How To Nail An Interview

Have you got a job interview coming up? Do you want to not only succeed, but nail the interview? Well, keep reading for some recommendations on how you can do that!

Interviews are a significant part of an IT professional’s career. You’ve possibly had, or will have, several interviews over your career - some that went well, some not so well. I’ve listed certain techniques below that I hope prove useful on how you can nail an interview.

Before The Interview

Plenty of the work for an interview is carried out before the actual interview begins. It gets you set up and in a good position to get the job you’re looking for. Some recommendations on things you can do ahead of the interview are:

• Research the company - Look up the business, their website, any news articles about them. Discover a bit about what they do, and what they look for. You might have done this when you put together your resume, but this will help to get it fresh in your head.

• Bring your resume - A small number people do this anymore, and recruiters typically have a copy with them. However, if you bring a copy of your resume, itshows you’re dedicated and prepared for the interview.

• Bring a notepad - If you take a notepad to an interview, it displays you’re willing to take notes and are interested in what the recruiter has to say.

• Dress smart - The attire you wear to the interview play a major part in the first impression of you in the interview. Dress correct for the job and the interview. If you’re not sure, dress on the more careful side - business attire is recommended.

• Set Your Facebook User profile to Private - It’s typical practice among recruiters to check a candidate’s social networking profiles, such as Facebook. Even if you don’t have anything awkward on there, it’s a good idea to set it to private or friends only.

• Be On Time - Nothing provides a worse first impression than arriving late to an interview. Ensure that you’re on time. Make sure you take into consideration any situation that can go wrong in getting there - delays with trains and buses, not enough car parks, elevators broken. It’s better to be half an hour early than a few minutes late!

• Turn Your Phone Off - Be sure that your phone is switched off for the interview. Turning it onto silent can be an option, and if you do that it’s a great idea to turn off the vibrate function, as a phone vibrating in your pocket may sidetrack you in an interview. If you would like nail an interview, you don’t need any interruptions - to either you or the interviewer.
Throughout The Interview

This is the time that you’ve been waiting for. The ability to talk to someone from the organization and hopefully get a position with them. Several ways to enhance your odds are:

• Smile and Be Polite - When you meet the recruiter, smile and shake their hand. Be polite and pleasant. They don’t need to listen to your life dramas. A confident attitude and a nice smile go a long way.

• Don’t Badmouth Your Previous Employer - It may look like like it’s acceptable at that moment, or you may need to explain the reason why you’re there, but there’s no reason to speak detrimentally about a previous employer. They might think you’ll do the same to them when you look for your next job.

• Mention Your Goals - This shows assurance and direction for your career, along with passion for what you do. Knowing where you desire to go, and exactly how the position fits into your goals, it shows the business you know what you desire. It also will help the employer in determining if they want to hire you or not.

• Promote Your Accomplishments - The biggest tip to anyone going for an interview is to be able to sell themselves. Interviews are about convincing an employer that they need to hire you. The ideal way to do that is to promote your feats. Talk about things you’ve done in the past as a way to meet deadlines or deliver projects or be successful in teams. Even though you have no experience, you are able to mention that you’ve successfully passed a degree or certification and achieved certain marks. Concentrate on the positive!

• Ask Questions - This part of the interview isn’t just a pleasantry. It’s a good chance to indicate you’ve been concentrating and are keen on the company. Try and think up a few questions from your initial research, and possibly a few from the interview itself. Questions on salary, or taking leave days, or anything like that would be better left to later in the process when you’re certain you have the job.

After The Interview

Once the interview ends, congratulations, almost all of the hard work is over! Having said that, there are some steps you can take that can help your chances a small amount further and learn how to nail an interview:

• Thank Them For Their Time - When leaving the interviewer, say goodbye to them in a comparable way you met them. Smile, shake their hand, and thank them for his or her time. This will show consideration and professionalism.

• Send A Thank You Follow-Up - This isn’t something which everyone does, which is the reaso
I think it’s a good idea for you to do this. Thanking the interviewer a couple of days after the actual interview is an effective little trick to jump out from the crowd. It should help your chances too!
I hope these tips show you how to nail an interview - if you have one coming up or just for a bit of general interview knowledge!