During an interview, one should ensure that they wear a smile that instills confidence. A natural smile makes the individual being interviewed look confident yet natural. Facial expression is important in shaping the opinion and attitude of the interviewer. It is said that the first impression often lasts a lifetime. No single employer would prefer to hire workers that look all gloomy and demotivated towards the job that they are offering. Smiling and putting a straight face gives the interviewer the impression that the interviewee is happy and ready to take up the job offered. Interviews often involve numerous applicants who are usually almost often of the same qualifications. The little things such as keeping a face that shows promise may push the interviewer into selecting the individual with the thinking that they may enhance the morale of the organization. A simple smile gives the interviewer the thinking that one will likely cope with the pressure that they are bound to be subjected to. Keeping a straight and confident look yet with a simple smile goes a long way in swaying the interviewer into believing that they have found the right person for the job. Facial expression often sort of captures the character and attitudes of an individual. Arguably, one can use the face and facial expression to determine the mood and attitude that the interviewee presents with, and it is through this basis that employers select workers. No one wants to hire a timid employee who cannot sustain a conversation or face a potential customer. The facial expression makes a person know whether one is concentrating. Looking at the interviewer and making eye contact makes one realize that an individual is a good listener.
Keeping one’s answers focused on the topics and questions being asked gives the employer the impression that the interviewee is intelligent and can take any possible challenge on behalf of the organization. An escapist way of answering questions makes people think that an individual might not be straightforward. The interviewee should concentrate on answering questions that state how valuable they are likely to be to the organization. As opposed to speaking on how an organization will benefit the interviewee, they should design the responses in a way that show the interviewee will be suitable in benefiting the organization. No single employer wants to hire a liability. Intelligence is a crucial factor in earning a place in an organization. Intelligent people are always favored in the hiring process of any firm. This is judged from both the way one carries themselves but most importantly by the way one chooses to answer questions. The interviewee receives much credit when they answer questions in a way that show that they know what they are talking about. Choosing to tackle questions directly is a plus on the part of the interviewee. It is therefore important to make sure the interviewee answers questions as best as they can in order to win the trust of the employer. During the conversation, an individual should concentrate on selling themselves to the organization. It is only possible through the conversation. One should concentrate on being positive as much as possible to the questions being asked. Giving the interviewer the impression that you are pessimistic makes them prefer not to hire you.
Showing interest in the job by how one talks is important in securing one a job in an interview. A lot can be judged form a simple conversation. Interviewers are very intelligent in how they structure their questions to determine how badly one wants a job. Organizations seek to hire employees that will stay. Some interview questions are designed to explore the plans that the interviewee has and to determine whether the job on offer is compatible with their dreams. The understanding of the interviewee’s job prospects is important to the managers that are hiring the individual. In a previous interview that I did, a lot of research on the firm that was set to hire new employees. With this information, I was able to redesign my job prospects to fit into the firm’s mission and vision. This was an added advantage for my bid to secure the job. The interviewee should, therefore, focus on explaining to the interviewer how the job is likely to fit into their job prospects and how compatible it is with their lifestyle. Importantly, the interviewer should focus on how they relate to the organization. In the interview conversation, one should explore the organization as though they are part of it. This makes the interviewer know that the interviewee has a sense of responsibility. Interviews often have a holistic approach to exploring the suitability of the interviewee on the job. Hiring firms often want to employ persons that have great interest in an organization to avoid a high turnover of employees. It is no doubt then that most interviewers will closely examine the interests of the interviewee to try and determine whether they are suitable for the job offer. Organizations are often designed in a way that they have missions and core values. By the interviewee showing that they have an understanding of such values gives the interviewer the impression that the individual is most likely to fit in the organization. It is prudent that the interviewee gets a grasp of core information about the organization. Going through the website and other journals will enable one to answer questions that relate to the organization I n a way that they apply to the job offer. During the interview, the interviewee will score big if they choose to use key words that are found in the website of the organization. The key words may involve fundamental things about the organization. Touching on things such as leadership and growth of the firm shows the interviewer that the one being interviewed has a sense of belonging to the firm.
A few things are worth avoiding during any interview. One should be as courteous as possible and avoid being arrogant. Arrogance is a turn off to any employer. When the interviewee turns out to be arrogant, the interviewer scores them low despite having better qualifications and scoring better in other areas. Instead of bragging on how one has achieved their qualifications, they should invest this energy on showing how best suited they are for the firm. Things such as checking the phone and answering calls in the process of an interview give the interviewer the impression that an individual is arrogant. Also, one should be careful in the way they choose to respond to answers. Blurting, ‘I don’t know’ often gives the interviewer the impression that the individual is arrogant and not ready to be innovative in any way. Being polite is an excellent principle for anyone that needs to be in the job market. Being arrogant makes the employer think that one will ruin working relationships in the organization.
Providing too much information about oneself is a turn off to any manager. Concentrating too much on giving information that involves personal experiences makes a conversation shift from being formal to being informal. The interview is often designed to capture the job qualifications one holds and not necessarily about personal experiences. Therefore basing too much on information such as personal hobbies, interests and stories about family makes the employer think that one has shifted the conversation from gaining the main objectives. Instead of offering to give too much information about personal experiences and preferences, one should let their own character and confidence speak for themselves. Likely, asking the interviewer personal questions does not establish a relationship with them, rather it makes the person uncomfortable during the interview process making them likely to rate the interviewee low in terms of qualifications. One should refrain from possibly badmouthing their previous employer. It could prove a little hard for one to explain why they left the previous job, more so if they have been sacked. However, it is prudent not to talk negatively about the previous employer since this gives the current firm be wary about how pessimistic a person could be. Talking ill about previous workmates or bosses gives the impression that an individual is difficult to get along with. Even if the kind of story by the interviewer is genuine and likely to invoke some sort of sympathy or empathy, talking negatively denies a person the innocence they previously held. Instead, the interviewer should frame the conversation in such a way that it casts positive light as to why they are seeking a new opportunity after exiting from the previous one.
Showing disinterest in an organization is a bad start in securing a job. Even if the qualification may be unmatched, simply looking like one does not have an interest may deny them a place in the organization. It is simple to know whether one has an interest just by how they respond to questions. I once did an interview 3 years ago with the hope of landing a job with DHL, a multinational dealing with courier services. Despite having had information about the company, I failed to explore the finer details about emerging issues facing the company. Hence, I gave many ‘I don’t know’ kind of answers. This was a major undoing in my bid to secure the job since the interviewer thought I lacked interest. Employers often seek to hire individuals that are self-motivated and likely to work under minimum supervision. Bearing zero information about the organization that is hiring may make the interviewer think that one did not take a keen interest in wanting to work for the organization. Many people are of the notion that, if workers do not show interest or are demotivated, their productivity is likely to be wanting.
Dos and Don’ts during an interview