10 Techniques to Ace an Interview
Interviews can be easy if you know how to prepare and what to say. If you follow these 10 techniques you are sure to get that perfect job you’ve always wanted.
Interviews can be terribly stressful and nerve wracking. If you know what the prospective employer is looking for in an employee it is easy to ace the interview. Getting your foot in the door is one thing, but actually getting hired is a whole another ball game. Here are 10 of the best techniques I’ve uncovered to land that perfect job.
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This may be obvious to most folks, but make sure you clean yourself up for an interview.
Shave, shower, put on deodorant, do whatever it is that would make you look (and hopefully smell) better than normal. This is partially because you want to look good in front of the interviewer, but more importantly it is also because you want to “feel good”. Doing well in an interview is all about being prepared mentally and physically.
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Make sure you get a good nights sleep!
You want to be bright and alert for the next day’s interview. If think you might have trouble sleeping than read up on some good sleep relaxation techniques. There are many good ones and they work really well.
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Make sure you arrive to the interview at least 15mins ahead of time!
I have interviewed many a good candidate that was completely frazzled because they were a mere 5mins late. Don’t add undue stress on your day, arrive early.
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Eat a good breakfast.
You will need that energy later in the day. Likewise, throughout the day make sure to take opportunities to have a snack and at lunch time relax and eat a good meal. This will help keep you alert, and also will show the interviewer(s) that you have a well balanced diet and take care of yourself.
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Mentally prepare yourself for the interview!
I can’t stress this enough; make sure that mentally you are prepared to talk about yourself, your experiences, and your skills. Good interviewers will smell bullcrap a mile away. If you faked something on your resume or aren’t prepared to go in-depth on your history you’re going to have a long and painful day.
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Mentally prepare yourself to work for the company!
Once again, this is absolutely essential. Don’t walk into company A without the faintest clue on what they do. If you really want the job than research the company, the product line, the position, heck even the type of employees that work at the company.
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Give the interviewer the impression you would do “anything” for the job.
Per #6, research the company extensively (even study at night). If you show a desire to work at the company the interviewer will reciprocate and want to hire you on.
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Be open, direct and honest; in fact be terribly honest.
If you don’t know the answer to a question tell the interviewer, “sorry I don’t know the answer to X but I definitely am interested in learning about X”.
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Show emotions!
Smile, frown when you concentrate, rub your chin, talk, open up, and show the interviewer you’re human.
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Be confident!
Remember that they wanted to interview you because they are impressed with your experience and skills on your resume. You’ve already gotten through the hard part (which is to get an interview), now you just need to show them the person behind the paper.
2 Comments
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Good advice although I’d say be careful with number 7. You don’t want to seem too desperate. You want them to know that you want the job but you are worth going after as well.