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NOTE: Natalie Redman, LinkedIn provides today’s guest blog, ‘Top 5 Ways To Help Perform Better in Interviews.’
Natalie Redman
Natalie Redman is a freelance writer for many clients across multiple industries. Natalie has two years of copywriting experience and a wide range of expertise in copywriting for web pages for businesses across many industries. She’s also an owner of two blog websites and a Youtube content creator.
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Top 5 Ways To Help Perform Better in Interviews
A job interview can be a daunting experience for anyone who is hoping to secure a new job. It can be a rollercoaster of emotions, and the process of finding a job can be exhausting. Not only do you have to tweak your resume for each application, but many require cover letters, and that’s even before you step foot into the interview itself.
Interviews are not always a strong point for everyone and so knowing how to perform better in them can be a real benefit. With the right approach and confidence, you can come out of the interview with the opinion that you tried your very best.
In this article, we’ll explain the five ways to help perform better in interviews, as well as guidance on what to expect. Whether you’re a seasoned job seeker or you’re looking for your first-ever role, this is a guide that can help you perform better in interviews and become the candidate of choice.
What to expect from an interview
Employers seek out candidates who ticks all the relevant boxes they’re looking for when recruiting a role. Out of 2,000 recruitment managers surveyed by Twin, 36% of employers look for multitasking skills. 31% look for initiative, and 21% look for creative thinking. The other 12% look for something else in the candidate
With that in mind, it’s essential to know what you will expect from a typical interview process so that you can deliver the best version of yourself on the day. After receiving a call or email saying you have the invitation for a job interview, they’ll usually explain what the discussion will include.
Some employers will conduct phone interviews, others on video calls, but most will do face-to-face interviews. Seeing some in the flesh can be a lot more indicative of whether they are a good fit for the company. The same interview by Twin found that 90 seconds is all it takes for those recruitment managers to know whether the candidate is the right person for the job.
That’s a short opportunity of time to impress, so it’s essential to be on it from the get-go. How can you perform better in interviews? There are many ways to approach an interview, so take a look at some of the handy tips below.
- Prepare yourself the day before and on the day
Preparation is critical when it comes to performing better in an interview. It’s good to prepare for your interview both on the day and the day prior, where necessary. A platform like Pitch can be a great way to prepare any documents or presentations you may need to present during the first or second round of interviews.
With Pitch’s presentation maker, the platform allows you to create highly professional presentations that will hopefully blow your competition out of the water.
Attract interest in all that you do.
Preparing yourself in other ways is also necessary to help perform better in an interview—getting a good night’s sleep the night before to running yourself through the background knowledge of the company. Good company knowledge will leave a good impression on the interview panel. It’s not just about passion for the role but being aware of what the company does beyond it.
- Practice your answers with mock interviews
An excellent way to prepare yourself for the interview is to test yourself with some mock questions. It’s handy to have a friend, partner, or close colleague that can go through the typical questions you may receive. That way, you’re not innocently walking into an interview, and you’ll be able to relax a little more because of it, hopefully.
Face-to-face interviews will usually take around 45-90 minutes, depending on the role and the company’s approach to interviewing. With that said, it’s beneficial to run yourself to time, answering questions and having the mock interviewer, taking notes.
When the interviewers are making notes, it can be off-putting because you’ll want to know if it’s a good or bad thing. Focus on answering the questions and try not to get distracted by what they’re writing. It can be very easy to lose track of what you were saying, which could reflect poorly on you, especially with an important question.
If there’s anything you answer in the mock test that you’re unsure about, or if there are gaps in your knowledge, do your revision. It’s better to go into the interview knowing more than not knowing enough. While there will be natural pauses in the discussion, it’s good to keep the conversation going and give them well-detailed answers where possible.
The more mock interviews you do, the more confident you’ll feel on the day. It’s something worth doing, mainly if you’ve found yourself underperforming in interviews prior.
- Look the part by choosing your outfit carefully
What you wear is a telling influence on whether or not you’re suitable for the job. It’s important to notice what type of job you are going for, such as a corporate company to a creative startup. The uniforms or choice of outfits will vary from place to place, but it’s essential that you wear the right outfit.
