ace that interview

So you’ve taken a great deal of time to painstakingly craft the perfect resume, and you’ve managed to land yourself an interview for an amazing job that you want so bad you can almost taste it.  Now what?

I’m going to give you some valuable insights that should help you before, during and after the interview that I guarantee will at least put you on the recruiter radar if not secure you a second interview or even the job itself.

1. It goes completely without saying that you must must must prepare impeccably for your first impression face time with the person who stands between you and the job for which you feel you are destined.  If you haven’t done so already take the time to do your homework on the company and industry for which you are interviewing.  Spend time on their website learning about their history, mission, vision, values, etc.  jot down some notes about what you bring to the table that harmonize with these and be prepared to speak to them.

2. I am going to introduce you to two words that you must make part of your vocabulary immediately:

Impression Management

In these few short moments that you have with the representative of the organization with whom you are meeting you have only one shot to impress them, and this is no small feat.  The interviewer has high expectations at this point because s/he is aware that this will be the best behaviour they are going to see from you, so if you don’t knock their socks off now…you never will.

3. Calm your nerves.  I know this is easier to say than do, but if you are obviously nervous to the point where you stutter, shake or can’t make eye contact it will make the interviewer concerned that you won’t be able to handle the pressure of the job either.  If you are completely overwhelmed with anxiety practice some relaxation techniques, and then try this: pretend that you are going into a meeting to discuss from a troubleshooting standpoint how you can help this organization.  Act as if you are a consultant who has been invited to explain to an assigned ‘information gatherer’ what services you offer and be an active listener to their comments and questions and respond with solutions or suggestions as if you are helping them solve a problem.  It will put your mental activity in the forefront and you will forget all about being nervous.

4.  Don’t overpromise.  Hopefully you haven’t committed ‘resume fraud‘ and misrepresented your capabilities or achievements on your resume, as this is a major career faux pas, and can lead to future shameful termination.  Be prepared to answer questions that may be asked to clarify the information on your CV by anticipating what they might ask you, but resist the temptation to go overboard and just speak to the skills you can confidently say you possess.

5.  Ask the question.  At the end of the interview if the recruiter hasn’t already explained it, ask what the next steps are.  Make sure that when you leave that meeting you have a clear idea as to what is going to happen next.  Asking politely “When should I follow up?” will prompt the answer you need.  A reputable company will let you know either way if you were successful or not, but showing some initiative here gives a good impression.  Another question you might ask is “Is there anything you can see that would prevent me from getting this job?”  This will definitely make you unforgettable in a positive way, and that’s exactly what you want.

6.  Personally I feel following up with a handwritten Thank You note is a nice touch.  An email is too easily lost in the shuffle and conveniently deleteable.  When you send a note by old fashioned snail mail it sits on their desk begging to be opened and is likely to stay there if you have chosen a pretty or striking card, which just leaves your essence lingering even longer.  However there are decent arguments against this practice you should consider.  Let the personality and nature of the company and/or person who interviewed you be the deciding factor.