Nowadays with the increase of people in Higher Education getting University degrees and training qualifications, the job interview is even more vitally important as the means to distinguish yourself from everyone else.
It is your opportunity to sell yourself.
Who else is going to do it if you are not prepared to do it?
Therefore, it is essential to get over the mind-block many people have in these situations: you are not being arrogant when you say what you are good at and why they should give you the job. Yet, so many people cannot do it. It's not simply that, many people are not even aware of the need or have considered that it is necessary to do so.
It is vital to think about it - what am I good at? why should they give me the job? why am I the best person for the job?
It is vital to plan for the interview, to prepare what you want to say and practise how to say it.
The biggest mistake in an interview is lack of preparation, which results in a lack of clear, concise thought, so answers become long-winded and meandering, with often the inability to answer the actual question or else the answer becomes lost in the middle of the waffle. This means that you have missed the opportunity to sell yourself.
An interview is essentially an exercise in communication; you are communicating with your potential future employer about why they should hire you.
It is unlikely that you will be the only person they are interviewing and the interview will most certainly have a time-frame, which means that you need to communicate your ideas briefly and succinctly, transmitting your sales-pitch at every opportunity. You need to be very clear about what you want them to know about you and what you want or need to transmit, so you can be flexible about getting this information into an answer from a range of possible questions. The Internet is full of web-pages of interview questions, but you cannot predict which ones are going to be asked. However, there is an underlying trend in a lot of the questions which by looking at them and thinking about your answers you can see. It is essential, also, to be very clear about the brief for the job and to read carefully any correspondance you receive in relation with the interview and the company website, as clues to what type of person and what kind of skills they are looking for will often appear. Therefore, opening the possibility of matching your skills with what is demanded.
You need to practise, practise, practise!
As I mentioned before, there is often a time-frame for the interview so you cannot give long-winded answers. The classic question 'Tell me about yourself' is one of those which causes the most problems. Some people see this as an opportunity to give a long life history. Do they really think the interviewer is interested? No. What the interviewer wants to know are things that are beneficial for the job on offer; academic and work history - but not everything, only that which can be related to the job, and maybe some extra information that can demonstrate concepts such as responsibility, commitment, dedication, initiative and so on, as long as the job requires these qualities. All must be expressed briefly, so again I say, preparation and practise are necessary to weed out unimportant pieces of information, waffling and long-windedness. It will make sure that you actually answer the question that you have been asked. People are nervous in interviews, it is natural, but preparation and a clear idea about what you want to say will help calm the nerves and help maintain the focus on what you are saying and how you are saying it.
Although you might fully answer the question, abet in a convoluted way, the interviewer might not see it that way. The information is clear to you as you are the one who has lived it, but it is often confusing to a person listening and they will be lost in the deluge of relevant and irrelevant information. Clear, succinct answers are necessary to steer the interviewer in the direction you want to take him or her. This takes practise.
Don't forget to sell yourself! People become incredibly modest when faced with interviews and feel uncomfortable about showing themselves in the best light. "Oh, I'm not that kind of person" they say. If you were Head Boy at school, Captain of the basketball team, won a design competition, were congratulated or recognised for a work project, won an award or have any other good qualities or experiences, tell them. If you do not, nobody else will. These are all distinguishing points to help you stand out from the competition. By practising your answers and by being clear about what you want to say, you enable yourself to relax and give yourself the chance to be more natural, yourself in fact, in the interview. Your personality is what will also distinguish you from the rest.
So, to recap:
Preparation: know what you want to say, what the company is wanting, practise answering questions clearly communicating briefly all you need to transmit. Relate your skills, experience and strengths to the job, sell yourself honestly - don't lie!
Practise: get someone to listen and answer critically with constructive feedback about what you have said. Is it clear and concise? Does it match what was asked and what is expected of me? Does it sound convincing? Did I sell myself well? What is the general impression that I transmit? Do I sound like someone you would want to employ? Have I done the best possible job?
At OSL The Language Boutique we have had a lot of success guiding people through interview preparations, making people aware of how they transmit themselves and communicate their ideas, enabling them to demonstrate the best of themselves. We believe that everyone has the answers to how best do the interview within them, but that they do not always know how to best go about demonstrating it or sometimes cannot see the best direction to go. Our aim is to give people the confidence they need to find the way and show themselves at their best.
Check out the webpage: www.entrevistasmadrid.com
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