Interviews are tough moments for new jobseekers and those who are introverted. However, with these interview tips, you would be a little nervous about your next interview. Ready your CV and important documents, look at yourself in the mirror, and assure yourself that you will be great.
Life as a job seeker can be a journey in itself: after weeks of applying to jobs, phone conversations and much more, you have finally been shortlisted for an interview. You want to make a good impression, impress the boss and get the dream job.
But what if you start fumbling? What if you cannot remember your best strategies? What if you accidentally spill water on the table? Your heart is pounding against your chest and your palms are shaking: what are you going to do?
First things first, interviews have been there since the evolution of employment. If you feel that you are the ultimate scapegoat before the hiring manager, you are not alone. On the other hand, confidence is the first thing your interviewer will notice about you. As you prepare for your interview, keep these interview tips in mind as well as put your confident best foot forward.
1. Be positive
Positivity is the first step to confidence, and know that you deserve this chance. You have been called to the interview because the company sees potential in you as a candidate. It will make you more self-assured and poised about yourself. Interviews are only conducted by humans, who are not perfect themselves. So, they will understand and excuse a few nervous gestures and sentences here and there.
2. Dress well
How you dress affects your confidence as well, so our best interview tips include choosing your best outfits for the day. For formal workplaces, wear a long-sleeved plain shirt with formal trousers and blazers or opt for a suit altogether in solid colours like grey, navy blue, brown and black. Cotton socks paired with formal shoes are good, with a tie, belt and watch.
For women in a formal workplace, choose a simple Indian suit or cotton sari in solid colours. They can also choose to wear a pastel or dark-coloured pantsuit with a shirt, half/full-sleeved shirt and mid-length skirt or even a formal dress. Low-heel or pump shoes in pastel colours are appreciated, with a basic handbag, light makeup, formal hairstyle and clear nails. Choose simple jewellery pieces, if you want to.
For informal workplaces, men can wear jeans, cotton shirts or khaki pants. Women could wear kurtis or Indian suits, half-/full-sleeved shirts, casual tops and dresses over trousers, palazzos and skirts. Wear a nice watch, simple shoes, light jewellery and makeup finished off with a neat hairstyle.
3. Prepare your answers
The common cause of low confidence is that candidates think that they would be unable to answer technical questions. Prepare your answers well, and having a trusted friend to conduct a mock interview is one of the best job interview tips to get.
4. Take a walk
Once you have confirmed your presence for the interview, take a walk outside to destress your mind. Deep-breathing alone calms you down and steadies your heart, which is great among many interview tips for tackling anxiety. Once you are a little less nervous, you know that you can do it all.
5. Relaxing music helps
Listening to calming music is effective among many other interview techniques, as it tackles anxiety and nervousness. Turn on your favourite piano music, and enjoy the walk till it is time to walk into your interview and meet the hiring manager.
6. Take a deep breath
Breathe deeply and focus on a successful interview and landing your dream job, which would automatically clear and relax your mind. Take deep breaths from the stomach and blow it out slowly. Repeat the exercise three times, and concentrate on clarifying your mind. Try this anywhere and discreetly so, even when you are secretly freaking out in the interview.
7. Establish a connection with the hiring manager
When you are on an online interview, you should connect with the recruiter and not try to make a good first impression. It will only stress you out, and that is not what you want. Instead, be yourself and smile. Answering their questions politely is among the many online interview tips to practice, like increments, promotions and working conditions. Your hiring manager would be impressed seeing that you have taken time to list down insightful questions, and that would increase your chances of getting selected.
8. Make genuine eye contact
Have steady eye contact with the hiring manager – lack of eye contact, looking away and looking down does not spell confidence. Confident interviewees engage better with the hiring manager, so look at them in the eye while answering their questions. However, do not make it creepy! Have a balance as you manage direct eye contact, looking down and checking your resume.
9. Do not fidget
Fidgeting is a classic sign of nervousness, so keep your hands tightly clasped together or in your lap to stop yourself from hair twirling, tapping or squirming. If you have a habit of shaking your leg, add some pressure to your legs to keep them still.
Even though you think that you do not fidget, it is an unconscious tendency in most cases and you might not even know about it. If you are practising mock interviews with a friend, ask them to notice nervous behaviour as well.
Body language is equally important, so maintain a good posture with a straight back and shoulders, chest out and chin up.
10. Do not ramble and pause after a topic
It is natural to ramble when you are nervous and go off in other directions. However, hiring managers want clear-cut and appropriate answers. While talking about your last company, keep it to the bare minimum. There is no need to embellish the story with anecdotes and examples, even though it is an honest answer. Keep a sincere tone, have brief responses and stick to a particular point while answering questions.
11. Just relax
Yes, it is important to be serious in an interview but it is equally important to stay calm and relaxed. Too much nervousness leads to overthinking, and that will make you mess up. If you do not succeed, there are so many other job opportunities waiting out there. Do not make assumptions about the interviewers’ opinion of you, just focus on yourself. You will get your dream job, just keep working for it. What is for you is meant to find you, no matter what.
With the pep talk, we understand that interviews are tough moments for new jobseekers and those who are introverts. However, with these interview tips, you would be a little less scared, nervous and worried about your next interview. Ready your CV and important documents, look at yourself in the mirror, and assure yourself that you will be great.
If your company is looking for great candidates in the media, medical, engineering, law or any other industry reach out to us at BetterPlace. We will be more than happy to help out with our in-house experts and our vast pool of quality job seekers.
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