How to succeed at a job interview:

Congratulations: You have been offered a job interview — the most important step in the hiring process. Many under-qualified applicants have been hired simply because of their interviewing skills. By the same token, many overqualified people have missed opportunities because of their lack of interview know-how. So before sitting in the hot seat, consider the following tips and tricks:

Dress for success — You could be the most skilled person for the job yet still get that dreaded rejection e-mail if you fail to look professional at your interview. A good rule of thumb is to wear an outfit one to two steps dressier than what your job might require. 

Practice your handshake — An interviewer might make a complete judgment of your personality based on the stiffness or weakness of your handshake. Too severe, and the employer will think you’re overbearing. Too limp, and she’ll believe you lack confidence. Try practicing your handshake with friends to find the perfect balance — an excellent handshake is firm, but not so firm that you crush the person’s hand.

Have them at hello — Your first introduction is very important so make it a good one. Shake the interviewer’s hand while saying hello and giving your name. Then, (this next part is very important), be sure to repeat the person’s name back to him after he introduces himself. Basically, the conversation should go like this:

Applicant: “Hi, my name is Brandon.”

Interviewer: “Hello, I’m Greg.”

Applicant: “Nice to meet you, Greg.”

People love to hear their names and the fact that you actually took the time to listen and remember his name (which surprisingly, many people fail to do) will make a superb first impression. If you don’t hear the person’s name, just say, “I’m sorry, I missed your name.” Listening for a person’s name can actually relax you during an interview because it forces you to focus on a simple detail rather than the millions of nervous thoughts that could have been going through your head.

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1 comments

Anonymous

Sat May 8 2010 02:05

Good article. Minor correction...it should be never show up to an interview WITHOUT your résumé.

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