On Monday I published Part One of my Personal Favourite Interview Tips. Sharing advice such as 'know the job you are going for', 'wear something memorable' and 'ask lots of questions'. In Part Deux, I share the following:
# Smiling
= positive attitude
By nature I am quite a smiley person. I have a
positive attitude towards life and feel it resonates through my smile.
My former manager once told me “you can teach the
right person skills and knowledge, however you cannot teach a person the right
attitude”.
Having a positive attitude is
a highly sort after trait in most companies. Even if you are not generally a
positive person, fake it with a smile. Practice in the mirror … Go on, I dare
you!
"I want to be you whenever I see you smiling" as the lyrics go in Gnarls Barkley song 'Smiley Faces'
^ People are attracted to people with positive attitudes as they tend to be vibrant and happy
# Do
not be afraid of your accomplishments
There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance.
If you are proud of your achievements, then be confident in the interview to
let your future employer know how you’d be a great asset to their company by
putting it into context. However don’t be forceful or assertive about it.
Simply remain your modest, confident self, but be proud of your achievements!
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| "What are you asking me!?" |
# Be
prepared for stupid questions
I was once asked in an interview ‘what animal I would
be and why?’ In the same interview I was also asked why I haven’t been able to
keep a steady job for more than a year. I was 18/19 years old at the time, with
less than a year out of High School, studying Beauty Therapy full time. The questions
seemed strange, irrelevant and the last one, condescending. I was applying to
be a Retail Assistant at a shoe store. A role I had previous experience with,
which I felt was being overlooked. So my advice is to be wary that some
employers like to throw you off with irrelevant questions to test you. If their
questions make you feel uncomfortable, or feel more like a rhetoric attack than
question, it is okay to ask the relevancy of their question to the job interview.
*Remember if you think the interview is steering
off-topic, it’s okay to control and steer it back to relevancy.
# Ask
when you will hear back if you are successful
This is the most important question in an interview!
If they say ‘by next Friday’, make note in your diary to call them if you do
not hear back from them. Sometimes employers get busy or forget and they may
need a little reminder. Also by calling them to find out your success shows
persistence, dedication and interest in the position.
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| L'Oréal's knows you're worth it! |
# Know
your worth
If you’ve spent years dedicating long hours and
working hard towards your Bachelors, Masters, Honours or PHD for this role,
then know your worth! Don’t work for free. Research how much you should be
getting paid for the position and go to the interview with that figure in mind.
Since your education wasn’t for free and you spent however many years working
towards it, it is okay to negotiate salary if you think you are worth it. Don’t
take anything less unless you think the position itself is worth it.
***I think
it’s okay to discuss pay during the interview, though my mother thinks it is
something to be negotiated after you’ve been offered the role. What do you
think?
Have you got any Interview Tips and Tricks you would like to share?
Please share them in the Comment Space below. Or alternatively you can email them.
#BeyoncéWouldBeProud x
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