If your resume is good, you should be receiving plenty of calls for job interviews. Unfortunately, if you are unable to follow up with a strong presentation when you meet with your prospective boss, it will be very hard to secure a job. In particular, if you exhibit a lack of confidence, or you appear untidy, it will all count against you. Typically, it is the little things that will either add up to a job offer or cause your prospective employer to move on to the next candidate.
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Things You Should do Before the Interview
The worst thing you can do is walk into an interview without having researched the company and its needs. In addition, if you look like you stayed up all night, or you didn’t take care of hygiene issues, you can rest assured that you will not get the job. While most career counselors will tell you to address these issues, it also never hurts to have your clothes ironed and prepared from the night before. As may be expected, a career counselor will also tell you that you should never be late for an interview. Even if you have to wait a few minutes in the office, it will be better than arriving late.
Things to Emphasize During the Interview
During the interview, you should never waste time with common chatter. For example, instead of talking about the weather as an ice breaker, you should open up with some recent news about a relevant industrial niche. While your interviewer may not say much in response, he/she will take note of the fact that you are focused on priorities. It is also very important to make sure that you bring each question back to your skills and abilities.
If the interviewer tries to sidetrack you, simply remember that you are looking for a job, and point out what you can do in a given situation. It will also be to your advantage to keep a positive note during the interview. No matter how tempted you may be to say something negative, you are better served by referencing your skills and abilities instead of pointing fingers at others.
Follow Up Strategies
Once the interview is over, you should make it a point to say thank you. You should never leave the interview without asking when you can expect to hear back on the status of the job. If you hear that you will be notified by mail, you can rest assured that you failed to get the position. Under these circumstances, you have nothing to lose by asking for a short try out period. If you have some skills that are of value, your request may just get honored.
Regardless of the turnout, you should always follow up an interview with a written thank you note. While you may not have gotten the job this time, there is nothing to say that the new person won’t work out. At the very least, if you ranked a close second, your thank you note will serve as a reminder that you may still be available.
When you are applying for an intern position, you should also look at career advice that will tell you how to achieve a high ranking during an interview. In most cases, you will be well served by using methods and strategies that enhance your best qualities and skills. While you may be tempted to walk into an interview without being properly prepared, you should be just as ready to walk back out again without securing a job.
