"THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COMPANY BEFORE JOB INTERVIEW"

 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT COMPANY BEFORE JOB INTERVIEW

1. The Company’s History 

This kind of research is one step further still (and a lot more difficult) – discover what you can about the company’s history!

Learning the history of the company (things like take-overs, business partners, past News stories and recruitment drives) will help you to predict the future.

2. The company's Competitors

you may already have faced the question ‘who do you think are our main competitors?’ in an interview before.

It’s a pretty difficult one to answer, particularly if you don’t know the industry (and haven’t done your research) so we always recommend coming up with a few good examples!

Answer well and you’re guaranteed to impress your interviewer.

Simple really, but people often forget this vital bit of research!

3. Management

You should really do at least a little of research about the management team of the company (although it’s not the most important thing on this list).

If you can name-drop, it’ll be pretty impressive – so for example – if you know that the owner of the business has written an award-winning book, you could bring that up.

At the very least you should be aware of who’s interviewing you and who your line manager would be, with some knowledge of their background.

4. The Company Mission.

A company’s mission statement basically reflects the reason why they do what they do; the reason they came into being and the values they hold (these usually remain unchanged).

For example, The Coburg Banks mission statement is to… ‘become the recruitment company most admired for its people’ and all of our values are in line with that mission.

It’s highly likely that you’ll find this information on the company website (although sometimes, you may have to do a little digging through the mish-mash of pages), brochure or other marketing materials.

If you can’t find a specific statement, then you’ll have to use your initiative with the information you can find out – how do they portray themselves, what values do they advertise?

During the interview, make sure you take advantage of whatever you discover, showing off how well your values match the company’s!

Sample Answers....

What do you know about our company?

1. “I know you’re one of the biggest providers of payroll software, and you were founded in 2012 when your CEO realized many small businesses spend far more than they should on payroll, which hurts their growth. The story on your website’s “about us” page was interesting, and it seems like there’s a big need for this product based on how quickly you’ve grown. I read that you doubled in size last year, and you are on track to do it again this year.”

2. “I know that your company is one of the largest investment banks in the US. Your headquarters is in Raleigh, NC, and you have 25,000 employees worldwide based on what I read on your website. I’ve known about your company for a couple of years now because I’ve been working in this same industry. Your company is one of the names I think of in this industry, which is why I was excited to apply for this job when I saw it posted on your website.”

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB INTERVIEW

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB INTERVIEW 

1. Research the Company before going for Interview.

When you get to that interview, you’ll be asked about why you want to join and how you can contribute. Read up on the prospective employer on google.

2. Know your self.

Remember the first impression is the last impression. Demonstrate your capabilities and qualities and how well you can serve them. Don't be overconfident and aggressive. Research yourself, ask yourself what your objectives are, what short-term & long-term goals you have, know your CV and prepare your answers.

3. Practice to be Perfect

You may not know exactly what they’re going to ask you, but you do know they’ll ask you something. Practice the delivery of your speech and improve your compute time by asking a friend to pretend being the interviewer.

on’t ask them to read from a list of questions you’ve prepared—an interview would not go that way. Instead, ask them to come up with how their idea of an interview would go.

4. Competency and transferable skills

Competency skills are the skills matching your job profile and transferable skills are the ones that you have acquired through other jobs and personal activities.

Employers typically use some of the following as their key competencies.

• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Commitment to career
• Commercial awareness
• Career motivation
• Decision-making
• Communication
• Leadership
• Trustworthiness & Ethics
• Results orientation
• Problem-solving
• Organization
• Top Technical Skills

5. Interview manners

Mind your manners, when it comes to interviews. Bad manners will definitely be a turn-off. Don't bang the door, shake hand firmly, ask if you can take a seat, sit up straight and do not slouch.

Some basic interview manners include:

• Be prompt when responding to an interview request.
• Be on time for the interview.
• Bring all supporting materials/ documents (as applicable)
• Keep your mobile phone on silent or switched off during the interview so that your full attention is there.
• At the closing, thank the interviewer for the time they spent interviewing with you.

Conclusion

Now that you have some good interview tips. Be confident, gear up and don't let yourself down. Remember this is not the end of life if you don't get through to the process. It’s just an interview. Good Luck!

7 Ways to Get Confident Before Any Interview

After the long, exhausting journey of searching for and applying to new jobs, you’ve just been rewarded with a golden ticket—an interview.

But after a brief moment of celebration, the panic sets in: Your heart is already pounding, your palms are beginning to sweat, and you’re wondering: Are hiring managers like sharks—can they smell fear?

