Basic Rules for a first good impression

The standard advice is well-known: Dress appropriately, arrive on time to show respect for the interviewer’s time, and research the company as well as its culture. Be ready to sell not only your skills, but the story the professional ready to bring value to the organization. Your body language should show confidence, not arrogance. Knowledge fuels confidence, therefor research the interviewer’s profile and the job description carefully to find alignment with your career aspirations. Prepare your resume, portfolio, and references in advance. Last but not least, be ready to quickly adapt to any type of interview and always carry the mindset that every interview is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Spotting and Navigating through most common types of Interviews

Behavioral Interviews are focused not only on what you’ve done, but how you’ve done it, therefor questions will concentrate on how you acted in specific employment-related situations. When faced with this, one method to rely on is STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for structuring your answers. Think in advance of stories that show how you’ve successfully handled problems or given standout performances.

The Case Study Interview happens when you’re handed a real-life business problem to solve that requires analytic thinking, creativity and strategic solutions. They are most common in Consulting, Sales or Operational roles. A case study allows the potential employer to see your skills in practice, but it also teaching you a lot about the company because you can get a behind-the-scenes look at how the company operates by observing its internal operations, including how it handles business issues and what expectations it has of you and your performance. For this type of scenario, our recommendation is to break down the problem into manageable parts, and then tackle each systematically.

Panel Interviews are about engaging with a diverse audience and exploring a potential partnership, and an opportunity to handle different perspectives. Make eye contact, listen actively, direct your answers to the entire group, and don’t forget to ask questions.

The secret of thriving any interview lies in understanding what type it is and adjust your approach accordingly.

Presentation Interview? Deliver a clear, succinct, and compelling presentation with a strong conclusion. Technical Interview? Showcase your knowledge and industry expertise. Group Interview? Active listening is key as team player and find ways to shine individually.

Remember, regardless of the type of interview, preparation is key. Start building your distinctive story today.

 

This article is part of a series of article meant to support candidates in their career change process. To view the previous article, click here.

For reading the following article, click here.