6 Bad Body Language Behaviors to Avoid
7 Body language tips to impress at your next job interview
8 Common interview questions and answers
Ace Your Next Job Interview with These Tips
dress+for+success
How Following Up Can Help You Land the Job
How to Make a Resume Website to Get an AWESOME Job (in 2020)
How to research a company before a job interview
How to tie a tie
Job Interview Preparation
Job Interview Simulation and Training - Mock Interview
Interview Process Training
Overview
With our tutorial, we want to send everyone into the interview room (or potentially virtual interview room) prepared and confident. You know you have skills and talents to offer to the employer, you know you are the best fit for the position, so now the preparation you complete for that interview will ensure the employer knows it too.
We break down the four phases of an interview process: Preparation, What to Wear, How to Present Your Best Self, and How to Follow Up.
Introduction
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. —Theodore Roosevelt
Pursuit of successful employment and a thriving career are still challenges that many adults face. The hardest part, aside from waiting for the call for an interview, is the interview itself! So many emotions surrounding that eventful day – what to wear, how to be prepared, how to sell yourself without overstating your abilities and talents.
With our tutorial, we want to send everyone into the interview room (or potentially virtual interview room) prepared and confident. You know you have skills and talents to offer to the employer, you know you are the best fit for the position, so now the preparation you complete for that interview will ensure the employer knows it too.
We break down the four phases of an interview process: Preparation, What to Wear, How to Present Your Best Self, and How to Follow Up.
In following this simple outline, you will have the best opportunity to wow your future employer and solidify that you are the best candidate. Regardless of this being your 7th interview or your 37th, we want to provide you with the game plan for how to walk in with confidence.
Lesson Objectives
Included in this segment you will find resources for preparing yourself for an interview - including what to do to prepare, what to wear on the big day, and what to do immediately following. The segments are broken down as follows:
- Researching the Company
- How to Present Your Previous Work Credentials
- Dressing for the Interview
- After the Interview
- Final Takeaways
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Research the Company
Hired candidates reported spending more time talking about company culture and the functions of the job with their interviewer (63 percent) than did the rejected candidates (47 percent). - SmartRecruiters
Always enter an interview with knowledge about the company. You could be their newest employee, after all. Recruiters and interview panel members will be impressed with your knowledge and interest in the position. Employers want to know and feel that you are passionate and confident in your abilities to fit the position and there is no better way to get this across then by showing you know are fimilar with the company's mission, culture, customers and competitors.
Learner Activity: Learners will be asked to select a company from Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for in 2020. This company has selected the learner for an interview. How do you prepare?
Use this checklist to search the company you selected from Fortune’s list.
Examples of your work
Prior experience has a 55% chance of influencing the decision, while conversation skills have 49%, knowledge of the industry 41%, and culture fit 35%.
- whattobecome.com
Now the learners have researched their company and understand the company's mission, goals, customers and competitors. They can use this information to select relevant examples of their work and experiences. Prepare to share these experiences during the interview.
What type of experiences should be included?
Just like you’re using social media to find out about someone, so are your recruiters looking you up to learn more about you outside your resume.
- whattobecome.com
Socia media and google searches should be expected from recruiters and the company that is interviewing. Learners can use this to their advantage. Consider creating online portfolio. These online sites can expand on the resume and give examples of the experience the learner collected above.
Learner Activity: Watch the resource video "How to Make a Resume Website to Get an AWESOME Job (in 2020)".
Dress for the Interview
Learners will take the Pre-Assessment. This is a basic pre-assessment to see what the learner already knows about the interview process.
. Click here to take the PRE-ASSESSMENT
"While your qualifications obviously matter most, your first impression with an employer is also vitally important. In fact, according to the Twin Group, 50% of interviewers think that a candidate can be eliminated for the position due to the way they dressed, acted or walked through the door."
"A clean, polished look can be reassuring to prospective employers. Research the organization’s dress code policy and their company culture. Remember that an interview often requires more professional attire than you might wear after being hired."
Learners will watch two videos, after each one the learners will discuss what the candidate is wearing and if it is appropriate to wear to an interview. What should the candidate change?
Video 1 - Job Interview 1
Video 2 - Job Interview 2
Complete the videos and post at least 2 responses in chat.
Business Casual vs. Business Formal
Typically, business formal is a matching pants or skirt suit (often a dark color) with a button-down shirt and tie or a blouse.
Business casual is more open ended. Think dress pants with a button-down shirt or a pencil skirt or dress pants with a blouse and a cardigan.
