Can You Afford to Ignore These Interview Tips?

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Career Advice


Landing a job interview is only half the battle. The hard part happens when you have to ace the interview as your future employer weighs your credentials and personality against other candidates. Consider these 12 tricks you cannot afford to ignore.

1. Relax

Relax before the job interview. Try deep breathing exercises or visualizing your success. Remember that the people interviewing you aren't against you. They are human, too, and they might hope you're the perfect fit.

2. Ask Good Questions

Your preparation includes coming up with good questions to ask your interviewers. Your questions indicate how well you know about the company and the position. Great queries also show you're genuinely interested in the job.

3. Break the Ice

Start the job interview with a good conversation starter. Ask about the interviewer's weekend, or discuss a recent blog post from the employer. Again, this shows your interest in the organization and the people conducting the interview.

4. Remain Honest

Recruiters sometimes ask difficult questions during a job interview, including, "Why are you leaving your current position?" Honesty is the key to winning the interviewer's trust. Also, you should mention what you hope to accomplish in your career by changing positions or leaving your previous employer.

5. Maintain Positive Body Language

Positive body language shows you're paying attention. Maintain eye contact, smile, and keep a positive attitude. Learn how to mirror someone, which means subtly mimicking the body language of the person in front of you. This psychological trick puts you in a comfort zone with the interviewer.

6. Know How to Correct a Weakness

Knowing your greatest weakness is one thing. Understanding how to correct it means you are constantly working to improve yourself. It's okay to be honest about your weaknesses, so long as you know what to do about them.

7. Slow Down

It's perfectly fine to slow down during your job interview and think about your answers. Take a couple of deep breaths, think about what to say, and then give an answer to the question. This indicates you display thoughtfulness ahead of taking action.

8. Stay Focused

Stay focused on what you can do for the organization. Everything you talk about should explain why you're a perfect fit.

9. Keep It Real

Be real about your motivation for wanting the job. Never fabricate stories or exaggerate experiences in an attempt to impress the hiring manager.

10. Prepare to Talk About Money

Do your homework when it comes to salary negotiations. You don't want to undersell yourself, but you also need to have some idea as to what this position is worth.

11. Ask About Next Steps

Determine what happens next after the interview. Your hiring manager should say when to expect a response.

12. Write a Thank-You Email

Compose a thank-you email within 24 hours. Address it to the hiring manager and other interviewers. Mention one of your conversation points you had during the interview so the people receiving the email remember you and your abilities.

These 12 tips help you to have a more successful job interview. Even if you don't land the job, you leave everyone with a positive impression that may get you a position in the future.


Phot courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

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  • Marilyn Walker
    Marilyn Walker

    Thank you Mr. Lucas for taking the time out of your busy day to give me an interview I appreciate it , I'm also thankful that we talked about the vacations of insurance and you let me walk you through the demonstration on how to verify insurance.

  • Marilyn Walker
    Marilyn Walker

    I am so grateful and thankful that y'all gave me the tools and understanding on how to perform a interview how to interact with the manager or the supervisors doing the interview and I'm just thankful that I got all these points to help me on my next interview.

  • MUHAMMAD. A.
    MUHAMMAD. A.

    Thank you so much. I am grateful. Regards. Bye

  • VINOD C.
    VINOD C.

    I am waiting for interview

  • Mercedes R.
    Mercedes R.

    I agree!

  • Melanie McGee
    Melanie McGee

    I would NEVER go so far as to send flowers, that seems like brown-nosing. A simple note of thanks should be sufficient.

  • Darlene K.
    Darlene K.

    I sent flowers to a lady who owned an insurance agency and was looking for a LCSR. On the florist card I thanked her for the opportunity to interview with her. I got the job.

  • Marisela Galvan
    Marisela Galvan

    I agree.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson

    @Maria-Dolores R thanks for your comment. Personally, I love the thank you notes and I think that they do make a difference. I was up for a position several years ago - as a business analyst. There were 3 people they were considering. Immediately after the interview, I sat in my car and wrote up my thank you note. I had it stamped and ready to go so that all I had to do is to drop it in the mailbox. Two days later I got word that I got the position. I asked what made them choose me and the recruiter said that it was my personal, hand-written thank you note that turned it in my favor. So you never know. It can't hurt to send the note.

  • Maria-Dolores R.
    Maria-Dolores R.

    I have done the thank you email. I do not think an employer will change their mind because you sent a thank you note. The right candidate will be hired with or without those thank you notes. I have experienced what goes on on the other side and small details won't change the idea of a good candidate. Probably in Argentina, I must be the only one sending emails.

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