when it comes to these matters and always dress for the job in the appropriate way.
- Learn as much about the company that you are applying to in advance. Learn about what they do, how long they've been around, any sister companies that may exist, and so on. Nothing is more impressive than a job candidate that actually understands the nature and the history of the company that they are attempting to get a job at. This information makes for great small talk when being asked why you wanted to work for the company in the first place. This is a standard question in most if not all interviews, and when one looks blankly at the employer, the impression left is not a very positive one.
- Brush up on your math and English skills if you can foresee an aptitude test of that sort coming up before during or after the actual interview itself. Once you're writing a test you'll be hard pressed to get a chance to do an open book quiz so knowing the material you should have learned in high school could be the difference between getting hired and getting looked over.
- Speak clearly and concisely. Communication skills are high on a potential employers list of qualifications and if you fail express yourself clearly, the employer assumes that your vocabulary is limited and you may have a hard time communicating and co-operating with co-workers. This may not be the case but the old adage about having one chance to make a first impression holds true in job interviews.
- Listen, listen, listen! Above all things that take place in an interview, this is a skill that employers look for on an almost covert level. If you are to busy tooting your own horn and pointing out things that your resume already makes note of, your listening skills could use work. A potential employer can spot this and frowns down on the employee who is to busy talking to listen to what would be expected of them if hired. The potential employee usually never finds out what's expected because he is passed over due to these poor attentive skills.
- Ask questions that are job related. If you don't seem interested in the company, the potential employer usually isn't interested in you. Listen attentively, but don't be afraid to ask relevant questions when the opportunity arises. .
These are some of the more important job interview techniques and skills. I hope you find them helpful in all of your endeavors.
