10 secrets of a successful interview

10 secrets of a successful interview

* Sooner or later, every person faces the question of changing jobs. Often the most important and decisive step on the way to the coveted position is an interview.

* Any interview is a new experience that can be useful, even if you are not in the mood to change jobs right now. This is an opportunity to evaluate yourself, make business contacts, realize in time that you may have stayed too long at your current place of work, and decide where to move next.

• The very first tip: Get ready

* You can not go to an interview at random. You need to prepare carefully: study information about the company, find information about the person who will conduct the interview, think through your speech-presentation. The company does not have to know anything about the candidate in advance, all the responsibility for making the right impression, showing yourself to be an adequate, constructive person and an experienced professional lies with the applicant. It is not uncommon for an excellent candidate to get scared, get stuck in an unfamiliar environment and fail the interview because of this. You need to remember that the first impression can not be made twice, which means that you need to gather and tune in to prove yourself in the best way, because there will be no second chance.

• Start with a conversation about anything

* For the first few minutes, talk about the weather, street traffic, anything. You can make a compliment to the office, praise the view from the window, congratulate on a recent corporate holiday, some sports victories (for example, the long-awaited victory of our national team) or professional achievements (a high place in the rating of the employer company, etc.). This, firstly, will allow you to "melt the ice", relieve general tension, arrange the interlocutor, and secondly (and this is no less important), such a conversation will give you the opportunity to calm down, look around, gather strength and not be nervous. But do not talk about politics and events, the opinions of which you and the interviewer may not coincide.

* don't turn a conversation into a monologue

• It will be incorrect to immediately give out the prepared speech. First, you need to listen to the interlocutor and try to understand who exactly the company is looking for, what professional and personal characteristics of the person they need. And, having made the appropriate conclusions, tell about yourself. "listening" at the initial stage of the meeting should be 80%, and "speaking" - 20%.

• It is a fairly common situation when a candidate begins to talk about himself in stress, but he does not say at all what was expected from him. At the same time, he may have all the necessary competencies for this position, but during the conversation he could not correctly emphasize his experience and knowledge and did not highlight the key qualities for the employer. And as a result, the interviewer will have the impression that the candidate for this position is not suitable.

* Establish a trusted contact

• Any communication is already half successful if a trust contact is established. The fashionable word rapport now means " a dynamic state that occurs during communication, in which mutual understanding increases and a sense of deep trust is created." And this unconscious rapport is very important for the success of the meeting. The interviewer seems to "try on" you for his company: how much you "own", "similar" to him, his colleagues and all employees who share the interests and values of the employer company.

• In order for a person who does not know you to believe you and begin to trust you, it is necessary to speak with him in the same language, in the same words. And for this to be able to listen and hear.

• If the CEO is an old-school person, then you need to talk to him with words from the Soviet past, for example, remember some stories from childhood, which all people of the older generation had about the same. And if you are a person of a modern formation, then you need to talk to him in another language, for example, inserting Anglicisms and fashionable abbreviations. Adjustment is necessary, because only 7% of what a person says is perceived, 38% - how he says it, and 55% is occupied by body language.

* Try to be the moderator of the conversation

* With the help of competent questions, you can build a dialogue so that you are comfortable and that you set the tone for the entire conversation. Questions should be "smart": about the company's business, about the strategy, about ways to achieve the goals adopted in the company, about the role and expected contribution of the desired specialist to the implementation of these goals. In our practice, there were examples when candidates asked questions like "What square footage will my office have?" or "What airlines do you fly on business trips?" etc.It is clear how such interviews ended. From your questions, the employer should understand that you are serious about this offer, deeply study the situation, as they say, "see to the root" and already feel involved with the company and team.

• Take care of your appearance

* The first impression of a person is formed in the first 30-40 seconds of the meeting.

* A friendly facial expression, natural movements and a fresh, neat, presentable appearance are the most important factors that cause sympathy of the interlocutor.

* Business style is required in the interview. But you don't have to be a man in a skirt. a woman should always remain feminine. An elegant suit is best, but you can also choose a strict business dress. and you need a "highlight": a neckerchief, a beautiful brooch, a string of pearls.

* As for hairstyles, it is best perceived cleaned hair and an open face. but everything is very individual. There was a time when I was worried about a CFO candidate who went to an interview in a sleeveless dress with her hair down to her waist. But the meeting was successful, the client was satisfied with the conversation. On the one hand, a man was pleased to communicate with a beautiful young woman, he received aesthetic pleasure, and at the same time he perceived her as an equal, because she spoke very carefully, calmly, professionally, judiciously. there was no unnecessary hint of coquetry.

* don't act like a snob

• You come to the interview to present, "sell" yourself. be in touch, answer questions willingly, the phrase "read my resume, everything is written there" will not play in your favor. we had an example when the interview lasted literally 5 minutes. An experienced candidate chose the wrong strategy of self-presentation: he came, sprawled in a chair and showed with all his appearance that he was evaluating the company. He immediately said that he had several suggestions and asked what could surprise him. And the CFO just got up and left, because he immediately realized that such a person was not suitable for the company.

* Be prepared to share information

* Be friendly, open, and share information. Sometimes the candidate does not answer questions, saying that it is a trade secret, despite the fact that all the information is available on the Internet. This behavior causes confusion among employers. Also, I do not advise you to be indignant if you ask questions about your personal life. if a young woman is asked if she is married, how many children there are in the family and with whom they will stay in case of possible illness, this is normal. The employer simply wants to see you as a reliable and permanent employee. But there is also the opposite situation, when the candidate tells too much personal information that is completely inappropriate. It is necessary to observe the measure in everything.

* Make friends with a good headhunter

* Very often, talented applicants pass by, they are viewed because no one has recommended them. I advise you to look for a job, including with the help of recruitment agencies. A competent headhunter knows how to properly present the merits of the candidate, what to pay attention to the employer, so that he will consider your candidacy. In addition, if the interview was unsuccessful, he will contact the client, and then conduct "work on mistakes", in a calm and non-offensive form, pay attention to areas for development and give professional advice.

• Go to interviews more often

• Each new interview is an experience through which you become wiser, more professional and more confident. Even if you are not in the mood to change jobs right now, such a periodic "shake-up" is very useful. You will be able to understand how much you are "in the market", evaluate your opportunities, make business contacts, realize in time that you may have stayed too long at your current place of work and decide where to move on.