It’s always a great feeling to receive invites to job interviews, especially when it comes from companies you’ve wanted to join for a long time. They are hard to come by in today’s tough job market so each invite feels like a small achievement. It’s a sign that somebody recognizes your worth and believes you are a good candidate for a job.
But what if it all ends there? What if instead of moving on to the next stage of the hiring process, you find yourself remaining in job hunting limbo – just going through one interview after the other and never getting that much hope for job offer.
Perhaps the problem lies in the way you conducted yourself during the interview, or it may be due to things that happened after the interview. Hirers will often check with your references to seek out a second opinion before deciding whether they want to hire you or not. Whatever the case, there is always a remedy that you can apply to help things turn around in your favour:
Do mock interview exercises with a friend
Truth be told, we are often unaware of how we come off during interviews. Remember that your answers only count for a portion of the overall interview experience. Interviewers don’t just listen to the words we’re saying, they are also observing the way we communicate through our body language. Little gestures that come natural to us may be interpreted differently by others, so it’s best to be mindful of them during interviews. Your best solution to this problem is to record a mock interview with somebody you trust so you can view what interviewers see when they talk to you. Pay close attention to how you answer questions as well as your mannerisms during the session. Once you’ve figured out the areas you need to improve on, work on them with your partner so you won’t repeat the same mistakes during the real thing.
Practice, practice, practice
The old saying, “Practice makes perfect,” still holds true during the job hunting process. As an applicant, your role is to convince hirers that you are the right person for the role, so make sure you’re well-prepared for every interview invite you’ve accepted. Anticipate the answers that will come during the interview and rehearse your answers until you have memorized them by heart. The mock interview exercise from the first tip is the perfect way to do all that. Sell yourself well with the right answers and you might just earn a job offer at the end.
Take a step back and look at how you choose the jobs you’re applying for
For this solution to work, you have to go back in time to when you were just starting out to look for openings. How did you pick the jobs to apply for? Perhaps the reason you didn’t get a call back was because the hiring manager didn’t think you were a good fit for them. You may have been going after jobs that don’t match your skills and background. It may also have been a case where you may fit the criteria to fill the position, it’s just that you’re not a good fit for the company that’s hiring. Don’t be sad if that’s the case, you just have to be more careful when applying for jobs in the future. Look for job openings that match your abilities at companies that fit your personality.
Look at how you’re presenting yourself to the interviewer
Image is everything when it comes to job interviews – it’s the first time the hirer will meet you and it could be your only shot at the prize so use the opportunity to make a good, lasting impression. Positivity is the key here – people are drawn to friendly and optimistic people so make sure you exude those vibes yourself. Be friendly and agreeable, and mind your manners throughout the process. Here’s a secret that HR professionals may not want to tell you: Yes, job seekers get hired for their talents and skills but recruiters would also take into consideration the personality of the candidate when the time comes for them to decide which person to hire. In short, people want to work with people they feel they have a connection to or that they feel can get along with. If you are aggressive, a nervous wreck or just a negative person overall, there’s a high chance you might get passed over for an opening even if you meet (or even exceeded) the job’s needs.
Do a background check on yourself online and offline
What if you find yourself performing well on the day of the interview – you were able to answer the interviewer’s questions adequately and confidently, all while maintaining a good rapport with him/her – but you still didn’t get an offer at the end? You may want to do a little investigative work to find the reason for it. First, check with your references: are these people you can trust to give positive reviews for you? Next, check your presence online: is it painting you in a positive way or not? Oftentimes, hirers will not hesitate to change their minds about hiring someone when they discover something negative about the person after the interview. Check to see what they can find out about you online and offline and remedy things to go in your favour as soon as you can.
Image source: Shutterstock
Source : Jobstreet
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