Tuesday, July 26, 2016
How Not To Ace A Job Interview
Come Recommended: I once showed up to a job interview with the Australian Stock Exchange armed with enough pieces of paper to compile a small book. They probably thought I had taken the wrong turn and was supposed to be in the ‘launch a public company’ department. I wasn’t. I was actually there for a fairly routine job interview as a project manager.
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With my interview coming up next week, I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to do it. Many people are spending a lot of time on their portfolio’s, which is important, but not as important as the actually presentation and what you are doing. A person may have a perfect portfolio, but if they do not present themselves well, then there is no way that they will present themselves well enough to get the job that they want. A really like is point about understanding your key message. Understanding why you want to do whatever you are interviewing for is the most important part. This will help you not be surprised when the interviewer asks why you are applying for whatever you are applying for. If an interviewer doesn’t feel as thought you know why you are interested in the job, then they definitely will not offer you anything. Personally that is my biggest fear: that I will not be able to convey my why as well as I should.
With exit interviews looming, I have been spending a lot of time preparing and wondering how to do my best once I am in the room. I learned that the best way to prepare for an interview is to know yourself and your work forwards and backwards. If you know who you are and what you are all about, confidence will come naturally. Along with knowing who you are, being self-aware is just as important to me. I would not feel comfortable going into an interview if I was not aware of myself, and if I am not comfortable, the interviewers won’t be either. By knowing your work, you will be able to speak freely about it and answer any questions that may arise. All of this is being able to speak candidly about who you are and what your work is about. Everyone has a different system, but I find that studying myself and my work best prepares me for anything the interviewers may throw my way.
This is certainly helpful, not personally having a ton of experience with job interviews I don't know what is important or what isn't, nor do I have a good idea of how to prepare to answer questions while coming off as more dignified and well put-together than the person writing this article had. As someone who does his best interaction with other people in writing and not impromptu speaking, I am nervous about being able to carry an interview for the duration. It seems silly, but I think what was most helpful to me about this article was the last point, which asked what you are actually working towards and wanted to make sure that you didn't forget this. It seems silly even to me, but I will absolutely nervously waffle about for a while, forgetting what I am actually doing when it comes to situations where I have to present some part of myself to other people. Overall, I am glad to hear I am not the only one who has these kinds of problems in an interview, and that is also a comfort that I think will help keep me relaxed.
Its hard to really figure out what a interview is going to be like, since every job and interviewer is different from the next. But these 3 general point are very nice to zone in on to make sure you are at least prepared for what's going to happen. My brother, sister, and parents have had a good amount of interview experience and with their help on what type of questions and what to prepare yourself for, I been successful in a good amount of my interviews. However, some didn't work, simply because you can't assume every job interview is going to be like that; like the article said. With exit interviews coming around the corner, these tips will definetly be useful for me. This interview is crucial and with every teacher/interviewer having different styles and personalities, you need to make sure you are ready. Luckily, out teachers have given us insight on how the interviews usually work, as well as what they usually like to see. So, hopefully with the teacher's and article's information, everyone will be able to have a successful interview.
Preparing for an interview is a more daunting task than the actual interview in my mind. There are so many “what ifs…” surrounding who the interviewer will be, if they are easy to get along with, and what they’ll ask. These three points are really helpful in tackling the whole process of interviewing, as well as if this is a position or program you will flourish in. They are also good questions to be asking yourself when trying to form questions of your own for the interviewer. You can find out what draws you to the position and where you can’t see clearly. It is so much more productive to walk in to an interview knowledgeable about what you are applying for and why you should be there, and this article lays a good foundation for being prepared in that way. In these situations, being clear is so important, but reaching that clarity can be such a challenge, so it is so helpful to hear from successful people or good resources on how to get to that point.
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