The smartest and most qualified job seekers are needed to prepare for their job interview too. Why! you ask? Cause, Interview skills are learned, and there are no second chances to make a great first impression. We have gathered here some tips for developing your interview skills. These tips will teach you how to answer interview questions and convince the hiring manager that you are the one for the job.
How to Develop Your Interview Skills:
1. Practice good nonverbal communication
It’s about demonstrating confidence: standing straight, making eye contact and connecting with a firm handshake. That first nonverbal impression can be a great beginning—or quick ending—to your interview.
2. Dress for the job or company
Today’s casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as “they” do when you interview. It is important to know what to wear to an interview and to be well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.
3. Listen
From the very beginning of the interview, your interviewer is giving you information, either directly or indirectly. If you are not hearing it, you are missing a major opportunity. Good communication skills include listening and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer, and match that style and pace.
4. Don’t talk too much
Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. When you have not prepared ahead of time, you may ramble when answering interview questions, sometimes talking yourself right out of the job. Prepare for the interview by reading through the job posting, matching your skills with the position’s requirements and relating only that information.
5. Don’t be too familiar
The interview is a professional meeting to talk business. This is not about making a new friend. Your level of familiarity should mimic the interviewer’s demeanor. It is important to bring energy and enthusiasm to the interview and to ask questions, but do not overstep your place as a candidate looking for a job.
6. Use appropriate language
It’s a given that you should use professional language during the interview. Be aware of any inappropriate slang words or references to age, race, religion, politics, or sexual orientation—these topics could send you out the door very quickly.
7. Don’t be cocky
Attitude plays a key role in your interview success. There is a fine balance between confidence, professionalism, and modesty. Even if you’re putting on a performance to demonstrate your ability, overconfidence is as bad, if not worse, as being too reserved.
8. Take care to answer the questions
When interviewers ask for an example of a time when you did something, they are asking behavioral interview questions, which are designed to elicit a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don’t answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.
9. Ask questions
When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, “No.” Wrong answer. Part of knowing how to interview is being ready to ask questions that demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what you’re asked during the interview and asking for additional information.
10. Don’t appear desperate
When you interview with the “please, please hire me” approach, you appear desperate and less confident. Reflect the three Cs during the interview: cool, calm, and confident.
2 Rules for Answering “Tell me about yourself”
Rule no #1: Do not talk about personal or family life.
When the interviewer asks you “tell me about yourself” they are not actually asking you to tell them about your personal life choices and how you were as a human being. They are not asking you that tell them about yourself they are actually asking to tell them about your qualifications, experiences as well as why you are a good fit for this role.
Rule no #2: Do tell a story.
You shouldn’t be telling them about your life story, you need to tell them about your professional work story.
4 major tips answering interview questions:
Tips #1: Give a snapshot of your work history. This includes-
1)Company name
2)Your title
3)Number of years in that role
4)Your major responsibilities
Tips #2: Make your mini-stories achievement oriented.
Tips #3: Tell the employer what you know about this role
Tipe#4: Tell the employer why you are the right fit for what they need
How to solve most common questions and answers in a job interview?
It’s been said that problem finders are dime a dozen, but problem solvers are worth their weight in gold. Point being, people who can fix problems are much more valuable and rare than people who can simply identify problems. Companies need problem solvers — professionals who not only can identify a problem, but can understand it, break it down, and come up with workable solutions that make sense. This is why so many interviewers rely on problem-solving questions during an interview, and why job seekers need to be prepared with problem-solving answers.
In addition to testing your problem-solving skills, problem-solving questions are also intended to explore several aspects of your personality and skills set including:
Your ability to think analytically
Your ability to perform under pressure
How you cope with complex situations?
Your ability to think quickly when put on the spot
Your ability to think in a stressful environment
Problem Solving Interview Questions
Interviewers can ask problem-solving questions in various ways and formats. They can also be asked as follow up questions. The following are a few examples:
What was the most challenging aspect of your previous job and how did you handle or overcome it?
Explain a problem and the methods utilized to gather data and develop problem-solving strategies.
How have you developed problem-solving strategies at previous jobs? What is your process for solving a problem?
How do you gather data and conduct risk management when analyzing personal or project performance?
How do you analyze and assess risk, and what steps do you take to mitigate risk once it’s been identified?
Explain a specific example when you utilized problem-solving strategies to address a problem at work.
Problem Solving Interview Questions
When answering problem-solving questions, the best strategy is, to be honest, base your answers in facts, make sure your analysis is comprehensive, yet concise, and provide examples when possible. In most cases, problem-solving questions can only tackle effectively if you’ve had relevant, challenging experiences during a previous job on which to base your answer.
The following are a few effective phrases for introducing and explaining a problem you solved:
As a team leader, I was responsible for dealing with…
As a technical consultant, I was regularly faced with…
This was a problem for my company because…
It was challenging since…
To solve it, I took the following steps…
When answering a problem-solving question, try to employ the following framework as you develop your answer. The following steps will help you develop a clear and impressive answer to any problem-solving question.
1. Define the Problem
Explain why the situation was problematic. When does a situation or circumstance become problematic? What factors must be considered before the problem can be properly analyzed?
2. Analyze the Problem
Describe in detail how you gathered data, facts, and other information needed to develop solutions.
3. Generate Possible Solutions
Describe in detail how you: Got to the heart of the problem? Determined the factors that led to the problem? Developed strategies to resolve it?
4. Select the Best Solution(s) and Action to Take
Explain in detail how you resolved the problem by describing why you selected specific strategies, explaining your objective, illustrating how you transformed ideas into practical solutions, and how you followed up with co-workers. Additionally, explain how you conducted risk management.
5. Lesson learned
Explain in detail what was accomplished and what strategies proved effective. Conclude your answer by explaining how you developed professionally from the experience and what you will do differently in the future.
At a minimum, your answer should introduce a problem, explain why the problem was challenging, and provide a solution to the problem.
Contributor: Marjuk Rashid | Studying at Mawlana Bhashani Science & Technology University, Bangladesh.
