Meeting your potential employer can be overwhelming for even the most confident of people – and everyone wants to make the best first impression!
Here are a few tips to make you feel a little more prepared for when you walk into that first job interview.
Research:
First of all – you should always do your research. Check out their website and any social media pages they might have. It’s always impressionable when you can mention facts or relevant information that relates to the company, business or industry you’re interviewing for. It may seem obvious, but make sure you know the person’s name who is conducting the interview, even look them up on LinkedIn to find out a bit more – no it’s not stalker-ish, everyone does it!
What do you want to know?
Go prepared with some relevant questions about the job. Asking questions about company culture, what an average day might look like in your role, their management style or what the potential is for career progression shows that you’re wanting to find the right fit for yourself too. It shows initiative and employers like that.
Previous examples:
Always request a position description if possible. This will help you prepare the best examples you can for your interview. If you can’t access a position description, read the job advert thoroughly as it too should highlight what competencies the employer is looking for. Then spend some time thinking of the best examples you can that relate to the competencies required. And when you’re preparing your examples, make sure you structure them in a way that you explain what happened, what you did and what the outcome was. This is your best opportunity to showcase your past experience.
The tricky question:
Most interviews will eventually progress to the dreaded “what’s your biggest weakness?” question. It’s easy to feel like you’re on the spot when evaluating our own weaknesses in front of strangers – so make sure you have something up your sleeve! Try not to go for something generic like “I am easily distracted” or “I am too much of a perfectionist”. Your potential employer wants to hear a genuine answer and they want to hear how you’ve strived to overcome that weakness.
Appearance:
Personal appearance is extremely important. The way you present yourself in the first meeting is how you will be remembered by your potential employer later when they’re putting together their shortlist.
Most importantly:
Focus on being yourself. Relax, take some deep breaths and be confident in your own abilities. There’s a reason you got the interview after all!
At Asset Recruitment, we specialise in temporary, permanent, executive and industrial recruitment. Every day, we have job seekers interviewing for a range of roles in companies across Waikato. Our advice to all of them is to enjoy the experience. Not every interview will be successful but those that are will put you on the path to an exciting job and ongoing career success, and there’s nothing like learning from past experiences.
If you’re looking for your next job, get in touch with the team at Asset Recruitment today.