Trying to attract people on dating apps is just one thing compared to selling yourself in a job interview. This is because the career and professional world is full of fierce competition and employers and human resource management has so much to consider before ultimately deciding.
What should I wear? What things should I say to sell myself in a job interview? What is the perfect answer when asked what are my strengths? These are some of the questions that a candidate will often asked Google for dires hopes to nail that job interview.
While Google has hundreds after hundreds of pages on job interview tips, we have compiled all the necessary must-know from two career coaches.
1. Do your research
Never walk into a job without doing your research about the company first. Career coach Julia Lynch of Smarter in a Sec says that researching beyond the homepage of the website’s company is a must. This includes looking if they’ve been on the news lately, any new key hires or are there any case studies displayed on their website.
“Make sure to bring a strong knowledge of the company—and exactly how you’ll contribute—into the interview.”
2. Always dress professionally
Career coach AJ Vollmoeller, the president and owner of Future Force Staffing & Résumés, says to always dress professionally, even if the job you’re applying for isn’t super professional. Always go for a business-professional dress or pantsuit.
“Don’t try to mimic the company dress code—for example, don’t wear jeans and sneakers if your interview is on a Friday just because it’s casual Friday in the office,”
3. Tailor your résumé according to the job
Just as how you would customize your cover letter for a job application, you should do the same to your résumé. According to Vollmoeller, you should make sure to mention at least two or three highlights from every job.
“This will show that you don’t just go to work and do your job, then leave, but rather it says that you don’t mind putting in the added effort and get recognized for it.”
4. Prepare three strengths
“What are your strengths?” is one of the questions that every interviewer will ask. Lynch recommends to prepare three strengths. She continued saying that a group of three conveys organization and efficacy if we based it on the rule of three.
“Candidates can list out their three strengths at the outset so that the interviewer gets a sense of how they’ll answer the question and then elaborate on each one.”
5. Focus on a relatable weakness
“What are your weaknesses?” is one of the most trickiest questions that an interviewer will most likely ask. It’s a touchy subject because you wouldn’t want to disclose a weakness that will pull you out of the “possible hire” roster.
For this, Lynch recommends to mention a common weakness that’s relatable but will not cause warning bells to ring on your interviewer’s head.
“I don’t recommend mentioning any weaknesses like a lack of time management, lack of organization, inability to get along with team members, or continual procrastination,” she adds. “I typically recommend that candidates say that they ‘take on too much at work and sometimes have trouble deciding what to delegate to team members.’
6. Ask questions
Asking questions during your job interview can actually prove to be a strength since it shows your employers that you are interested in the company. Questions such as:
- What have previous employees done in this role to be successful?
- How has this position evolved since it was created, and how do you see it evolving even more in the future?
- What is the top priority for the person in this position in the first three months?
“Your final question should always be, ‘Do you have any questions or hesitations about my qualifications?’ and then answer appropriately if they do.”
