Welcome to the second part of our “Job Interview” blog! Here we’ll explore a couple options to keep in mind while you’re being interviewed and the time after the interview. Being observant and attentive to the details of your performance is a must in order not just to achieve that splendid job, but to leave the best possible impression. Let’s look into it.
During the interview
1. Be kind and respectful.
Kindness and respect are important values in every aspect of your life. Treating others with goodwill and decency will ease many things for you, and though they’re not a formal request, your interviewers will notice them. Of course, good manners are the best presentation cards of a person, so being faithful to them will add a positive impression even after the meeting ends.
2. Be aware of your body language and tone of voice
Introduce yourself with everybody in the room with a firm handshake and eye contact saying their names out loud; this will leave a good first impression of you. Try to maintain eye contact, an open posture, and a proper and friendly voice tone during the interview because all this speaks for your self-confidence and personality. Remember that more than what we say with words, our behavior says important things too.
3. Showcase your professional version
All the previous preparation has been done for this exact moment. Here you will have to describe your qualifications, strengths and experience according to what the requester asks you; however, it isn’t about bragging about yourself, be careful with excessive detailing. Also, make sure to be clear when you express the reasons why you can be a positive addition to the company and make a big difference from the other candidates. And always remember to have tact and use a professional and appropriate language when speaking about previous jobs, companies, bosses or colleagues when asked to relate difficult or negative experiences; whatever you say about that can stink your image so be careful.
4. Take notes and ask questions
After the questions made by the requester or the panel of interviewers it’s time for you to ask about anything you may be curious about. An advice is to have some questions prepared in advance that might emerge with the past research, or just make those that you possibly have after. Along with that, another aid to take with you to the interview is to bring a small notebook and pen to take notes about things you can consider important or write down those questions right when they come up.
After the interview
Express your gratitude
A couple days after, not the day next to the meeting, you can send an email both thanking the interviewer and/or the company for the opportunity, and to follow up the status of your application. This action will put you in the middle of the radar since it’s a polite and subtle way to show them that you are still interested in the job.
You can watch the following video to have a more complete analysis of a job interview and for more clues to keep in mind for your next interview: https://youtu.be/HG68Ymazo18?si=a1mz5i95ujksVk11
Put this in practice and showcase the amazing professional you are!
We hope that all the features described above can be helpful for your own particular case. Also, we encourage you to give your own touch to these recommendations in order to be consistent with who you are and your capacities. Us, the team of P&M Analysis and Solutions wish the best for you in your next interview for a Canadian job!
Written with the cooperation of Ana Sofia Dominguez Davila.