Three Ways to Improve Your Job Interview Skills

Throughout the interview, a good interviewer will take note of more than just the answers to questions. They will also be looking at how confident an applicant is, how well they communicate, their ability to portray their best qualities and how they might fit into the existing work environment.

With this in mind, below are three things you can do to improve your job interview skills.

1) Knowledge = Confidence

One of the most difficult job interview skills to master is nonverbal communication. Body language is often dictated by our comfort level, and the best way to feel comfortable in an interview is to walk in with a head full of knowledge about the situation.

Researching both the job and the company is critical. Review the job description and research the key skills that the potential employer is seeking. Then, research the company. Look at the official website, social media profiles and any recent news turned up by a Google search. Look up your potential boss on LinkedIn to review their background and recent posts.

Finally, compile what seems like the most important information and commit it to memory.

2) Practice Like You Will Perform

One of the worst things you can do when practicing for an interview is to commit a series of questions and answers to memory, then have a partner ask you the questions you have tried to memorize.

The problem with this is that you don’t know for certain what questions and interviewer will ask you. Instead, focus on remembering anecdotes that show off your abilities in responses to questions you definitely know will be asked, such as: “Why are you applying for this job?”

Make sure you have your interview partner ask follow-up questions and push you for details.

3) Practice Listening

From the very outset of the interview, your interviewer is giving you vital information, with what they say and how they say it. If you are not paying close attention, you are missing out on opportunities to shine.

In the leadup to the interview, get in the habit of focusing on what other people say to you and try to be thoughtful in how you respond.

We Can Set You Up for Interview Success

At Career Concepts, we not only connect job seekers to opportunities, and also help them perform their best during the application process. Please contact us today to find out how we can help you find interview success.