Congratulations! You finally got an interview for the job of your dreams. Only this time, you want to impress the recruiters and pass all the way through the recruitment process. Not always easy, especially when you know that they will, at least, meet a dozen candidates before meeting you.
That being said, discover our 6 tips to impress employers and stand out at your next job interview:
Never be late
We cannot stress it enough: making a good first impression is essential. Keep in mind that your job interview starts as soon as you step in the company. Besides, being late can be stressful and that can lead you to perform poorly during your interview. Instead, plan your trip to arrive a few minutes before your interview. Pro tip: when arriving in the room where the interview will take place, always choose to sit in front of the door. That way, the first thing the recruiter will see is your smiling face.
Do your homework
Before the interview, do your homework and research the employer, its industry, its values, its recent successes and which distinguishes it from its competitors. To do so, you should be able to find out a lot of information about the company on its website. Do not forget to check if the employer has a blog or/and a social media presence: they can be useful places to look, too. Researching the company will not only allow you to actively participate in the interview, but also will show your motivation to the recruiters and how serious you are about the recruitment process.
Be confident
During the job interview, remember that your body language and tone of voice are important and says as much about you as your answer to the questions. That is why it is important to prepare your interview ahead of time. To do so, prepare a list of questions that the recruiter might ask you: this can range from classic questions about your background to more advanced questions about your skills. Once your list is ready, try answering them in front of a mirror or with a family member/friend of yours, until you master the answers. This will allow you to be prepared and more relaxed during the interview while answering the recruiter’s questions.
Since confident does not only work for words, try to work your posture too. You should show that you are confident thanks to your attitude so, get your back straight and your hands on the table. Be sure not to cross your arms or be too confortable too.
Do not repeat what is already on your resume
Blathering what is (already) on your CV or worse, looking at it, while answering questions will annoy your interlocutor. Instead, try to tell your professional "story": describe your journey, think about the most important projects you have took part on, talk about the challenges you've faced and how you've overcome them. Do not hesitate to link between your experiences and the various missions of the position you are applying for. This will give you the opportunity to highlight your skills and will show your interviewer that you know exactly what you want.
Ask relevant questions
During the job interview, do not hesitate to adopt a proactive attitude. Do not let the recruiter lead the conversation by himself: ask relevant questions to show your interest. These questions could be about the culture of the company or the job itself. Do not hesitate to ask for more details about the position you are applying for or about your future team, while aligning with what you already know. This will also allow you a better understanding of the company and what the recruiters expect from you, to better answer it.
Send a thank you email after your interview
The idea here is to send an email to the recruiter in the day following your interview, to thank him but also and above all, to reaffirm your motivation for the position for which you have had an interview. The content of your email should be simple, concise and consistent with the appointment you just had. Take up the important points that were raised during your discussion: whether it was something new that you learned about the organization, a particular topic that caught your attention or one of your skills that you forgot to mention ... All in all, all the excuses are good to remind them that you are the ideal candidate and that you are motivated as ever.
Now that you have all the tools you need to impress recruiters, you just have to get your next job interview! 😉
