Whether you’ve just graduated or you’ve recently found yourself in the position of looking for a new job, the interviewing process is hard. In fact, managing to increase your chances of getting an interview in the first place is hard. Then, the quest of beating all the other candidates in the interview is even harder.
Keep reworking your CV.
Your CV is obviously one of the most crucial initial steps when it comes to the interview. Not only will it be a reference point within the interview, but it’s also your gateway to securing that interview in the first place. Of course, you might not be a wordsmith, and that could be preventing you from even getting the chance to prove yourself in an interview. You could always compare resume writers online if you’re struggling to get through the first acceptance stage of job applications because many professionals out there know how to compose an expertly-crafted CV. There’s actually a science to making yourself look appealing to employers on paper.
The point is that you might be an incredibly intelligent and sociable person to meet in real life, but none of that matters if you don’t have a captivating piece of “marketing copy”. The key is that you need to view your resume in that way. You’re marketing yourself to your employer. Get all the help you can, but learn from your mistakes. Get feedback if you’re unsuccessful with certain job vacancies because many companies out there will be happy to give advice on how you could improve your approach with future opportunities (either at their company or with other companies in the industry). Just ask.
Looks matter.
Even if you master the resume, you’ve still got to master the interview itself. There’s a reason you were invited in to meet the employer in person; your CV wasn’t enough to secure the job. Now you have to impress your potential future employer with your real personality. You can’t hide behind printed words that might have been embellished. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t portray yourself in other exceptional ways.
Dressing to impress should be a priority for you before you walk into the interview. It may seem shallow, but we’re all prejudiced; we all make first impressions based on appearance. If you’re wearing a killer suit, a smart blouse, or any kind of clothing that’s suited to the environment in which you’re applying then you’re going to really make an impact on the employer before opening your mouth. Think of it as your real-life CV; you’re letting your clothes speak for you in the same way that you let your resume speak for you.
Do extra research and ask questions.
There will be many intelligent candidates competing with you for the top roles, but not all of them will want the job as badly as you. That’s your advantage, and you need to work hard to demonstrate that to your potential future employer. Go beyond the others by showing that you have a deep understanding of the company and its goals, rather than spouting off a few facts in parrot fashion and spending the interview talking about how great you are. Show your interest by asking the interviewer detailed and relevant questions about the business too. That demonstrates how keen you are to learn more.
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