Tips to Improve Interview Performance
When the day you are scheduled for an interview finally arrives, you are glad but a little nervous. It is important to be conversant with some of the tips that will help you succeed in the interview. Confidence is a major ingredient in the process and these tips can help you suppress that nervous energy. They will help you to be sure of yourself since you will be aware of how you are supposed to conduct yourself.
Aside from being confident you need to be prepared. You don’t want to be confident and totally irrelevant because that might cost you the acceptance of the job. Preparing is like making a plan, it is difficult to make mistakes when you have prepared and considered what will definitely work and what possibly might not. You should learn the necessary interview skills and ensure you master all of them because you only have one chance to make a good impression on your interviewer and possibly future employer.
Some of these tips are;
Practicing nonverbal communication – you may think that you are alright since you speak fluently or you have correct grammar but even though it counts, it is still not enough. Nonverbal cues relate to how confident you are and these are most likely the first traits that will form the first impression of you. When you enter the interview room and you are maintaining eye contact instead of looking down, you are standing straight instead of slouching and you are greeting the interviewer or panel with firm handshakes then the first impression they will have is that you are confident. And right from the start, you are earning marks.
Dress for the job – you should be well groomed and you can choose to dress in official wear if it goes with the job you are seeking. You can be less formal if the company’s culture allows it and if that is on par with the job you are seeking and you can research the company’s dressing code. Through and through though, you should be decent and simple.
Listen – you should have sharp listening skills in order to find meaning in what your interviewer is asking. You need to understand what he or she is saying for you to answer appropriately and to show that you are actually listening.
Less Speaking – your answers should be straightforward without trying to maneuver your way around what has been asked. You can ask appropriate questions but remain professional.
Don’t be cocky –it is well and good to be confident because it shows you are sure of yourself but do not overdo it because you may come off as egocentric or even rude. Your attitude matters and being humble is as good a virtue as being confident.
Appropriate Language – using appropriate language shows that you are professional and that you take the interview and the job seriously. Your competence is also being checked during the interviewer so avoid using slang and words that may describe as racist or abuse to a certain religious group or sexual orientation. Finally, do not beg to be hired because it will paint you as desperate.
