Believe me, it’s all about belief
Belief !! – Believe in yourself. Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”
(Charles F Kettering ).
Belief in your own ability is the most important aspect of interview success.
A basketball team were split into two categories. The first team were told to practice for an hour every day, and the second team were told to spend this time visualising themselves shooting baskets.
The first and second teams achieved the same results in a basketball shooting competition after this exercise. This reinforces the fact that belief has an impact on the outcome of your success.
Put the employer’s needs first. You do this by specifically identifying the employers needs and then relating your own achievements to their requirements
Active listening is key – do not interrupt. Interviewers have key areas that they need to cover in the interview. You will aggravate the interviewer if you interrupt them.
Always be positive, especially about previous employers. Even when things have gone badly for you, try to think positively about what you have learned from the experience. Never speak about your previous experiences in a negative manner as it comes across really badly in interview.
If you have had a bad experience in the past and it needs to be brought up, explain that you really enjoyed the experience but you wanted to focus your goals and aspirations on something else. Words like ‘challenging’ can be used here instead of ‘difficult’. ‘Opportunities’ instead of ‘Problems’.
Honesty is always recommended in interview. However, this does not mean that you completely divulge all of your thoughts (If you are applying for a particular position because of their agreeable hours, this is best not stated in interview ).
If you do not understand the interviewer’s question, just ask them to repeat it again or tell them that you are not sure but that from your interpretation, the ‘following answer’ would apply...
Never discuss personal or private issues during an interview. Always remain professional and remember that this is a meeting to assess your skills for a particular job and not a chat. Candidates can often ‘forget’ that they are in an Interview situation, especially if the Interviewer is particularly laid back and began to divulge their own personal circumstances.
Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Natural eye contact involves looking up and down and away when thinking about your answers too. A healthy amount of direct eye contact is necessary to interact well but it’s absolutely fine to look away or down at your notes when speaking.
Speak clearly but not too fast. Even if you feel anxious, your voice can hide a multitude of nerves. (It is very difficult to tell if someone is nervous if they speak in a clear, calm voice )
Try to avoid mannerisms - don't fidget.
Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is underrated! This is not only important in interviews, it transfers into other areas of business; successful sales people are trained that enthusiasm sells and ultimately that ‘people buy people’!
Smile confidently and ensure that you speak positively about the job that you are applying for.
At the end of the interview you will have a chance to ask questions. Have one ready.
Always Be Professional – don’t try to be humorous if it’s not apt. It’s very uncomfortable for both parties if someone is trying to be funny and it’s not appropriate. Also, respect your Interviewer and always remember that they have a role to play also. Be courteous and polite.
Never tell the interviewers that you are nervous. In most interview scenarios, it is very difficult to tell if a person is nervous or not. By highlighting the fact, you are drawing the Interviewer’s attention to this.
Sli Nua Careers (tel 094 95 42965, www.SliNuaCareers.com ) are based on Main Street, Headford, Co. Galway, and carry out CV Preparation, Interview Training, and Personal Branding. Fidelma has extensive industry experience in the area of human resources, interviewing, and career training. She is also a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP ) practitioner.
