Five secrets on how to pass that important job interview

Interviews can be nerve wrecking. They stand between you and the job of your dreams or a better financial future. They, however, need not be that stressful. Here are five secrets to clinching that important job and dazzling your interviewers with your brilliance.

1.      Dress to impress

No matter the organization or job position, everyone expects an interviewee to dress the part.

A good tip to remember when it comes to dressing for an interview is that you need to be comfortable and presentable.

Keep the makeup at a minimum and make sure your shoes don’t squeak.

Your dress, ladies, needs to be modest and, this goes without saying, clean.

2.      Impress with research

Google, bing, or go to the library, do anything you can to learn as much about the industry and company as you can.

This is especially if it is the first time you’re being interviewed for a particular job.

Everyone gets some experience and knowledge with time in a field but it never hurts to know more. Surprise them with your brilliance.

3.      Confidence

Act like you know what you’re doing and nobody will doubt you, my mother used to say. You need to believe in yourself and your abilities to make other people see the potential in you.

Be careful not to be too confident that it comes out as arrogant.

4.      Know your strength and weaknesses

Most interviewers will ask you what your weaknesses are. Tell them.

Don’t lie or use clichés such as “my greatest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist” haha these will earn you few admirers but plenty of laughs. Trust me, I tried.

Be honest with your faults, but say something that does not have a direct impact on the position you’re interviewing for.

Also demonstrate that you are aware of your weaknesses and are trying, and succeeding, in overcoming them.

Be generous with praise on yourself, to use a cliché, blow your own trumpet when it comes to your strengths. You are the only person that can sell yourself in this situation so don’t sell yourself short.

5.      Ask the right questions

You will be asked whether you have any questions to ask. The correct answer is yes you do.

Ask questions that show you are interested in the position. Ask the interviewers direct questions.

This is your chance to know them as they have known you, a time to understand the organisation’s culture and values through the people who work for it, not just google.

One good example of such questions is: “What do you enjoy most working here?” you can never go wrong with that one. If the interviewer is at pains to answer it then you should think twice about the offer.

Don’t ask about how much you’re going to get, that never goes well. Be sure to find out when to expect a callback.

I hope these five tips help you get that job, all the best.

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