|
Congratulations you have reached the interview stage, you can deduce
several things from this. Firstly that the company are interested in
what you have to offer, they have read your CV and covering letter and
they have liked what they have seen. You will also have lost much of
the competition, as only approximately 15% of applicants reach this
stage.
Having established
that you have the fundamental qualifications for the job, you have to
build upon this and impress the interviewers with your personality.
The purpose of an interview is for the employer to meet you in person
and evaluate whether your personality will fit into their company.
For you an interview
is a chance to impress and see if this company has an environment in
which you would like to work.
First impressions
Research
by psychologists has shown that people decide what they think of you
within four minutes of a first meeting, therefore is very important
to make a good impression right from the start.
Get all of your
preparation out of the way well in advance, and allow plenty of time
to get to the interview so that you arrive in a cool calm state. Arrive
ten minutes early and use the bathroom facilities to smarten your appearance.
You will not be so nervous if you are well prepared and look your best.
Confidence is the
magic word, if you are confident then you will be relaxed and able to
talk lucidly about yourself, you will be able to look the interviewer
in the eyes, you will not fidget - you will have the potential to clinch
the job.
If you are not
feeling very self-assured just think, you wouldn't have reached the
interview stage if you didn't possess the attributes that the company
desires. Looking your best and being well prepared should help, so that
when you meet the interviewer you will be able to greet them openly
with a smile, look them in the eyes and shake their hand.
Don't let confidence
come across as arrogance. Excess confidence can come across as arrogance
and it's not an attractive trait for the employer as it implies that
you are not a good team player.
Multiple
personalities
The subject of this
article is 'how to get your personality across'. However an employer
will be looking for different personality traits depending on the type
of job to which you are applying. For example, sales personnel have
to be very outgoing and sociable, and these characteristics are not
so necessary for a software engineer. If your natural personality is
not really suitable for the job to which you are applying then you should
seriously reconsider the direction of your career because otherwise
you may not be happy in the long term.
Attractive
features that are desirable to all employers include:
Confidence
This can be expressed in so many ways. Look the interviewer in the
eyes, shake their hand firmly. Be chatty and lucid, sit with good straight
posture with your hands on your lap, be precise in your answers do not
'Um and ah'. Confidence comes with experience, so tell the interviewer
about difficult situations that you negotiated in your previous jobs,
perhaps even mention your world travels or a time you held a position
of power within an organization.
Approachability
To express approachability be friendly and open, smile and pleasantly
greet everyone you are introduced to. Perhaps you trained other personnel
in a previous job, or were a counselor at college, recount an occasion
when professionally someone came to you with their problem.
Sense
of humor
Do not set about cracking jokes, but be responsive if the interviewer
makes a humorous comment (even if it is not very funny). If you can
subtly incorporate humor which is not at the expense of anyone else
then do so, but bear in mind that this is a business interview and you
should be professional.
Responsibility/trustworthiness
These qualities cannot be really seen in a person, but you can recount
the times in your previous jobs that you have held positions of responsibility.
For example any job in which you had personnel beneath you, or if you
were a scout/Guide leader.
Initiative/leadership
These qualities are linked to confidence, but in addition show the
employer examples of times you have used these skills and have prospered
as a result. For example, you worked on a software solution to a work
problem in your own time and it turned out to increase the efficiency
of the task by 60%.
Body
language
A first impression can be greatly influenced by a person's
body language. You are in trouble if all the right things are coming
from your mouth, but your body is doing all the wrong things.
| Do's |
Don'ts |
| Eye
contact - on first meeting and at regular times during the interview.
This displays interest and sincerity, but do not stare. |
·
Fidget - Playing with your CV, bag, hair, a pencil or drumming your
fingers betrays anxiety. Beware of your feet fidgeting also. |
| Raise
and lower your eyebrows - briefly when you first meet. It draws
attention to your face and although it is subtle, not doing it can
create hostility. |
· Rub your
ear - Gently massaging or tugging on the ear lobe betrays a subconscious
desire to block out the speakers words.
|
|
Handshake - return a handshake with the same pressure offered by
the other person, avoid using a handshake that is too strong or
too weak. |
· Scratch
your neck - If the interviewer knows his body language, then they
may suspect that what you are saying conflicts with your true
feelings.
|
|
Walk tall - Have a relaxed but confident posture as it conveys confidence
and honesty. |
·
Tug your collar - An interviewer may think you are telling lies.
|
|
Opening palms and arms - Honesty and openness |
·
Smooth the back of your head - indicates uncertainty |
If you see any of
the following, the chances are you'll have to work harder to convince
the interviewer you are the person for the job:
- If they are
leaning away from you
- If they fold
their arms or cross their legs
- If they firmly
grip their upper arms. This represents either high anxiety or extreme
anger and conveys almost total rejection. It is the clearest possible
sign that he or she is uninterested in what you're saying.
Chat to the interviewer
when they first meet you and take you to their office. After the interview
confirm when you can expect to hear a decision from them, then move
the conversation on to another matter. There is no definitive formula
for interview success, just be relaxed and friendly, the easiest way
to get your personality across is to be yourself.
|
