As almost a rule, sooner or later the most students wipe beer foam from their faces and start their job search. During the first 2-3 interviews, they still believe in the fairytale salaries and fabulous companies; several months later they look at life more soberly – it is the first step to a successful career. It is not so difficult to find a good job as it may seem. You should follow several rules:
- Realize what you want
- Be confident in your skills
- Be well prepared for an interview
The last rule seems to be the hardest to follow. It may seem that it is extremely difficult to please an HR or hiring manager: too many details one should take into consideration – personal qualities, appearance and professionalism. Aside from looking presentable during your interview, there are plenty of other factors to take into consideration while aiming for your dream career. Once you determine the career you wish to pursue, you may need to aim for jobs that are a little lower than your goal (but still in the same field, obviously) in an effort to work your way up the ladder. You might even need to take on an unpaid internship. The most important thing you can do is work towards your career by taking on these positions and developing your own personal brand in the process. To tell you the truth, factors that lower your chances to get a job are few. You just should take them into account while preparing for the next interview.
What Prevents Getting a Good Job During the Interview
Scrambled Speech: It doesn’t mean that you should speak like a radio announcer, but the quality of speech matters. It would be very useful if you practice special exercises to warm up your speech apparatus. Plus, look at yourself in the mirror at home when speaking and see how you really come across with mannerisms or other potentially distracting features.
An All-Knowing Gentleman: You are in a hurry to interrupt your interviewer in order to demonstrate your knowledge or your interlocutor has been incautious to make a mistake and you are happy to correct this – well, it is the best way to be rejected by your interviewer. You can be sure that, in the course of work, your skills and knowledge will be appreciated, but during the interview try to stay reserved and tolerant. A little brown nosing during an interview never hurt anyone.
A Poor Handshake: Your handshake should be strong, confident but not aggressive. Of course, it is not a huge determiner but your first handshake helps to create the first impression about you and sometimes it may put you over the edge versus other candidates. The same holds true for your introduction and first impression as a whole.
Etiquette: It goes without saying that you know rules of the etiquette but sometimes people can forget to say “hello” or “goodbye” because of the nervousness. Keep this at the top of mind! Don’t forget to thank your interviewer for the time he or she has just spent on you. A good rule of thumb is to also grab their business card and send a thank you note after the interview. This extra courtesy can go a long way with making yourself memorable.
All these recommendations are general and may come in handy to people of different professional areas. But of course one shouldn’t forget about professional preparation:
- Work through your weak points on your resume or for the job you’re applying for
- Know as much as possible about a company you are going to visit
- Refresh your knowledge about skills on the job posting
It would be great if you visit special web-sites that provide useful information for those who are in a search of a job in UK, for instance trud.co.uk.
Work at your resume: the information must be precise and compact. It is perfect if you managed to fit everything into one page.
And remember: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
What other interview tips do you recommend or what have you seen that has turned you off to applicants?
About Carson Derrow
