Improve your communication skills for better career prospects

8 TIPS TO HELP YOU IMPRESS YOUR INTERVIEWER

Once you master the small talk, here are some tips that will help you impress your interviewer. • Work on your handshake: Don`t offer up a flimsy or sweaty hand. Instead, when you meet with prospective employers or interviews, offer a firm handshake, with one or two pumps from the elbow to the hand. It`s a good way to illustrate your confidence and start the interview off on the right note.

1. Get serious : If you take a casual approach to the initial interview with a company, especially with a screening interviewer from the human resources department, you may be sealing your fate. Job seekers should treat every interview as if it`s their one and only chance to sell themselves to the recruiter.
2. Get the practice : If you find yourself being offered an interview for a job you are not really interested in, go on the interview anyway; you can make contacts for future job opportunities and get valuable interview practice.
3. Be enthusiastic : Bring a positive attitude to your interview. Most interviewers won`t even give a second thought to someone who has a negative presence or seems like they almost need to be talked into the job. "You`re selling yourself, and part of you is the positive approach you`ll bring to the office every morning," says Alison Richardson, a recruiter for several New York financial firms. "That smile and friendly demeanour go a long way."
4. Ask questions : When interviewing for a new position, it`s essential to have a handful of questions to ask your potential employer. Some questions could include: What do you consider to be the ideal background for the position? What are some of the significant challenges? What`s the most important thing I can do to help within the first 90 days of my employment? Do you have any concerns that I need to clear up in order to be the top candidate?
5. Tell a story : Your interviewer wants to know about your skills and experiences, but he or she also wants to know about you. Don`t fire off routine answers to questions. Instead, work your answers into stories or anecdotes about yourself. People remember the people who are interesting. Prove your value by tailoring stories that address the main concern an interviewer may have: What can you do for us?
6. Show restraint : During an interview, what you don`t say may be as important as what you do say. As a rule, don`t talk about money or benefits, especially during the first interview. You should already know if you fit the parameters. Don`t badmouth about any of your past employers. Organizations don`t hire complainers. Don`t mention outside career aspirations or part-time jobs. Employers are looking for people who want to be part of their organization for the next decade and beyond.
7. Whatever you do, don` mention the need for an immediate vacation. First of all, you`re making an assumption that the recruiter wants to hire you. Second, you`re essentially removing yourself from the list of potential candidates. A job candidate we once interviewed was quick to announce that she needed time off immediately for a two-week honeymoon. We hadn`t even offered her the job. Needless to say, we didn`t. certainly, there are scenarios in which you`ll need to discuss pending scheduling conflicts, but the interview isn`t one of them.
8. Be memorable : Considering the number of job seekers interviewing for positions today, it`s fair to suggest that many HR workers can hardly keep track of the differences. That`s why it`s important to do or say something that will allow you to stand out in the mind of your interviewer. It will strike a personal note and also provide a point of reference when it`s time to recall the top candidates. Sure, the job candidate with "Indian Idol" experience we mentioned in the introduction had no real usable background for the job we were looking for, but he was memorable.

HOW TO BEST PREPARE FOR YOUR JOB INTERVIEW

Now that you have an interview, there are certain things you will want to do in advance to prepare for it. This article will provide practical tips on how to prepare for a job interview. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so you`ll want to do your best on preparing for your interview in advance.

Pick out what you are going to wear on your job interview:

What you wear on your interview is an absolutely crucial part of how to prepare for a job interview. After you choose your outfit, make sure it is cleaned and pressed and you have the appropriate accessories and shoes to go with it. It doesn t hurt to try the outfit on ahead of time, just to make sure everything fits and you look great. Then put your outfit aside for day of your interview and have it ready to go. Now that you have this crucial step out of the way, you can concentrate on the rest.

Practice greeting your interviewer:

You should always greet your interview with friendly smile and firm handshake. If you do this right, you will set off the right energy and the chances of the interview going well will increase. This is a small and simple step that you should always to do to prepare for your interview.

Study your resume and know everything on it:

Any work experience or skills you have listed on your resume are fair game to talk about during the interview. Your resume is all the interviewer has to go by in order to get to know you. They may pick things out from it and ask you to elaborate. Even though you may have a previous job listed that was many years ago, the interviewer may ask you to explain what you did at that job and you are responsible for providing an answer. This is one step you absolutely won`t want to skip on how to prepare for a job interview.

Practice your answers to the most common interview questions:

If you don t know what these are, do your research and find out or see one of my other articles. You`ll want to have your answers ready and practice them. You should always be able to answer "Tell me about yourself" and "Why do you think you would be great for this job?" The employer doesn`t know, so it`s up to you to sell it.

Don`t completely memorize your answers so they come out rehearsed, but have a clear idea of what you are going to say. When you are asked, you want your answer to come out intelligently and natural. Be open to other questions as well and really know what you can offer to the company.

Research the company and the job position you are applying for:

Write down any questions you may have about either so you can ask during the interview. If there any requirement of the job that you are unsure of, you should definitely ask during the interview. It always looks nice when you go into an interview with intelligent questions. It shows you put effort in preparing for the interview. However, never ask questions just to ask questions. The interviewer will see right through that. Your questions should be genuine and relevant.

Find out the type of interview you will be going on:

There are several common types of interviews such as one on one, group, and behavioural. You shouldn`t assume you will get a certain one. Don`t be afraid to ask your recruiter what kind of interview will have if you don`t know – the interview will be more beneficial to both parties if you are prepared.

Print out the directions to the interview and be on time:

Allow enough time to get there and anticipate traffic. It`s ok to be up to 10 minutes early, but no more than that. Otherwise, the interviewer may not be ready for you. Bring the phone number of your interviewer just in case you get lost or are going to be late. If you are going to be late, call to let the interviewer know.

Follow these tips and you will successfully know how to prepare for a job interview. Interviewers can tell whether or not a candidate has prepared for it or not and they will appreciate it if you did.

In today`s competitive work environment, you need to be proactive and prepared to convert each opportunity into an employment prospect. Possessing strong communication skills is the 1st step to ensure that every interview results into a positive outcome. To accomplish the same, our communication and interview preparation courses will equip you to with the enabler: strong communication skills.

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