A great way to overcome the anxiety interviews produce is to begin feeling good about the process.

Need help getting there? Here are five ways to build confidence for an interview.

1. Use breathing techniques to boost confidence

At the heart of confidence is feeling relaxed, so breathing and mindfulness exercises are helpful, adds Wood. “Staying present by focusing on your breathing just before an interview should help calm nerves,” says mindfulness teacher Gelong Thubten.

Business psychologist Dr Sarah Connell, agrees: “When we are anxious our blood flows away from our brains as we are in fight or flight mode, and our cognitive functions can suffer.” So slow, deep breathing will bring the oxygen back to your brains and help you to think clearly.

2. Conduct Research

One great way to build your interviewing confidence is by conducting plenty of research on the company you’re applying with and the position it’s offering. A common question interviewers ask is, “Do you know anything about our company?” Most times, candidates are forced to answer “No.”

If you’re able to share the company’s background information and showcase knowledge of its future goals for the position in question, you’ll undoubtedly catch the interviewer off-guard, in a great way!

3.Make Eye Contact

One of the best ways to fool a hiring manager into thinking you’re more confident than you feel is to keep steady, natural eye contact throughout the interview. Mary Griffin, a Human Resources Director for a national healthcare company says, “A key giveaway of a nervous Nellie is a lack of direct eye contact—looking down, looking away, and not looking the interviewer directly in the eyes. A more confident interviewee appears to be engaged with the interviewer.”

One way to remind yourself to make regular eye contact is to focus on a spot between the interviewer’s eyes. You can even imagine a colorful bulls-eye there—whatever it takes to keep your eyes from wandering too much.

On the flip side, you don’t want to stay so intensely focused on making eye contact that youend up sending out a creepy vibe! So remember to take natural breaks, like looking down at your resume every once in a while. It’s a balancing act, so just keep practicing until it feels comfortable.

4. Locate Sample Interview Questions

There are many sample interview questions floating around the Internet that can help you gauge the types of questions you could be asked. Take time to review those questions—and come up with great answers—to ensure the actual interview flows fluidly.

5. Practice Often

A great way to build your confidence for the interview is to practice before the big day. You can do this by answering questions in front of the mirror to read your own facial expressions and body language, or have a friend act as the interviewer to help you simulate the actual environment.

6. Make Sure You Have No “Skeletons”

An important step in preparing for your interview is being able to recall your own career history and discuss prospective goals with the company and in your professional life as a whole.

But as you look back over your career, be sure to research yourself online to ensure there are no skeletons on the Internet that could be brought up in your interview.

Remember, companies conduct background checks often via search engines, so it’s up to you to ensure your social networking profiles are professional, or private.

7. Decide What The Job Is Worth

You may assume that this tip refers to the amount you expect to be paid for the position. In fact, you may be asked about salary expectations, so it’s good to prepare an answer.

But aside from salary, it’s important to decide whether the job is worth handing over your password to a social networking site or other personal site, something that has become a trend for some employers.

Do you feel that sharing private information is worth it? Give this some thought before arriving at the interview.

In addition to taking the above steps, it’s great to find a professional outfit you feel comfortable wearing. Feeling good in your clothes and knowing you’ve fully prepared can work wonders in boosting your confidence before the big day.

How To Portray Positive Attitude In Your Interview?

1. Be Positive. 

Talk about what you CAN do, not what you can't. Never say anything negative about yourself at any time.

2. Show the Real You. 

You do want to look professional, but you're not a robot. Relax, show emotion.

3. Lighten the Mood 

Yes, it's an interview and you do need to take it seriously but a bit of gentle upbeat levity now and again gives everyone a lift from what is a pressured situation for both sides.

4. Engage Firmly. 

Make eye contact with the interviewer, listen attentively, smile, 'like' them. 

5. Never Criticize, Never Complain. 

EVER! Even if your last boss was a humourless, power-crazed, misogynistic, baby-eating monster who ended up doing time for sacking absolutely everyone and bankrupting the organisation, let it go. Running people down, banging on about how hard done-to you were and criticizing colleagues for causing your unfortunate failures is the surest way to show that dreaded negative attitude.

6. Be Confident. 

You might be nervous but you can still show confidence in your own abilities. Value your past experiences and future capabilities. Believe in yourself. If you don't, why would anyone else? 

7. Agree with the Interviewer. 

The words, "No, that's actually wrong," should never come from your mouth. Even if it is wrong, work around it gently. If you can show that you agree often with what the interviewer is saying, you will be seen as positive.