A little help from my friends
A little help from my friends
November 26, 2012
I’ve had a couple of jobs in my life and I’m sure I could rhyme off a lot of things that I think you should do to be successful in a job interview, but I decided to do something different for this post.
I took to social media and polled my friends with the question, "What's your best job interview advice?" I’ll share a tip of my own, but I do hope that my friends’ comments are able to help you!
Hélène said: "Know who you’re being interviewed by! Study up on them."
Michelle said: "Be prepared to critique their work and then offer suggestions. I’m always prepared to tell an organization what I think they do well, but the opposite can be more difficult. Happened to me in an interview recently. Good luck!"
Stas said: "Wear one memorable item, like a bright tie. If you’re being interviewed by a woman, face her directly; if it’s a man angle your chair slightly to the side."
Ana said: "Be personable, friendly, and professional but not too stuffy. If you think you can pull it off, try to throw in a bit of humour. It’s not often that interviewers get to have a good chuckle during an interview, so you will stand out and seem like you can work well with the team."
Jamie said: "Ask them what they are looking for in a candidate and then tell them how you fit."
Basil said: "Who are you? Friendly, earnest, humourous, a go-getter? Be that person."
Catherine: "Eye contact."
Jacqueline: "Prepare a hard copy of your cover letter and resume to give to the interviewers in case they don’t have yours on hand. Also, when I used to go for interviews I would bring along a small "thank you" card and when the interview was over I would find a quiet spot maybe at a nearby cafe to fill it out thanking them for the opportunity for the interview, and touching on a few of the more personal points of the conversation. Not sure if this made it or broke it, but I always felt it was a nice touch that might leave a lasting impression."
Amanda said: "If you really, really, REALLY want the job, send a thank you card. Not email— actually drop it off at their front desk. And ask them what they like most about working at the company/ what drew them there."
Sarah said: "Never say anything negative about a past employer."
And finally, my advice is: "Want the job. You won’t succeed in the interview if you don’t really want it. Don’t just apply for the sake of applying. You should be passionate about the jobs you apply to."
Good luck!