TEXT E The job interview is the
moment of truth in job hunting. In addition to how the interviewer sees
your qualifications and personal qualities, much will depend on how they
evaluate your interview performance in general. Therefore, it is helpful
to consider it a performance or a game whose goal is to sell the interviewer on
the idea that you are the best person for the job. Most people
take a passive approach to an interview, answering whatever questions they are
asked to the best of their ability. A better approach is to take control and
give the interviewer what you want to give, not necessarily what they are trying
to find out; inspire confidence--to give the interviewer every reason to believe
that you can handle the job for which you are being considered and little reason
to believe you can’t. You do this with more than the answers you provide.
Confidence is also inspired by the way you look, the enthusiasm, energy,
confidence, personal ability and ambition you show or don’t show.
The main reason most candidates do not get the job is that they don’t
inspire confidence. They don’t lose out because they don’t have the
qualifications to do the job but because their confidence in their ability to do
the job didn’t come through in the interview. They didn’t sell themselves well
enough. The reason most don’t is because they are nervous and feel too great
pressure to perform. Many people feel like failures and become even more anxious
if they don’t get an offer after each interview. This is unrealistic. Most
people who get interviewed get turned down, Forget about whether
you are going to get the job. Just concentrate on the interview and do as many
as you can. Interviewing is a skill that is learned with practice just like any
sport or performance. Mentally going over what worked and what didn’t will
improve your performance. Preparation is the key. Practice answering questions
and sounding confident. Just like an actor rehearses, you are rehearsing your
role as a job candidate. It will give you the confidence to take control when it
is your turn "on stage". When you handle the interview with confidence,
the job will take care of itself. As in sports, confidence comes from knowing
you are prepared. Never go to any interview without doing as much research as
possible about the company, institution, etc. Surveys in the US show that
lack of familiarity with the company will hurt your chances in as many as 75% of
the interviews. Virtually all interviews are about the
following: Can you do the job
Will you do the job Will you fit into the
company Regardless of the questions you are asked, the
answers you give should fit into one of those three areas--I can do the job. I
will do the job. I will fit into your company. Most job hunters fail to get the job mianly because they are not______ enough.