Top 12 Secrets to cracking any Job Interview

1.   Interview preparation:

Preparation is a must-to-do thing  if you want to succeed in doing anything.  To prepare for a successful interview,  you should  refer to the Job Interview  Checklist as stated in Section II below.

2.   Interview practice:

Think  about being a boss, CEO or manager someday or you have to apply for a new job again. In that case, interview  skills  shall become very important  in your life.

So, how do you practice your interview?

Way No.1: You can ask a friend  of yours to interview  you. To take advantage of this way, you can tell your friend  to imagine  that they were recruiting  candidates for similar  positions  like yours. Then, there should  be many unexpected  situations  for you to experience  and practice rather than relying  only on available  questions.

Way No.2: Expand your job standards (to seek for a simpler  job or one that pays less, and so on). Then, you will see that there should  be many more offers for an interview  available  to you. Through  these interviews,  you can gain more interview  experience,  and more importantly,

   You will know about business models of other companies;

   You will have opportunities  to practice how to introduce  and renew yourself with all of your skills  and abilities.

For example,  you are seeking for a HR manager assistant or HR deputy manager  job, you can extend your application  to such positions  as HR coordinator,  HR associate, HR clerk, HR staffs and so on, and the chance that the employer may find  you to be suitable  to the position  of CEO assistant or HR deputy manager  (though they do not intend  to do so in the first place until they meet you) will be greater.

3.   Understanding  interview process

Each company adopts a different  interview  process and each interview  round is intended  for a certain purpose. You need to understand  the goals of the employer for each round. It doesn‘t mean that you will succeed if you answer the questions professionally  and fluently,  but you need to put a focus on what the employer  expects from you during  an interview.

For more information  about interview  rounds, please click here.

4.   Come early instead of on time

Many experts will advise you to go to the interview  early or at least 10 minutes  earlier.  I myself recommend  that 30 minutes  earlier should  be reasonable. Why should you take up to 30 minutes?

To find  the address of the company; To complete check-in procedures;

To find  the location  and office where the interview  shall take place;

To check your appearance before getting  into the interview  room

To find  out more about the company; many interviewers  may ask you how the organization  of their companies is, about the reception area, welcoming  atmosphere,  etc.

However, arriving  early may also cause some pressure on you for having  to wait. Please note that

you shouldn‘t  spend such waiting  time revising  your ―lessons‖  or doing any work since there

will be insufficient  time and the pressure will become greater if you do so. You can take the time

prepare some stories or jokes that can help you keep cool and comfortable  for the upcoming interview.

5.   Potential and Loyal Customer in the Future:

Can you believe that after all the hearing  of problems and your knowledge  of the company,  its products and business  fields,  you can be employed  immediately  even if no interview  question has been asked regarding  professional  aspects?

I have got 11 years of experience in conducting  interviews  for various  positions,  including  less important  and even CEO ones. I have observed that many bosses will readily make their employment  decisions  immediately  after meeting  the candidates as they believe that the ones that favor their products and services the most shall perform well,  not to mention  excellently.  I

myself tota ly believe  in that notion.  Certainly,  this doesn‘t mean that the employers  do not know

anything  about your professional qualification.  They have tools and evaluation  results to know

for sure that at least you are able to perform the jobs. By this I mean the abilities  but not the

excellence  or fluency.  I shall recommend  you to become a loyal customer of a company first, know clearly about the strengths  and weaknesses of its competitors,  its current and future challenges,  and so on, before applying  for a job.

6.   First impression:

Remember the time when you met a new partner, a new friend  or your new love… how did your

first impression  on them affect on your feeling?

It is clear that first impression  play a crucial role in determining  the success of an interview.

7.   Control nervousness

Careful preparation is the best way to control your nervousness.  Taking a slow, deep breath will also help you relax and feel more composed. Fill your lungs slowly  from the bottom. Let your abdomen relax and puff out as you fill it with air. Breathing  only with your chest will make

you become tense. Nervousness is created from the feeling  of being too focused on yourself.  You

may be worried about how you look, whether you sound intelligent  or not, and how you a re going to persuade the interviewer.  And if you are sti l a bit nervous,  that‘s okay. That bit should be enough for you to take on the upcoming  challenge.

8.   Showcase your knowledge and integrity/tell interviewers about your stories

As long as the employers  are desperate to find  good candidates,  most eligible  employees who at least meet their minimum  job requirements  shall have good opportunities.  HR personnel and some interviewers  may not have an in-depth knowledge of every job in the company,  however, they understand  enough to know that a certain level of technical expertise is required.  Don‘t try

to fake it and convince  the employers  that you are someone that you are not. This tactic rarely

works, and even if it did work, the fact that you don‘t know what you claimed  you knew would soon be revealed  once you were on the job.

9.   Learn traits/skills that all employers look for In every applicants

Each job requires differently  in aspects of knowledge and skills,  however, according to  Robert Lawrence, there are 7 traits as mentioned  below that play the most important  role and that are sought after by any employer:

•    Skillset

•    Team player

•    Attitude

•    Professionalism

•    Leadership

•    Ethic

•    Security

10. Problem Solving is the Most Important  in an Interview.

Problem solving  is one common skill involved  in any job. Whether you plan to work as a construction  laborer or as a manager of a major corporation,  all jobs will involve  problems and only solving  such problems may lead to your success. It is imperative  that before entering  the interview  room, you should  know how to approach and solve problems.  All questions  should be answered with this process in mind.

11. Close your sale

Before leaving,  you need to close the sale of your talents before the interviewers.  It‘s no different than se ling  a product; you need to get a ―yes‖  from the buyer. You should  understand  that a refusal is cha lenging,  however, that doesn‘t necessarily  mean a ―no,‖ but that the buyer is not ready to buy. Don‘t apologize  for what you don‘t have. If you cannot persuade the interviewers, try to get from them a reason. Objections do not always means rejections,  but you have to cause them to be open in order to respond effectively.  It‘s always worth trying.

12. Follow up and thank-you note.

Follow-up  after an interview  can help you create a lasting  impression  and differentiate  you from the crowd.

Send both an email and a hard-copy thank-you note expressing  your excitement,  qualifications and further  interest in the position.  Invite  the hiring  manager to contact you for additional information.  This is also an excellent  time to send a strategic follow-up  letter of interest.

When making  a thank-you letter, you should  pay attention  to the following:

   Never try to correct your mistakes during  the interview;  the more you do so, they more negative  they will feel about you.

   Don‘t send a normal thank-you letter like other candidates do. Instead, state your opinions  and solutions  that how you can contribute  to the company.