As of now, there are loads of fresh grads and students who are trying to secure a job or internship position. At Worthy Book, we have received numerous job applications from various candidates every single day. But how do you stand out from the other candidates?
It doesn't have to be many years of working experience or gotten certificates from well-known universities. What really matters is how you convince the interviewer/employer that you have the right skillsets and personality.
Here are some tips on how you can ace the interview:
1. Before the Interview
Always be prepared before attending an interview. You can prepare for the interview by choosing an appropriate attire (e.g. business wear or smart casual but definitely not t-shirts or singlets!), researching the company (its history, values), practising for the interview, and preparing questions to ask during the interview.
2. During the Interview
All your preparations made before the interview are meant to be reflected during the interview session. So don't be nervous, just show the interviewer what you have!
When you first approach a person that you don't know, the most important thing is the impression that the person gives you. It can be the way you dress, the way you present yourself, or even the way you react to the conversation. The same goes for an interview, the way you dress, speak, and behave during the interview session is all taken into account in the evaluation process.
When the interviewer asks you to describe your strengths and weaknesses, try to provide a personality trait with examples given instead of just listing out the personality traits. This will help the interviewer to know more about your personality, your working style, or even make an assumption about you (which affects the hiring result!). For example, you can mention that you are good at teamwork and hardworking. But that doesn't make you stand out from the others as a lot of other candidates would have said that they are good at teamwork and hardworking. You can say that you are good at teamwork as you always take part in school assignments or group activities.
Besides that, it is always good to mention your skills and accomplishments that are related to the position that you are applying for. For instance, you can mention that you are a detail-oriented person if you are applying for Admin internship. If you are applying for a Sales internship, you can mention that you are a confident person and you are good at communication and negotiation. You can also mention your high school/college coursework, volunteer experience, and co-curricular activities. All these will help you to stand out from the other candidates.
3. End of the interview
Towards the end of the interview, the interviewer must have already asked a lot of questions about you. Now it's time to ask the questions that you are curious about the company! You must be thinking: "Huh? Can ask questions about the company meh? What if I ask the wrong question and the interviewer lost interest in me?" The truth is: Asking questions of the company shows your interest in the company and the position.
Below are a few questions that you can ask towards the end of the interview:
- What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this job?
- What do you think are some of the biggest challenges for someone in this job?
- What is the culture of the company?
- Can you tell me more about the team I will be working with?
- What are the next steps in the interview process?
Can I ask about the salary? The answer is: Yes, but only when the interviewer brings out the topic. If you immediately ask the interviewer about the salary upfront, it might show that you are concerned only with your paycheck even when you may not have gotten the job offer yet.
4. After the interview
Now that you've done the interview, you just need to wait for the hiring manager to update you on the status of the interview. Keep in mind that you can always send a follow-up email if you didn't receive any updates from the company say one or two weeks after the interview.
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