10 Top Tips to Impress in an Interview

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10 Top Tips to Impress in an Interview to be successful

• Work on your handshake: Don‘t offer up a flimsy     or sweaty hand. Instead, when you meet with prospective employers or     interviews, offer a firm handshake, with one or two pumps from the elbow     to the hand. It‘s a good way to illustrate your confidence and start the     interview off on the right note.
• Get serious: If you take a     casual approach to the initial interview with a company, especially with a     screening interviewer from the human resources department, you may be sealing     your fate. Job seekers should treat every interview as if it‘s their one     and only chance to sell themselves to the recruiter.
• Get the practice: If you find yourself being offered an interview for a job you are     not really interested in, go on the interview anyway; you can make     contacts for future job opportunities and get valuable interview practice.
• Be enthusiastic: Bring a positive attitude to your interview. Most interviewers     won‘t even give a second thought to someone who has a negative presence or     seems like they almost need to be talked into the job. “You‘re selling     yourself, and part of you is the positive approach you‘ll bring to the     office every morning,” says Alison Richardson, a recruiter for several New     York financial firms. “That smile and friendly demeanor go a long way.”
• Ask questions: When interviewing for a new position, it‘s essential to have a     handful of questions to ask your potential employer. Some questions could     include: What do you consider to be the ideal background for the position?     What are some of the significant challenges? What‘s the most important     thing I can do to help within the first 90 days of my employment? Do you     have any concerns that I need to clear up in order to be the top     candidate?
• Tell a story: Your     interviewer wants to know about your skills and experiences, but he or she     also wants to know about you. Don‘t fire off routine answers to questions.     Instead, work your answers into stories or anecdotes about yourself.     People remember the people who are interesting. Prove your value by     tailoring stories that address the main concern an interviewer may have:     What can you do for us?
• Show restraint: During an interview, what you don‘t say may be as important as     what you do say. As a rule, don‘t talk about money or benefits, especially     during the first interview. You should already know if you fit the     parameters. Don‘t badmouth about any of your past employers. Organizations     don‘t hire complainers. Don‘t mention outside career aspirations or     part-time jobs. Employers are looking for people who want to be part of     their organization for the next decade and beyond.
  

• Be memorable: Considering     the number of job seekers interviewing for positions today, it‘s fair to     suggest that many HR workers can hardly keep track of the differences.     That‘s why it‘s important to do or say something that will allow you to     stand out in the mind of your interviewer. It will strike a personal note     and also provide a point of reference when it‘s time to recall the top     candidates. Sure, the job candidate with “American Idol” experience we     mentioned in the introduction had no real usable background for the job we     were looking for, but he was memorable.
  

• Ask for the job: “Tell your interviewer you want the job — period,” says Dana     Fulbright, an IT recruiter for Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. “So many     people leave without ever saying they want to be hired. It sounds so     simple, but it‘s true. Let your employer know that you want to work     there.”