It’s always good to pull out your outfit the night before to eliminate extra panic over what to wear the day of the interview. Make sure the attire has been vetted by close friends or family so that you don’t go into the meeting convinced that you’re wearing something that could be a wrong choice.
Many interviewees will likely choose a suit or formal outfits like trousers and a smart white shirt for the corporate appearance. A bit of research might give you an idea of what the dress code is. If you’re not sure, nothing is stopping you from asking the recruiter for guidance.
Be sure to take care of your appearance, not just concerning your clothes. Check your hair, any makeup you may be wearing, and be sure to check for a confident smile, too! It’s the small details that the interview panel will notice.
- Stay calm and find what nerve-busting tricks work for you
Staying calm is the best way to ensure that you won’t let those nerves get to you on the interview day. However, that’s easier said than done, and without any preparation or knowledge of tricks to keep calm, it can all fall apart quite easily.
There are lots of nerve-busting tricks that are out there to keep calm in general. Some find that avoiding caffeine can help maintain a level head, while others swear by breathing techniques upon waiting to go into the interview room.
A few suggestions for staying calm both before and during the interview could be any of the following:
- Prepare yourself with mock interviews.
- Preparation will help avoid going in without any preparation; it will more likely contribute to nerves without it.
- Look after yourself with some self-care.
- Take a bath, read a book, or get an early night. Any of these self-care tips will hopefully reduce those pre-interview jitters.
- Talk to someone who calms you down.
- You will likely have someone you trust, and when it comes to feeling nervous, talking to someone can help relieve it.
The handshake helps you to perform to succeed.
Think positive and envision yourself at the end of the interview.
Sometimes, looking ahead is better than focusing on what the next hour is likely to turn out. Think positive and think about that feeling you’ll get when stepping out of the interview room. Smile and fake the confidence until you feel confident. Sometimes faking confidence is the only thing that can help, and eventually, you’ll feel it for real. Don’t forget to smile!
Despite some interviewers stating that it will be a relaxing interview process, you may end up feeling nervous and jittery regardless. A lot of those nerves aren’t going to go away entirely, and for the most part, it’s all down to the experience of interviews. Unfortunately for most, it never gets easier.
- Ask questions and maintain your interest
Finally, be sure to ask questions when they ask you for them. It’s better to have a bank of questions that you can ask than to have nothing at all.
Asking questions will also show that you’ve maintained interest and that you’re pushing for that little bit of extra time with the interviewers. Chalk every interview up to a learning experience for improvement.
Typically, there’s only one role available for a job listing, which means the odds are against you. With the average job conversion rate between 30-40%, it’s worth remembering that you’re not always going to succeed. Chalk every interview up to experience, and that experience will give you a better chance to improve the following job interview to become the candidate of choice ultimately.
Know that when a job interview does not work out well, usually, something better is coming just around the corner.
For More Insights: Visit Elinor’s Amazon Author Page
“Communicate to Attract Interest”
Be A Story-Teller
As the CEO of Smooth Sale, after her near-death experience, Stutz adapted the motto, “Believe, Become, Empower.”Nice Girls DO Get the Sale is an International Best-Selling and Evergreen book – among the classics; HIRED! Helped many to secure the job they desired.
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- Do You Perform To Succeed?
- Do You Build Relationships With Strangers?
- Are You Attentive To Your Priorities?
- Do You Handle Negativity Graciously?
- Are You Ready To Do More?
Sales Tips: Top 5 Ways To Help Perform Better in Interviews
- Research the company thoroughly.
- Compare the employer of interest to their top three competitors.
- Consider what you like best and least of each of the four companies.
- Create relevant questions to keep in mind for the interview.
- Upon connecting with the interviewer, say something nice about their office or virtual background.
- To get the interview on the right track upfront, ask the interviewer what caught their interest.
- Repeat the answer concerning their interest to reply to the question, ‘tell me about yourself.’
- At the end of the conversation, ask if you sound like the candidate they seek.
- Before standing up, inquire about the next steps and what you may expect.
- Celebrate Success!
Today’s insights are provided to help you achieve the Smooth Sale!
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