By Arshan Vakil
Jan 4 (IANS): What is it that you need to do to make sure you give of your best during an interview?
Selling yourself is one way to impress any recruiter. How can you do this? In short, it's how you look, how you behave, and how you answer that matters.
Not only is it important to sell yourself during the interview, you also need to make sure you stand out. Here's how:
Body Language: This plays a very important role during your interview. When you meet with prospective employers, 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.
Open gestures, smiling and nodding, and also mirroring the expressions and movements of the other person are some things you could do to project confidence.
Eye contact suggests you're truthful, engaging and approachable. It imparts a sense of intimacy and confidence in your interactions and makes the other person feel more positive and connected to you. However, too much eye contact can mean dominance, lack of respect or threat. On the other hand, too little eye contact can be perceived as lack of attention, insecurity, impoliteness, shyness.
Dress: Clothes do make a difference in how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. It's all about feeling good, looking poised, being self-assured and having a confident posture in all situations. Make sure you dress comfortably and rehearse your walk and sitting in the outfit. Avoid loud colours and flashy accessories; these could be very distracting for the interviewer. Wear clean and ironed clothes.
Answer to impress: If you've attended an interview recently, chances are high you were asked some version of "Tell me about yourself". Despite the near certainty of this question, candidates often struggle to provide a good answer. The three important things are: 1) Who you are, 2) Expertise highlights, 3) Why you are here. Make sure you don't say too little or too much.
"What's your greatest weakness" is the question that no one ever quite knows how to prepare to answer. This can be addressed. Think about the weaknesses you know you have overcome, earlier in your career. Some examples are: I am too much of a perfectionist, I work too hard sometimes, I care too much about my work.
An interview is a two-way street. Your potential employer is asking you questions to learn about you and your skills. In return, you need to prepare questions to ask your potential employer about the position, your boss and the company in order to be sure that this is the right job for you. Show interest!
Doing your homework: The most important thing about an interview is your knowledge of the company. It is a good idea to read up about the company and its place in the market. It will help to know the company's mission and vision. Compare your skills and qualifications to the job requirements.
If you take the time to prepare, you'll present the most relaxed, focused and confident version of yourself. Think about your top accomplishments and use positive adjectives while talking about them. It also helps to manage your stress and picture yourself in the job.
Once you've completed the interview, seal the deal by offering a firm handshake, saying "Thank you", and presenting a good posture. This will create a lasting impression on the interviewer among the many candidates they meet in a day.