How to present yourself well at a job interview?

A candidate who receives an invitation to a recruitment meeting may have reasons to be satisfied. His CV was noticed among many others and became a pass to the next stage of recruitment. From now on, the key to success will be a job interview. The rules that can help you get your dream job are explained by a LeasingTeam expert.

Looking for a job, especially for professionally active people, can be an activity that consumes most of their free time. No wonder that many people compare the search for a new job to working overtime. Adapting your CV to specific advertisements and sending them is very time-consuming. However, in most cases, it is thanks to the CV responding to the advertisement that the candidate is invited to a job interview.

Presenting your knowledge and experience in the best possible way usually requires good preparation from the participant of the recruitment process, not only in terms of industry knowledge, but also universal rules applicable during the meeting. Following them does not guarantee getting your dream job, but it can help convince the recruiter to consider the candidate’s candidacy. Here are a few rules that, according to the LeasingTeam expert, can have a positive impact on the outcome of the process when permanent recruitment is carried out.

How to prepare for a job interview?

Remember that the first impression is very important! If you want to get a job in your dream position, you need to know how to prepare for a job interview. It is in the interview that the recruiter learns the most about the applicant. It is also good to know the types of recruitment.

Before the interview, you need to tick off some important points, which we will discuss later in the article. Remember to prepare for the interview by doing research about the company you are applying for a job for at the moment. Also, prepare the questions you will ask during the interview. You can ask about the details of the position, requirements and challenges that may await you.

That’s not all. If you know who the so-called head-hunter will be, do detailed research about him. Maybe you have mutual friends, maybe he publishes content on the Internet that you will be able to refer to in a conversation? This way you can impress your future employer with your knowledge and motivation.

Prepare questions that the recruiter can ask. In particular, the most common questions that concern weaknesses, strengths, interests, hobbies, failures and successes. The first good impression and good preparation for the interview will allow you to “catch the eye” of the recruiter.

The most common mistakes in a job interview and how to avoid them – how to make a good impression on a recruiter?

Since we have already listed the most important aspects that you need to work through before a job interview, now we need to talk about the most common mistakes that make the interview process doomed to failure in advance.

1. Don’t let the recruiter notice your lack of preparation. You need to know the basics about the company and the position you are trying to apply for. You need to approach the interview with a positive attitude and knowledge of the company that may hire you.
2. An inappropriate approach to the interlocutor can cross you out at the start. Remember, it’s your dream job at stake. Talk respectfully, as it’s up to the interviewer to decide whether or not you move on to the next stage. A great resume may not be enough if you alienate the recruiter. Also, don’t avoid eye contact. Self-confidence is very important.
3. Don’t start the conversation by asking about your earnings. You need to be quite intuitive in this matter. It all depends on how the whole conversation goes and whether the question about finances will be appropriate.
4. Ask additional questions and answer according to the question asked. Do not deviate from the topic. In particular, don’t answer briefly. Yes, no – this is not an answer that will satisfy the recruiter. Communication skills are one of the key requirements when working with people. Pay attention to how you answer and whether you answer according to the question asked. Don’t memorize ready-made answers. Be yourself!
5. During the meeting, do not speak negatively about your previous employer. Of course, you may be asked about changing your workplace, but try to get out of it so that you don’t criticize your previous boss.
6. How to dress for a job interview? Dress neatly. It doesn’t matter if it’s about recruiting IT staff or working in the administrative department. Aesthetic clothing is a “must have”. Remember how important the first impression is. A crumpled and washed t-shirt will not present you from the best side.

How to effectively present your skills and experience?

Authenticity is the most important thing. If you are passionate about what you do, presenting your skills and experience will not be much of a problem. However, talking openly about yourself is half the battle. You can talk about what you have achieved and what results you have achieved with previous employers. The most important thing is to be able to prove it. Show the effects of your work, which will certainly make you a more convincing candidate. As for telling stories about yourself, be concise and don’t tell complex stories. Be specific.

How to answer questions about weaknesses?

The first stage of recruitment is designed to extract as much information as possible from the candidates. Hence, recruiters very often ask uncomfortable questions about weaknesses. What is the reason for this? In this way, your honesty, self-awareness and willingness to develop are tested.

When talking about your flaws, avoid words sometimes or occasionally. Don’t underestimate your weaknesses, you need to be authentic and honest in what you say.

