Preparing for that job interview

Landing a job interview with your dream company is your stage to showcase how you're the ideal person for this position and this company. Here are a few lesser known interview tips that make a world of difference to how the hiring manager feels about you.

The power of likeability

Job candidates often underestimate their own influence in the interview, when - particularly in the first interview - you're being judged on your 'likeability' and cultural fit. When you're representing yourself professionally, you want to be at your social best. To do this, use your individuality to target your answers rather than trying to fit a structural mould of what you think you are supposed to say. You want to be showcasing your personality and indicating your ambition and commitment and more through your answers throughout the interview.

Offering more

As well as liking you, the hiring manager wants to know that you will like all that the job entails. The best interviewees realise that the job responsibilities are often much more than the title or description indicates, and requires flexibility to adapt to the needs of the organisation. The role you're applying for will possess it's own power for the company. Its requirements will evolve and flex with the company and projects it undertakes. Think of yourself in that role and all the ways your position might need to venture out.

Salary talk

You should have a ballpark figure of the salary based on the advertisement and market rates offered for your position - you wouldn't be applying for a role without an estimate of your yearly returns. So it is best not to enquire about these until you are close to or at the offer stage, because while everyone knows it is important, the hiring manager does not want to see you as valuing the salary above the job and company itself.

Q&A

No interviewer wants to hear a candidates say "I have no questions". We want you to be interested in us and suck up every bit of information you need to decide whether the job is right for you and you have what it takes. Your questions show that you may indeed, have what it takes just by considering things important to the organisation. For obvious reasons, don't ask questions that make you look suspicious like "do you clock lunch breaks?"

The author is Naomi Seselja, founder, Mode Recruitment & Career Services. Re-printed with permission.

Link: https://www.linkedin. com/pulse/ article/20141009005110-193903299-what-you-don-t-know-about-your-job-interview-but-should?trk=prof-post