Does the thought of meeting a potential employer make you wish you had a really charming twin to send in your place? Follow these tips to make a great first impression that will leave your potential employer wanting more.
1. Look and feel like you are the hottest person on the planet. We all know that when we look good, we feel good. Take some time in the days before your interview to find a professional outfit that looks flawless on you. In addition, you should treat yourself to a haircut and a massage. Everyone feels great after getting a fresh cut and the massage will help get rid of any tension that has built up from your crappy current job that you’re trying to replace.
2. Get online and find as much information as you can about your potential employer and their products or services. Knowledge, my friends, is power. Even if you are attempting to go into a field you know very little about, you will appear to be knowledgeable and interested in the job. It will also give you a source for coming up with questions for your interviewer that will make them think that you consider their place of employment interesting, even if you plan on falling asleep on the job once you get it.
3. Compile a list of common interview questions and practice your answers. There are some questions that will come up in practically any interview: “Tell me a little about yourself.” and “ Why are you looking to leave your current position?” are both fairly common questions. You should keep your answers fairly quick and concise. If they want the great and gory details they’ll ask you to elaborate. It is also a good rule to never say anything negative about your present or past employer. No matter what the situation is, it only makes you appear to be bitter or hateful. Let it go-if only for a day.
4. Make eye contact and be aware of your posture. Even if you are normally too shy to order a pizza over the phone, you must make eye contact if you are going to make a good impression. In the jungle, monkeys that are afraid to make eye contact get their meals and mates stolen. The same thing applies to humans. In addition, your posture says a lot about you. You want to appear to be relaxed and confident, without looking like a lazy slacker. To sum it up, someone who walks in the door making eye contact with the floor and then slumps down in a chair like a bag of depressed, wet noodles is not going to get hired.
5. Don’t sweat it if everything doesn’t go perfectly. There will always be questions that you did not anticipate, and sometimes in an effort to impress we can say the dumbest things. You have to be able to show grace under pressure. The other day, I went to an interview at an absorbable polymers company and asked if an implanted titanium rod could be absorbed by the human body. So?!! A great sense of humor is a trait that is appreciated at almost any job. Showing that you can maneuver your way through an embarrassing situation while still maintaining your composure tells your potential employer that you can perform well under pressure.
In short, the key to a successful interview is confidence, and If you can feel confident on the inside, you’ll look confident on the outside. Good luck and happy job hunting!
