Articles
How to succeed at interview
Why leave your interview to chance?
Here are Five Steps for improving your personal effectiveness that can have a dramatic positive impact on your future career.
Step one
Get to know the company for two important reasons ..
You need to know whether this is the right company and right career move for you. Therefore, research the company´s management style to determine whether it is democratic, open, communicative, encouraging and empowering - or the opposite! Find out the company´s approach to training and development - is it investing in its people and supporting their continuous professional development. Importantly, check its financial performance - past, present and future
You need to convince the interviewer that you understand their company - its strengths, weaknesses, goals in order to show how you can contribute to its future growth and profitability
Research sources include the Internet, financial press, past and present employees, suppliers and competitors.
Step two
Look the part. It might seem obvious advice but youÂ'd be amazed at how many people pay too little attention to their presentation Â- and first impressions do count!
If in doubt about what to wear, visit the company before the interview, observe what people wear and choose a style similar to the role that you are applying for.
Step three
Interviews involve questions and answers - ideally a two-way communication process involving listening and speaking in fairly even quantities.
Preparation is the key to responding effectively to questions. By anticipating the interviewer's main area of interest and identifying the key competencies required for the role, you will be in a more informed position to respond to questions with confidence.
This is the ideal opportunity to draw a match between your key skills and past performance with their key requirements. Ideally, take evidence to support your case. For example, if you are a Sales Consultant, the positive results of your performance in terms of new clients, business won and percentage of sales increase would be of particular interest to the interviewer and would greatly enhance your prospects of winning the job. Equally important is to ensure that the conversation is equally balanced between everyone involved and here preparation will ensure that you get to the point quickly, explicitly and succinctly.
Step four
Attitude - Approach - Ambition. Three vitally important ingredients to winning at interviews.
Use positive language to communicate an enthusiastic attitude, a results-driven approach and a progressive, forward-thinking approach to the future - in short, a personality that will distinguish you from other candidates.
Step five
Finally, make sure you leave the interview with the information that you need to help you make the decision whether this is the right career move for you. If you believe that it is, then write a 'thank-you' note to reaffirm your interest in the position and keep your name in the interviewer's mind.
If you're serious about planning a career move, and if you want to enhance your job prospects at interview, why not consider A Perfect Career's Interview Consultancy. Send an Email and we will contact you to discuss your requirements.
An article by Helga A Edge MBA
Principal Consultant
www.aperfectcareer.co.uk
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