By Victor Ochieng’
vochieng.90@gmail.com.
You have stellar papers? You have a sterling degree from a world-class university, or a distinction from an Ivy League college? Well, that is great. But for you to get employment that brings enjoyment, you need to know how to pass job interviews.
Three Types of Job Interviews
The first one is telephone screening, whereby when there are plenty of applicants, phone calls are used to whittle down a giant list of candidates. The second one is face-to-face interview, where the hiring manager usually grants a face-to-face interview to candidates who evinces qualities and qualifications for the job. The third one is panel or group interview, where the hiring manager cordially invites senior colleagues from deft departments to constitute the interviewing panel.
Things Tested During Job Interviews
Things tested in an interview are like: confidence, competence, enthusiasm, etiquette, likeability, professionalism, knowledge, skills, et cetera.
Purpose of a Job Interview
A job interview is simply a meeting between the potential employer and the job seeker. Again, during the interview, the employer asks questions in order to ascertain whether the job seeker has the right qualities and qualifications for the job advertised. Therefore, the interview process helps the employer to choose the best candidate from a pool of applicants.
How To Land a Job Interview?
Develop a list of specific target companies and find any links to your personal network. Research about the list of companies you target. Create opportunities to officially visit or engage in job shadowing and internship in the target companies. Attend career shows. Collect contacts to add to your personal network. Know what you can bring on the table, and find ways to clearly articulate it. Ensure that your paperwork – CV and cover letter stands out. Tailor them to fit the demands of the job you are applying for. If you know who the hiring manager is, call and briefly state that you have applied for the position. Do not rely only on job sites and recruitment agencies. Statistics postulate that 90% of jobs are never posted, and those posted are often swamped with too many job applications.
Unspoken Truths about Job Interviews
Companies are not schools. They don’t hire because they want to ‘help’ them gain skills, knowledge and experience. So, it is misguided to point out during the interview that you want the job so that you ‘learn’ and ‘start a career’ or get experience. Do not say you will be happy with ‘any job’ or ‘can do anything’. Asking for any job depicts lack of knowledge about yourself, placement and employment.
A Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) is an added advantage. In any research studies, a bad attitude tops the list of the reasons cited by employers for rejecting candidates that show interests for job opportunities. They will not hire you because you have a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), but certainly, they may not hire you in case they discover that you have a Negative Mental Attitude (NMA).
Aim to earn trust.How? By being consistent with your information and answers. Any tad of doubt created in any area, casts aspersions on everything else you say. Therefore, (a) do not offer information on your CV that is not in tandem with what you say during the interview, (b) do not claim specialised qualifications if you cannot answer simple questions on the subject, (c) do not apply for a job requiring editing skills with a CV full of grievous grammatical goofs, (d) do not posit that you love reading but you cannot cite books you are currently reading that are not part and parcel of coursework.
Look and act like you fit in. The hiring team is likely to look and listen to you with an eye as to how you would represent the company. Therefore, your body language matters. How you dress, walk, talk, behave, will form perceptions in the team poised to hire you.
The candidate with good communication skills is often chosen over the one with colourful qualities and qualifications. This is because all jobs require good communication ability, especially when dealing with colleagues, clients, customers, suppliers, et cetera. Therefore, it is one of the highly-rated skills.
Things To Find Out
Find out about the industry – key players, trends, size, challenges, opportunities and any hot issue people are currently talking about in regards to the industry. Ascertain information about the company – what they do, their history, vision, mission and values. Find out about their financial performance, customers and competitors. Find out the position you seek. Ask. What are the key tasks? What are the key expected outcomes or results by which success will be measured? What particular skills are required? What is the title of the person you would be reporting to?
Common Interview Questions
Describe yourself. Describe your strength or soft skills you will bring to this position. Describe your weaknesses. Or describe what your former bosses said you need to improve on. Why do you want to work for us? Why do you want to leave your current position or company? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Describe what you learnt (in your past job) from making a mistake. State the achievements you are most proud of. Why should we choose you over all the eligible candidates? What salary are you hoping to get? What questions might you ask? Is there anything else you would like to share?
Preparation tips
On the day before the interview, re-confirm the logistics. Ask who the members of the panel will be and what their titles or roles are in the company. Set a mock interview and role play it. Rehearse your talking points, and pepper them with examples, or stories. Sleep deep the day before interview. In the morning, give yourself a positive talk to stay in a positive state of mind. Carry clean copies of your documents that you can leave behind. Arrive early so that you get ample time to orient yourself. Be courteous to the security guards and receptionist. Treat them as part of the interview process. If company brochures are available, leaf through them. Switch off your phone or on silent mode so that it does not interrupt the interview.
Tackling the interview
When you arrive at the venue of the interview, smile as you meet and greet whoever is at the reception. Confirm that you are in the right place. Tell them why you are there. Ask for the person who is conducting the interview. Ask for direction where the interview will be held. Again, the waiting room is not for you to relax. Behave as formerly as you would do in an actual interview. During the interview, answer questions posed by the panel to the best of your ability. Do not assume that your verbal answers are the be-all end-all. There is more into it. Don’t argue or interrupt, for this may picture you as rude. Do not use your phone at all during the interview. At the end, do not forget to thank the interviewers and tell them you will look forward to their feedback.
The writer facilitates Skills Enhancement-cum-Development Programmes in Universities, Colleges and Churches. He Focuses on Soft Skills, Employability Skills, Transferable Skills, 21st Century Skills and Life Skills.
