5 Useful Tips For Your Next Job Interview And How To Nail Questions

Are you a fresh graduate and do not have an idea on how to nail a job interview?

Aren't you confident enough to be in a position where an employer asks you about your qualifications?

Then you landed to a right article that addresses your exact problem.

 A job interview is a hiring process wherein a company's representative, usually called the Human Resource (HR), or the recruitment team qualifies an applicant through a series of formal consultation which evaluates the applicant's specific qualification to a certain job posting.

Oftentimes, there is a sequence of job interviews taking place before the eventual job offer. There is the Initial and the Final Job Interviews.

Initial job interview is a process after you passed an application through walk-in or online to a company with your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume. You will get a call or a notice from the contact number or e-mail you have listed from your curriculum vitae once you are shortlisted which includes the schedule or time and date to when the process will take place.

Usually, in the initial job interview, you will be asked about your name, nickname, age, residence, the school you graduated, and the degree you acquired. It is all in your curriculum vitae after all, so do not be afraid to introduce yourself. 

You will also be asked if what skills do you posses, and what you can contribute to the organization that you are applying for.

After the initial job interview, you will be notified by the employer if you passed that phase of recruitment. It usually takes around days to weeks of waiting, but there is nothing wrong with following up for the status of your application.

Luckily, if the stars aligned to your will. You will be scheduled for the final job interview wherein your "soon to be" immediate head or superior will conduct the process. It is a very critical part of the recruitment because you will be asked specific questions and some situational questions. So you must be very prepared mentally.

After the final job interview, and you qualified for the position comes the job offer. Job offer consists of stating your monthly salary, the schedule and place of your deployment, and the benefits, and commissions that you will get while working. You must be delighted if you land to your dream job and dream organization. So, congratulations!

Here are some tips that might help you on your next job interview. This is applicable to everyone, fresh graduates and tenured employees who already forgot what to do when shifting from a job to another.

1. Update and prepare your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

Make sure to omit unnecessary information like your objectives, height, weight, skin color, religion, birth place, or anything that hasn't to do with the job. Instead, include the certifications and valid licenses that you acquired which is essential to the job you are applying. Trainings and seminars should be at least of five (5) years of recency. Make it precise and pleasing for the eyes of the employers to see. Never include graphs or ratings that measures your proficiency in specific office tools.

2. Answer directly to the point.

Sometimes, long answers to the interview questions does not mean higher chances of winning. Make your response short but has precise and easy to comprehend thought.

3. Do not over-dress or under-dress.

Remember that how you present yourself during a job interview leaves them a first impression of you. Do not try to be "extra" or too casual. Or you might lose your chance of getting hired. Dress/groom accordingly and appropriately. For instance, you applied for a corporate job, then present yourself as corporate as you can, and skip wearing casual clothes. Groom according to what your job demands.

4. Come on time.

You must report to the office on or before the interview schedule you and the employer mutually decided. Never make an alibi why you did not make it on time. You must be professional with the schedule. As they say, time is money. If you come late to your job interview, you can eventually lose your future bread and butter.

5. Salary asking.

 For those already tenured or experienced employee, asking the salary is one of the key for you to work efficiently. You do not want to be underpaid and overworked at the same time, aren't you? Be wise on reviewing the job description for you to have an idea of how much salary you should ask. Negotiating your salary is like negotiating your worth as an employee.

Personally, I am already running out of tips to share with you. So now, I am helping you rather on how you should respond to specific questions USUALLY being asked during the recruitment process.

Disclaimer: This is how I answer these questions personally. I know for sure this would be a great help for you.

1. How do you handle pressure?

Answer: I handle pressure in a very organized manner. I accomplish tasks one at a time to assure quality and precise output.

2. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

Answer: Aside from being an experienced employee, one of the traits I consider as my strength would be my interpersonal skills and how I handle certain situations with ease and confidence.

As you notice, I never answer the weaknesses part of the question for it might be a ground for the revocation of application if I answered it incorrectly. You must be very cautious on answering.

3. Do you prefer working independently, or with a team?

Answer: I am fond of working with a team for me to be knowledgeable of my tasks during my training period. But I can also work independently once I am trained to focus on my decision making that will highlight my creativity (this technically means that I enjoy a blended scheme of working environment).

To wrap things up, you must be in your most presentable and highest presence of mind possible to get qualified and eventually land to your desired job.

The best of luck and congratulations!