Good interview tips

• Have someone watch over your kids – If you have been used to watching over your kids, then you should hire someone to watch over them, at least for the time that you are going to have your job interview. However, it is best that you do it a day prior to it, so that you will have more time to prepare. Hire someone you can trust so that you would be at ease.
• Hide your bad habits – You have to be selling yourself to the interviewer when you go through the interview. Thus, do not bring up certain negative experiences that you have gone through your life, such as your failing marks in high school, your tendency to procrastinate, and such. If you discuss these things, it may lead the interviewer to focus more on them instead of your good qualities.
• Prepare to introduce yourself – In an interview, there is always going to be the usual introduction, in which you would be telling the interviewers about your name, age, school attended, and such. It is best that you prepare your own spiel for this. By doing that, you would be having a good start, which can be a factor that can determine your entire performance.
• Be flexible when it comes to scheduling for the interview, but avoid doing it after lunch – If you are asked by the company’s representative regarding the schedule for the interview, you should be open to any possible time. However, if given a choice, it is best to have an interview in the morning. This way, you and the human resources persons would be starting out fresh. In other words, you are all in a good mood and still full of energy.

Good interview tips

• Be prepared in the different types of interviews – Keep in mind that there are different types of interviews being conducted these days. Aside from the usual face to face, some would be done through phone or video conferencing. Therefore, you need to be prepared by setting your mind about it, so that you won’t get surprised and lose sight on what you want to achieve.
• Go to the restroom a few minutes before the interview – Since you are given the exact time when your interview would start, then you would be able to have enough time to make sure that you are properly focused when it begins. One of the things that you can do about it is to go to the restroom 3 to 5 minutes before the interview. By doing that, you can check how you look, as well as make sure that your bladder is empty.
• Drink a glass of water prior to the interview – Whether it is going to be the final or initial interview for your job application, you can be assured that in order to get the job you want, you have to properly answer the questions asked. In other words, there would be lots of talking on your part. Drinking a glass of water before the interview starts should help ensure that your throat won’t get dried up while you are talking.
• Relax – While you are waiting for your turn to get interviewed, you need to relax. If you are nervous about introducing yourself, then practice it, so that you would gain more confidence. Aside from that, you should also sit back read your notes, and enjoy a conversation with a friend if you have the chance. It is best to be relaxed before it starts so that you would be calmed and collected by the time you enter the room.

• Practice good posture – Whether you are already inside the room for your interview or are still waiting for it, you should always observe proper posture. When you sit or stand properly, you won’t be putting too much pressure on certain parts of your body. Because of that, you would become more relaxed and would be able to breathe normally, which are very important things when it comes to performing well in interviews.
• Be confident – Whatever kind of position you are applying for, you can be assured that your employer wants someone who is confident enough in handling himself. Thus, it is important that you are confident about yourself. When you are confident, people would be able to see it on the way you move and the way you talk.
• Be optimistic – Keep in mind that one of the best things that you can do in order to boost your self-confidence in getting the job you want is to think positively. You should always tell yourself that you can do it. By doing that, you would eventually reach your subconscious mind, and it would provide you with more motivation and drive, in order to get the job that you have been dreaming for.
• Be courteous – Always remind yourself to treat the persons who will interview you with courtesy and respect. You can show this by preventing yourself from interrupting them when they are talking. Aside from that, show them that they are the ones who are in control, by simply following their lead, for the whole duration of the interview.
• Make eye contact – In order to show your interviewers that you are sincere and that you are giving honest answers to their questions, you should look at them in the eyes. Aside from that, making eye contact would also show that you are listening to them attentively; and, this is one of the traits that they are surely searching for, in whatever kind of job that you are applying for.
• Laugh politely – There are times when an interviewer would crack some joke, in which it is actually fine to laugh. Although laughing can take away your nervousness, and it is also quite embarrassing for the interviewer if you do not laugh at his joke, overdoing it is a different story. It is best that you keep your laugh under control so that you would still show them that you are indeed professional.
• If you should, compliment the company and not the interviewer – Always remember that when it comes to getting the job you want, flattery may not get you to it. Therefore, if you are planning on complimenting the interviewer, then you should think again. However, it is actually a good idea to compliment the company, since employers like to hire people who actually like their company.
• Ask the right questions – Although it is a good idea to ask questions, you should also pick those that are more appropriate. Aside from that, don’t ask questions that are too obvious. Asking questions should be done in a professional manner, and it should appear that you are simply trying to supplement the knowledge you have regarding the business, which you have gained through research.
• Don’t ask about drug testing or background checks – Background checks, as well as drug tests, are often required by certain types of companies these days. In relation to that, if you get hired, your employer would tell you about it. Thus, it is best not to ask questions regarding it. Asking the questions may even make the other person think that you don’t want to go through drug testing and checks, which is not a good way to impress them.
• Don’t ask about paid time off – Asking questions should be limited to general information about the company. Thus, it is inappropriate to ask about time off or paid vacation leave. Aside from that, when you ask about it, your employer may rethink hiring you, since he may begin to doubt your work ethics. In addition, he may also think that you haven’t even begun working yet, but you are already thinking about having a vacation.
• Don’t try to ask questions just to prolong the interview – Prolonging the interview would not get you anywhere. The interviewers would not make use of a timer or a stopwatch, in order to see how much time you spent inside the room with them. Thus, asking questions to prolong it would not improve your chances of getting the job. Instead, just focus on more important questions to ask, to make a good impression.
• Never lie in your interview – It is never a good idea to lie during the course of the interview. You should keep in mind that most interviewers are human resource personnel, in which they are most likely experts in psychology. Therefore, they would know how to look for signs, when someone is lying. Be honest, and if your honest answer puts you in a bad spot, always bring out the positive side in it.