The Dos and Don’ts for an Excellent First Impression
If you want to impress your interviewer, then along with saying the right things, you must also avoid making mistakes that can reduce your chances of getting hired. If you don’t have any interview skills, then you must learn what works and what doesn’t work in the professional world. This practice will help you make an excellent first impression when you go for an interview.
Here are some dos and don’ts that will help you convince your interviewer that you are the right candidate and you can do the job.
Interview DOs
Get Dressed Appropriately
Tell your interviewer that you take the interview seriously by dressing professionally and appropriately. When you get dressed nicely, you will feel energetic and confident. Use this energy and communicate as professionally as possible.
Arrive Early
If you arrive late, you will probably blow your chances of getting hired. Getting stuck in traffic or waking up late are not good excuses. So, leave early and try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the interview starts. This will give you plenty of time to relax and clear your mind. Also, remember to get the directions one day before the interview. This way you will have no trouble finding the place.
Treat Everyone with Respect
If you want to make a perfect impression, then treat everyone with respect. When you go to the front desk, talk to the person there politely and with a smile. Be nice to your interviewer, because if you disrespect your interviewer in any way, you will basically disrespect the whole company. So, be nice and polite.
Meet Your Interviewer with a Firm Handshake and Make Eye Contact
A good and firm handshake will depict that you are a confident person. When you shake hands, don’t try to break the bones of the interviewer with an extremely firm handshake. Make eye contact because it’s the right way of communicating and you don’t want to be disrespectful at all.
Talk about Your Accomplishments and Strengths with Examples
Feel free to tell the interviewer how you helped the previous company grow with your knowledge and experience. Be very specific in terms of what you did. For example, you assisted them in saving money, increasing sales, cutting down costs, improving quality, retaining result-oriented employees, and so on.
Always Listen to the Question Carefully
Even if you know what your interviewer will ask you, do not interrupt. Let them finish the question. Your interruption will not make you look smart. On the contrary, it will make you look unprofessional. So, be patient.
Interview DON’Ts
Avoid General Statements
Making general statements will not be beneficial at all. Don’t say, “I am a team player” or “I like to solve problems”. These statements are very general and they don’t let interviewers judge a candidate properly. Share your strengths with relevant examples. They will help your interviewer remember you and your capabilities. Generalities will be forgotten in no time.
Don’t Look at Your Resume
You should know everything that is written in your resume. Thus, there is no need to look at it every now and then. When you are asked about your education or experience, do not start reading from your resume. If you do so, you will make an extremely terrible first impression.
Never Say that You Don’t Have Any Weaknesses
The purpose of this question is not to make you look weak. This question is asked to determine how much you know about yourself and how honest you are. As you continue to learn new things, you will always come across some hurdles. You need to tell your interviewer about the hurdles you encountered and how you resolved them. So, don’t just say, “I don’t have any weaknesses. I am a very strong person.” It will be the wrong answer.
Don’t Sound Overconfident or Arrogant
Always keep in mind that you are there to get a job. You don’t have it yet. If you sound arrogant or even overconfident, then you will turn off your interviewer immediately. Your interviewer will think that if you can’t communicate properly before you have been given the job, how will you behave after you are hired? Companies don’t want employees who think that they are better than others. So, be humble and polite.
Never Criticize Any Former Employer or Manager
You can’t look positive if your attitude is all negative. If you say anything bad about any of your previous employers, managers or even co-workers, then you will destroy your credibility with your own hands. Interviewers don’t give preference to those who leave companies with negative feelings and then talk about them badly.
When you follow these powerful dos and don’ts, you will certainly be able to make an excellent first impression and significantly increase your chances of getting the job that you need. Just be yourself and do your best.
Author Bio
Skornia Alison works as a manager at an online tutoring service, where she helps clients who search on the internet, I want to Pay someone to write my essay. She provides guidance to them helping them lift their knowledge and skills.