Interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially for introverts who don’t like communicating with strangers.
However, chances are that you’ve to go through at least a few interviews in your life.
If you’re about to go for your first interview, do not fear!
This article will give you the information that you need and help you ace your interview!
Why do companies interview?
Before we start on the methods to ace your interview, you should first know what’s the purpose of interviews.
This will help you understand why interviewers will ask certain questions during the interview process.
1) To determine if you are suitable
It’s very important for a company to know if you’re suitable and qualified for the job role you’re applying for.
Put yourselves in the perspective of an employer, you wouldn’t want to hire someone who isn’t suitable for the job role they are applying for.
It’d be such a waste of resources and time if the applicant isn’t able to contribute to the company.
Hence, the questions are asked in order to gauge your understanding of the job roles you’re applying for.
2) To get to know you
A face-to-face interview is a good platform for employers to get to know your character and personality through your dress code, your facial expressions, and the tone of your voice.
Even if you have the qualifications for the job role, if your character doesn’t meet the employer’s expectations, chances are you won’t get hired.
3) To learn about your career goals
Since interviewing is done to get to know a person more, employers usually want to know what your career goals are.
If your career goals align with the company’s goals, it’ll increase the chances of you getting hired.
You’ll also be more motivated to work and achieve your goals as you know it’ll benefit both you and the company.
Pre-interview Preparations
Now, I’ll be going through some preparations you can take before your interview to increase your chances of getting hired.
1) Research
It’s important to research about the company that you’re applying for.
Do some research by going to the company’s website or social media
page to see what they are doing.
Most company websites have an “About Us” page which contains information about the company’s history, company policy, general services, corporate services, careers, etc.
Employers would surely be impressed if you showed that you’ve done in-depth research on their company as it shows that you’re interested and keen about the job.
2) Research on Job Role
There will usually be a description of the job roles you’re applying for.
It’s imperative that you know what the responsibilities are, and what is expected of you.
You shouldn’t just choose a job role blindly as companies usually offer a lot of them.
Be sure to pick one that interests you the most and do some research on it.
3) Practice Interview Questions
There are some questions that every employer will ask, it’ll be good that you practice answering before the interview.
Watch some videos online or read up on how to answer interview questions.
After that, I recommend that you look at a mirror and rehearse your answers. This way, you’ll be able to look at how your body composure looks like when answering questions.
After practicing a few times before your interview, you’ll feel more confident and decrease the chances of you stumbling when answering the questions.
Remember, practice makes perfect!
4) Prepare Questions to Ask
Asking your interviewers questions sounds ironic, doesn’t it?
However, asking questions is actually an important factor that can affect the end results of your interview.
Asking your interviewers questions with regards to the job role you’re applying for will help you gain a better understanding of it.
Not just that, it’ll show them that you’re genuinely interested in the job role and want to do well.
Take some time before your interview to come out with at least 5 questions to ask your interviewers towards the end of the interview.
5) Know the Dress Code
Dressing up for your interview is a very important factor as it’s the first thing the employer will notice. As you know, first impressions count.
It’s a safer bet to dress formally like a long-sleeve button-up shirt with office pants.
If you don’t own any of these apparel, you should wear a polo tee with long pants at the very least.
Common Interview Questions
Here are some questions commonly asked in interviews,
– How did you get to know about this job?
– Why do you want to work for this company?
– What are your strengths?
– What are your weaknesses?
– What benefits can you bring in?
– Tell me more about your previous jobs
Be sure to practice answering these questions beforehand to avoid making any silly mistakes or stumbling during the interview.
What to do during the Interview
Here comes the most important part of this article, the things you should do during an interview.
Here are some key points to take note of,
1) Be On Time
Honestly, you shouldn’t just be on time, you should reach your place of interview at least 30 minutes earlier so that you’ve time to settle down and prepare yourself mentally.
Don’t let factors such as traffic, weather, personal issues, etc. affect your timing on the day of your interview.
If you notice that it’s about to rain, or your interview happens to fall during peak hour traffic, make sure to leave your house earlier so you can reach the interview place earlier.
It’s not good to make your interviewers wait, as it’ll leave a bad first impression. That’ll severely decrease your chance of landing a job.
2) Dress Appropriately
Unless stated, you should always be in formal wear when going for an interview.
Apart from the time you arrive, how you dress up is also one of the few first things your interviewer will notice.
For the gentlemen, make sure to get a fresh trim and style up your hair to look neat and fresh. A button-up shirt and office pants would never go wrong for an interview.
Ladies, a button-up shirt with a skirt or office pants to look smart. If you’ve long hair, make sure to tie it up so it wouldn’t be all over the place.
Remember that your appearance is one of the few things that your interviewers will notice first.
3) Verbal and Non-verbal behaviour
When conversing with your interviewers, make sure you take note of how you speak and what you say.
You wouldn’t want certain words of habits to slip out of your tongue unknowingly.
Also, when you’re speaking, be sure to maintain eye contact with your interviewers as it’s disrespectful to speak to your audience without looking at them.
Speak with energy and confidence so your interviewers can hear you without having to move their heads forward.
You want to sound energetic so your interviewers will know that you’re enthusiastic about landing the job.
When your interviewers are speaking or asking questions, make sure to also maintain eye-contact, sit upright, and be attentive.
This is a form of respect, if you want your interviewers to listen to you attentively, you should also do the same!
4) Don’t Provide False Information
Most of the time, your interviewers would have already seen your resume and portfolio that you sent out and did some background research on you.
Giving false information will only make you less credible and trustworthy.
If you forgot to add some achievements into your resume and portfolio, chances are your interviewers would not believe it when you bring it up as there is no evidence to back it up.
Do consider looking for resume templates to make sure that your resume is presentable. Make sure to provide all the information on your achievements on your resume and portfolio!
Post Interview
If you think your interview is done once your interviewers thank you for your time, you’re wrong!
There are still some steps you should take to further increase your chance of getting accepted.
1) Thank Your Interviewers
You should thank your interviewers for taking up time from their schedule to sit down and interview you.
It’s a basic form of respect and courtesy.
2) Ask For Follow Up
After finishing your interview, you should ask your interviews on who you should follow up with, when, and how to follow up.
This will show them that you’re very keen on landing the job, which will increase your chances of getting hired!
3) Write a Thank You Email
This step is not compulsory but if you really want that job, you can write a thank you email to the company or interviewer.
Thank them again in the email for their time and for giving you a job opportunity.
Be sure to ask them again on how you can follow up!
4) Prepare For Other Interviews
Nothing is guaranteed unless your interviewers offer you the job on the spot right after your interview.
You should continue preparing for other interviews using the tips mentioned above so that you’ve a chance of landing other jobs if you happen to be rejected for your first interview.
Conclusion
Here you go!
These are some interview tips you can follow and significantly increase your chances of acing it.
If these tips managed to help you land a job, congratulations! You deserve it!
However, if you are not hired, don’t give up! There are still many jobs out there you can apply for.
Try recapping on what you did during your previous interview and how you can improve.
With hard work and determination, I’m pretty sure you’ll land a job in no time!
Here are some related articles you can read:
Where to Find Internship Jobs in Singapore? – SmileTutor
High Paying Jobs In Singapore: In-Depth Survey (Up to $45k per month)
Facebook