How To Be Impressive Before, During and After Your Interview - CareerAlley

How To Be Impressive Before, During and After Your Interview - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Arguably the only thing more exhausting than working a full time job is the process of trying to land one. If youve been through the process, you know that the job hunt proves to be tiresome and sometimes self-defeating (with just a splash of the overwhelming urge to give up). We hear your frustrations, and more important, were here to share the steps that can help. While an actual job interview runs around 30 minutes (depending on how many interviewers you will see), there are things that you can do to help ensure that you get a job offer. Whats more, if youre spending your interviews politely folding your hands and nodding you head, youre wasting precious time! Truth be told, every job opportunity packs some serious potential before, during and after your interview. Read on to discover the necessary steps that will turn your job-hunt into a job-conquer. To practice for the assessment tests youll face as part of the interview process, go to JobTestPrep Before: Research Like Your Job Depends on It Before you sit in an interview chair, spend some time gaining some valuable background information. Youll collect this information by researching the company (an hour on your laptop should do the trick). Take a look at6 Job Search Mistakes You Dont Want to Makeas well as Job Interview Prep. Research the company itself- through its website and social media streams try to get a feel for its mission, passion and future plans. Also, check up on the CEO (and the other powerhouses you might one day call Boss) see if you can read feature articles/interviews and LinkedIn pages to get a feel for the types of attitudes and company culture thats being promoted. Regardless of industry, almost every interview begs the question: why do you want to work here? In addition to being prepared to discuss your qualifications for the specific job at hand, utilize your research to show off your fit in the company. Comments like, I really appreciate how your company culture seems to value X and Y, or, I read an interview with your CEO and he said something that stuck with me will show off, not only your preparedness, but also your likeliness to fit right in as a part of his/her unique team. During: Be Present and Proactive It goes without saying that you should be dressed to impress the day of your interview, but dont just stop at a nice button-down. Be sure to keep your posture and eye contact in check. Try to smile and nod your head as your interviewer is talking as a way to show physically that youre keeping up as an active participant. In addition to having a firm handshake, have in your hand some prepared questions for the later half of your interview. When deciding what type of questions to draft up imagine that you already have the job, what type of questions would you likely tackle on day one? Inquires about the positions current procedures, gauging past success and immediate goals/plans for the future will show off your proactive sensibility. Appreciate the added bonus: conversations that dive right into the nuts and bolts of what is needed from the person who takes this position will cause your interviewer to picture you (even if only momentarily) as the position holder. After: Give Thanks and Examples After an interview, be sure to thank whoever interviewed you for his/ her time. Upon exit you can take off that sports jacket but dont get too relaxed because when you get home you still have one last necessary professional step to take. Craft an email that is both short and sweet, once again thanking him/her for their timethen, add an attachment. Make a plan to blow past the rest of your competition with your final extra step. Attach to your email a plan of action for the job at hand. Utilize all of the insight you gained during the interview and from your answered questions as a final way to communicate that you are the right person for the job. Detail what you consider to be the most pressing issues, what plans youd put in place and how youd drive the kind of results the company wants to see. Again, just like your initial research this shouldnt take you longer than an hour to do, but its the little added touch that could turn you from applicant to employee. What other ways can you take an interviewers breath away? Book Corner [easyazon_link asin=1500605158 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]What I Wish EVERY Job Candidate Knew: 15 Minutes to a Better Interview[/easyazon_link] To practice for the assessment tests youll face as part of the interview process, go to JobTestPrep We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+