Discuss the difference between these two types of dress. Why would it be important not to wear jeans to an interview?
Answer in second discussion board.
Well-chosen accessories (tie, scarf, etc.) can help you stand out and can add a splash of color.
If you wear a tie, the knot should be centered under your chin. As for color/pattern, coordinate with the rest of your outfit so that it doesn’t clash. Ties with smaller patterns and darker colors look more authoritative and more conservative.
If you plan to wear a skirt or dress, remember that you’ll be sitting for at least part of your interview. We recommend that your skirt be no more than 2 inches above the knee.
When dressing for an interview, it best to dress conservatively. Keep in mind that all interviews start with a bang! So make sure you’re ready when you step into the room and impress them from the start.
Watch the video below.
Learner Activity: look online and create a shopping cart from a store of your choice. Pick what you would wear to your interview and submit for your final assessment.
During the Interview
Body Language
Did you know that your body language speaks to people before you say a single word? How you stand, how you sit, how you cross your arms, how you cross your legs, all tell the interviewer about you.
In this section, we will look at some do’s and don’ts of body language during an interview.
Here are some researched tips to remember for your next job interview.
- Sit up straight and tall all the way back in your seat versus slumping over or slouching. You want to show that you are interested in what the speaker has to say. Research shows that you can lean forward as a way of showing engagement.
2. Eye Contact- Research varies slightly with eye contact; however, the consensus is to not avoid it but look at the direction of the eyes between the eyes, nose and mouth area.
3. Using hand gestures while speaking as another way of showing engagement in the conversation.
4. Nod your head while speaking is another way of showing engagement in the conversation.
5. Lean in during the conversation to show attentiveness and engagement with the interviewer.
Interview Questions
Now that you are aware of your body language during the interview, lets look at what type of questions to expect during the interview. There are different behavioral interview questions that the interviewer will ask during the interview. The organization asks these questions to see how compatible you are with their company. The questions cover areas of teamwork, time-management, communication, and motivation and values. So be prepared to examples of specific situations that you have been in where you had to use certain skills.
One method research shows to assist you with answering these questions is to use the STAR Interview Method. STAR is an acronym which stands for situation, task, action, result. Using this acronym when answering behavioral interview questions is a way of organizing your thoughts while providing a detailed specific answer.
Let’s look at what each letter means.
S- situation: establish the scene while giving important details of the example.
T- task: describe your responsibilities in that situation
A- action: explain the actions taken to address the situation
R- results: share the outcomes your actions achieved
Below is a list of common sample behavioral questions you should be prepared to answer.
Teamwork
|
Time management skills
|
Communication Skills
|
Motivation and Values
|
After the Interview
You’ve just completed the interview. You nailed it! Now what?
Something that may seem like a relic from days of yore that you want to be sure to partake of during your interview process is a timely and sincere follow up thank you.
Whether it be a quick email or a handwritten note (still acceptable and appropriate, depending on several factors), you want to make sure you don’t overlook this business etiquette must-do. In the fast-paced and virtual world of today, this five minute follow up will help to leave a positive lasting impression. This shows you are sincerely interested, you value your interviewer’s time, and your follow through is on-point.
How you dress and how you answer questions (and ask!) during the interview process are critical to convey your superior positioning to fulfill the expectations outlined in the job posting. The final touch, though, is to show the interviewer(s) your interpersonal skills and your emotional intelligence.
Employers are looking for candidates with the business acumen to fulfill the daily work requirements, but the other daily requirements of a job that are more understated and not something clearly expressed in a resume are the people skills and soft skills that a candidate brings to the work environment.
Even in a virtual working environment, interpersonal relationships are key to any company successes, and creating valuable lasting personal connections is a must. A solid way to convey your social competence is through your thank you follow up.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Final Takeaways
Now that you have prepped for the big day, we want to leave you with some closing thoughts about the process as a whole. While building your foundation for success, it is important to see how each piece of the process is bringing out your best opportunities to showcase your skills.
The series of steps we've outlined show you just how important it is to follow through with your whole self as you maneuver through the application and interviewing process. From on the onset of the application process, keep in mind that a prospective employer is looking for the whole candidate to fill their position - someone with the appropriate educational and/or professional experience, as well as someone who has the soft skills to relate with people, work in potential team environments and contribute positively to achieving goals from the company perspective.
As you pursue your next career move, know that you have many tools at your disposal to help you feel your best in this exciting endeavor.
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash