Interviewing for a position can be a frustrating experience. You may be reluctant to "sell" yourself or answer unexpected questions. Alternatively, the possibility of having to meet and impress new people can cause stress or anxiety.
However, no matter how apprehensive you are about going on a job interview, bear in mind that interviewing is a skill that can be mastered. You will master expressing your value with prospective employers, introducing yourself confidently during interviews, and landing the job you want with the following tips and techniques.
Interviewing techniques
Interview for as much as possible.
Let's say you've narrowed your search to unique job titles and employers. You've created a list of both that you like. You've surveyed the horizon, done your research, gathered your questions, and enlisted the aid of your network. Your resume is in good working order.
Then, as a result of your web searches and referrals from your network, job openings begin to appear. Some tend to be similar, but others do not. Jobs that are "below" you, have names that seem alien, or are in fields or sectors you're unfamiliar with are easily skipped over. You've made the choice to be laser-focused and only apply for jobs that are a perfect fit for your search criteria.
However, restricting your work quest restricts your choices. You will easily miss opportunities if you create too many filters and specifications. You have to get out there and actively search out opportunities in this sort of business. Don't discount interview opportunities based on shallow or narrow parameters. You never know when a “not-quite-right” work interview can lead to a surprising match, a referral to another vacancy, or an entirely new role tailored to your particular skills and experience.
Build a clear story.
We have a propensity to assume that our lives are identical to others', that they are average and dull. As a result, many people fail to tell their own stories effectively. However, your tale is far superior to what you believe. The direction your life has taken; the lessons you've learned; your accomplishments, defeats, and ambitions—all of these things are special to you and much more fascinating than you know. A effective interviewing technique is to say your well-thought-out story.
Your story is what people use to find out who you are and where you're going. So, particularly for interviewing and networking purposes, learn to tell your storey and tell it well. Putting your story together takes a lot of time and practise.
After you've crafted your story, the next move is to practise saying it aloud, preferably in front of others. Say it right away, rather than waiting for the interview. Try recreating it on tape or sharing it with a trusted friend for feedback. Get beyond your feelings of inadequacy in your storey or your conviction that a job well done speaks for itself.
You'll find that your life hasn't just been a series of random events when you grow more comfortable sharing your story. Your story has a history and a future, and understanding where you've come from makes you see where you're going. The greatest test will come when someone asks you to "tell me about yourself."
Make your story important to the work.
The next move is to adapt your story to a particular employer or work. It's important to line up the stories that are applicable to the opportunity at hand. Put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer and ask the questions you'd ask. What of your stories pertain to this job interview? Consider personal interactions that illustrate how you dealt with change, made decisions under duress, or learned from mistakes and failures. Consider what stories you can share in the interview to show your skill set.
Any interview process needs you to understand and appreciate your storey. Don't put your confidence in your ability to think quickly. Anticipate the questions and be armed with responses. At the end of the day, it's all about leaving a good and enduring impression that shows skill and ability.
If you're having trouble coming up with a good interview storey, ask your friends or family members for advice. Take notice of the elements that make them work, such as fine details and a seamless flow. Take note of any elements that don't work, such as ambiguity or rambling. Then focus on your own experience and try to remember the occasions when you really excelled or rose to the occasion to meet a challenge. Once you've found a few, practise them until they're second nature to you, and then focus on adapting them to various types of questions.
Balance the anxiety.
Interviewing for a position can be difficult for everyone. In small doses, stress can be helpful, allowing you to work better under pressure. Stress, on the other hand, can hinder your ability to communicate during an interview by interfering with your ability to think logically and creatively. You're more likely to misread an interviewer or give contradictory or off-putting nonverbal messages when you're anxious.
You'll almost definitely be unable to use the other interviewing methods and tips if you can't easily alleviate tension and return to a relaxed state in the moment. When we're under a lot of tension, all of our good intentions go out the window. You can only think on your feet, remember the stories you've practised, and have straightforward responses to an interviewer's questions if you're calm and comfortable. As a consequence, it's important that you plan ahead of time by learning fast stress reduction techniques.
Prepare yourself.
Interviews can vary from a few minutes of discussion to many structured meetings, often with several interviewers. Interviews give you the chance to prove that you are the best choice for the role, but you are not alone if you are nervous about them. When the questions start coming your way, the more prepared you are, the more relaxed and comfortable you will be.
Prepare for the most likely questions.
Employers often use behavioural interviewing, which consists of a series of probing, incisive questions, to learn about a prospective employee's motives and working style.
Ask questions during the interview.
During the interview, being prepared and asking great questions about the job and the employer indicates your interest. You can't just be a successful responder. You must also assert yourself. By the time you get to the interview point, you should have a strong idea of what you expect and what you can bring to the table.
In both your interview questions and your answers, strive to be insightful and self-reflective. Demonstrate to the interviewer that you are mindful of your own strengths and weaknesses. Prepare to explore which areas would face problems and how you would deal with them. Admitting true flaws is much more compelling than saying, "I have everything you need, and I can achieve everything I set my mind to."
Boost your EQ
We all know that the smartest person or the one with the most important skills does not always get the job. Rather, the good candidate is always the one with the strongest "people skills," or the ability to communicate with others easily. To put it another way, it's the person who has a high degree of emotional intelligence (EQ). Emotional intelligence is characterised as the ability to recognise, use, comprehend, and control emotions in a positive manner in order to interact effectively and empathise with others.
Emotional sensitivity is a key trait of emotional intelligence that can be mastered, along with the ability to easily handle stress. Understanding yourself and others requires the ability to connect to your feelings—having a moment-to-moment knowledge of your emotions and how they affect your thoughts and actions.
Seeking shared human relations with the interviewer is one way to apply emotional sensitivity in an interview setting. You can find commonalities much easier if you set out with the aim of exploring how you and the person interviewing you are related and what you have in common. As a result, the questioning process would be much less daunting.
Avoid bombarding the interviewer with a series of scripted questions when looking for commonalities. Enable the dialogue to flow naturally, but keep an eye out for commonalities. When you do, the world will seem smaller and friendlier, and your anxiety about interviews will diminish.
