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Top 5 Job Interview Tips

Most people feel pressured when they’re interviewing for a job; you know, sweaty palms, increased heart rate, fidgeting. It happens to all of us at one point or another.  However there are tips that will help you get through an interview at least appearing to be calm and collected.  These top 5 tips will help you cover everything you need to know to successfully ace your next job interview.

1.     Check out the Company
Don’t get caught unprepared.  Learn as much as you can about the company before the job interview. Being well prepared means you will be able to answer interview questions as well as ask the interviewer questions to find out if you and the company and its culture are a good fit.
Take the time, in advance, to search the Internet to discover as much information as you can about the company, its products, management and culture. This means going to their corporate websites, LinkedIn, Facebook and Wikipedia. General searches will also uncover interesting links that can reveal what the corporate culture is.

You also want to tap into your network to see who you know that can help give you an interview edge over the other candidates by revealing something important and timely. Be careful if you have access to current employees that they don’t reveal confidential or sensitive information.

You can determine the corporate culture by the look and feel of the website, how much information is online, the company mission statement and its history, products and services, management team and hiring processes. Many companies will have (multiple) blogs and some will have Twitter and Facebook pages. Because you need to be efficient in your research, you want to make sure you cover a general overview for the first interview and then go deeper if you are called back for subsequent interviews.

2.     Practice Interviewing
Taking the time to review typical interview questions you will probably be asked during a job interview will help give you a framework for your responses and will help calm your frazzled nerves. With practice, you won’t be scrambling for an answer while you’re in the interview hot seat. Ask a friend or family member to help you; it’s one of the best investments you can make.
When you’re practicing, it’s not about memorizing answers, but having the main points at the top of your mind so that under stress, you can (1) remember the point and (2) present it logically and articulately. When stressed, many people speak too fast and their thoughts can’t keep up which provides for bungled answers that under non-stressed circumstances would be completely different.

The interviewer knows you’re nervous, but he or she wants to hire someone who’s confident – the best person for the job. If you’re all over the place with your answers, you risk making a bad first impression.

3.     Improve Your Interview Technique
A job interview gives you a chance to shine.  What you say and what you do is going to either move you to the next round of consideration for employment or knock you out of contention.  It doesn’t take much to make an impression – good or bad.  If you haven’t taken time to dress appropriately or if you say the “wrong” thing, it will be over.

Take the time to prepare your interview technique including knowing what’s on your resume, being able to present why you are qualified for the job, why you’re interested in the company, and practicing staying calm and focused.  It’s important to remember that the image the interviewer has of you when he first meets you is the one that is going to last.

Recruiters and employers have been surprised when applicants weren’t able to recollect the dates of previous employment or what they actually did on a day-to-day basis in the specific roles.  Review your work history – and make sure what you say matches what’s on your resume.
The more facts, figures and outcomes you can summaries, the better. The interviewer has read or at least skimmed your resume. Your task is to embellish (without lying or exaggerating) with anecdotes and supplementary information.

What you don’t say can – and will – be used against you in a job interview.  If you go to an interview chewing gum or drinking coffee, you will already have one strike against you.  Too much perfume or not enough deodorant won’t help either.  Not being dressed appropriately or having scuffed shoes will give you another strike.  Talking, or texting on your cell phone, or listening to an iPod while waiting to be called for the interview may be another final strike and you could be done with your candidacy before you even say a word.

4.     Dress for Interview Success
The first impression you make on a potential employer can make a big difference. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That’s why it’s always important to dress professionally for a job interview.
Make sure you go into the job interview having showered and wearing clean clothes.  If you like wearing cologne or perfume, don’t wear any on the day of the interview.  What might be subtle smelling to you, may probably be overwhelming to your interviewer.

At a job interview, proper etiquette dictates that your manner of dress should fit in with the scene around you, but to show your respect for the occasion you need to dress just a step above the norm of that environment.  The reason is because inappropriate business attire creates an unacceptable distraction.  The focus should be on you and your skills, your clothes shouldn’t be stealing the show.

Just because your job interview is scheduled on casual Friday, doesn’t mean that you can show up in jeans and an untucked shirt.  Regardless of the job you’re applying for, it’s important to dress for success. Conversely, it’s also important not to overdress.  Waltzing into your job interview looking like the Monopoly Man may make your prospective employer think that you’re failing to take the process seriously. Play it safe and consider these examples: if everyone at the workplace wears jeans and T-shirts, wear slacks and a long-sleeved button-down shirt.  If they’re in slacks and button-down shirts, wear a coat and consider a tie.

5.     Be on Time
There is no excuse for being late, none!  You don’t want a your interviewer to be annoyed before the interview even starts; so do whatever it takes to be on time.  Blaming the traffic or anything else doesn’t matter (even if it’s true).

A job interview isn’t a party, so arriving casually late won’t score you any points.  Like anyone at work, your interviewer is most likely in the midst of a busy workday, so show them their time is valuable to you.  After all, aren’t they showing you that same respect with this chance to come in and present yourself?


Being late tells others that you’re self-centered, disorganized, rude or all three. Make sure you show up at least 10-15 minutes in advance and notify reception upon your arrival.

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