WOO THE INTERVIEWER

You can think of an interview as a wooing game. When you go to an interview, you go there with an intention of wowing the interviewers into giving you the job. Surely no one is asking you to start stalking the interviewer, but it would really help if you can find some personal information about him or her. No, you don’t need to know the name of interviewer’s pet dog, though that may help too. For instance, if you know that your interviewer plays a particular sport then you'll have a conversation icebreaker. But you can’t do without knowing their name and the correct pronunciation. In order to find these names, positions, and pronunciations, you may have to ask the company’s recruiter or the person who set up the interview.

MEMORIZE AND TAKE NOTES

You must also keep in mind that all the hard work that you do researching the company and the interviewers may come to naught if you are unable to retain the data. So you should be diligent in taking notes. You can write them on a sheet of paper so that it makes for an easy reviewing in the morning of the interview, or during the period when you are sitting in the reception area and waiting to be interviewed. When you know that you can tell the interviewer a thing or two about the company your confidence will soar and you will be in a better position than most candidates.

TRY AND APPEAR INTERESTING

That was the research part, now comes the part where you are actually fielding the questions that the interviewer throws at you. You must answer the questions with ease. Never appear nervous or tongue-tied. You should not give the interviewers a chance to think that the interview has become too dull. Your job at the interview is to make sure that your exchange leaves the interviewers thinking, “Hey, I like talking to this guy.” Also, there are some potential trap questions that you should be prepared to answer in just the right way. We talk about such trap questions in the next section.

PRESENT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

What are you going to say when the interviewer asks, “What are the areas in which you need improvement?” The truth may be that you have a lousy attention span, your memory is too bad or that you are incredibly shy. But that is not what you are going to tell the interviewer. Whatever you say, you should never ever share your personal weaknesses. Instead, you may talk about something that isn’t a weakness in real sense of the term, but a slightly less-than-ideal characteristic. For example, “I love to be really involved in what I am doing. I prefer to see a project from start to finish rather than working on a single component and never seeing the finished product. If there is no overall context then I find it too frustrating to work.”

BE DIPLOMATIC ABOUT YOUR LAST JOB

You should also be on the lookout for questions that have to do with why you left your old company. Through such questions the interviewer is only making sure that your interest in the new company is sincere and not due to you being fired or having serious problems at your former place of employment. If the interviewer tersely asks, “Why were you fired?” you should do your best to keep the answer simple and brief. You might tackle the question by saying, “It was a hostile work environment that I and many others found uncomfortable.” You have to make sure that your answer is quick, easy and to the point. If you take too much time in thinking of an appropriate answer then that will only send the impression that you have something to hide.

OFFER A FIRM HANDSHAKE AND CLEAR EYE CONTACT

The most important quality that the interviewer is looking for is the one that says that you are capable of hanlding the job that the company expects you to do. By maintaining a cool demeanor at the interview, you can send out the signal that you are capable of dealing with any stressful situation. Always remember to offer your firmest handshake. A firm handshake shows confidence and grace under pressure. Be sure to make eye contact with your interviewer. A clear eye contact is the best way to show that you are a confident and honest individual. Smile when you can. A smile denotes an easygoing and relaxed attitude.

HAVE AN EASY DEMEANOR

If the interviewer offers a drink, go ahead take one. If you say “no thanks” you risk sending out the signal that you are nervous, so it is better to accept the drink. You can take sips while you think about your answers. Appear enthusiastic and speak up. After all, you are here to sell yourself so it is okay to appear enthusiastic and to be talkative. There is nothing more boring than a candidate who does not speak unless spoken to or answers his questions in monosyllables like “yes” and “no.” You can try to insert some comments about how nice the company’s environment is. Such comments will showcase your interpersonal skills.

BE ON TIME

You can never predict a road jam, or many other things that can conspire to make you feel rushed or frazzled. So it is better to leave early from home and reach the interview an hour earlier rather than five minutes late. Make sure that you are carrying with you a professional looking bag, which has extra copies of your resume, copies of reference letters, a pad of paper and pens to take notes. And once the interview is over, it is also necessary for you to follow-up correctly. If you handle the follow-up correctly, the chances of you bagging the job will increase dramatically. The very day of the interview, send out a thank you letter to your interviewer. It will work in your favor if the thank you note reaches the interviewer before he or she sits down to make a decision.