What to base your answers on? It is best to focus on the position you are applying for. Lack of knowledge of software, system or lack of certain skills does not have to cross you out. Very often, the employer trains new employees. Are you a perfectionist? Mention it. In theory, this is not a disadvantage, but for people who face perfectionism, it can be a hard nut to crack. Especially when they are too self-critical of themselves.

Gather the most important information about the employer

A candidate who wants to be perceived by the recruiter as an inquisitive and motivated person should learn as much as possible about the company they are going to the meeting. The time of the company’s existence on the market, the scope of activity, the products offered or the services provided are just some of the issues that the person conducting the meeting can ask the candidate about. Questions checking knowledge about the company are most often aimed at verifying the actual motivation of the participant of the recruitment process to work in a given company.

Candidates invited for interviews very often send up to several dozen CVs a week. As a result, there are people who come to the meeting unprepared, not even knowing what the company does. In this way, they very often cross out their chances of receiving a job offer – comments Jakub Dysarz, Junior Project Manager at LeasingTeam.

The effort put into gathering information about a given employer will certainly pay off. The candidate will not only present himself to the recruiter as a person who is really interested in working for a given company and further developing his career within its structures, but will also consciously make a choice of future employer.

Take care of your appearance

A job interview is a formal meeting during which, according to the principle “How they see you, that’s how they write you”, the candidate should take care of their appearance, including, above all, the appropriate outfit. The choice of clothing appropriate for the occasion can be influenced by m.in. the level of the position you are applying for. If it is a managerial position, it is worth wearing a more elegant outfit. Men can appear at the interview in a classic suit, while women in a suit, business costume or dress.

In the case of specialist positions, e.g. engineering, such formalized clothing is no longer required. Often simple fabric pants, a shirt or a sweater are enough. The whole outfit should be clean, fitted, neat. Ladies should avoid too large necklines and short skirts or dresses, and their makeup should be delicate and natural. You should also keep your jewelry in moderation. Before entering the interview, it is also worth checking the cleanliness of the shoes.

Be punctual

Being late for an interview can have a negative impact on the outcome of the recruitment process for the candidate. First of all, it may be perceived by the recruiter as a sign of disrespect. Secondly, being late for the meeting can shorten the duration of the interview, which works to the detriment of the candidate himself. Recruiters very often schedule even several recruitment meetings a day, so they are not able to devote more time to late people. As a result, candidates who arrive later have less time to convince the recruiter that they are the best candidates for the position than punctual candidates. To avoid being late, the person taking part in the recruitment process should check how long it will take them to get to the employer’s headquarters and allow additional time for unexpected situations such as traffic jams.

If, for reasons beyond their control, the candidate cannot arrive at the meeting on time, they should contact the recruiter as soon as possible and inform them of the expected time of delay. Similarly, if a candidate knows much earlier that they will not be able to participate in the interview or simply changed their mind and is no longer interested in the offer, they should inform the person they were supposed to meet. Perhaps his candidacy will be interesting enough for the recruiter to propose a different date for the meeting.

Recruiters understand that candidates sometimes change their minds, so the information about resignation from the recruitment process will certainly be received better by them than absence from the meeting,” believes Jakub Dysarzfrom LeasingTeam.

Turn off your phone

There’s nothing more distracting than the sudden, unexpected ring of your phone during an interview. A phone ringing can interrupt the candidate’s answer to one of the key questions in the recruitment process and negatively affect their concentration. Therefore, to avoid additional stress, the candidate should turn off the sound and vibration on the phone before the meeting.

Nervously looking for a phone in a purse and trying to silence it, or worse, answering the phone during a job interview, are situations that sometimes happen to candidates. Unfortunately, this type of behavior can leave a negative impression and affect the recruiter’s final decision to choose a candidate for a given position. It is worth bearing this in mind – says the LeasingTeam expert.

Be of good cheer

A smile, a firm handshake and tone of voice, calmness and composure can help the candidate present themselves better during the interview and win over the recruiter. With a positive attitude, you can also overcome the stress that usually accompanies interviewers.

The recruiter knows perfectly well what emotions accompany most candidates during a job interview. If, due to nervousness, a person taking part in the recruitment process gets lost in time and asks for the opportunity to answer again, they should not be afraid that it will negatively affect the recruiter’s opinion about them. Everyone can make a mistake – says Jakub Dysarz.

Don’t be afraid to answer difficult questions

The purpose of the interview is not only to verify the information contained in the CV, but also m.in. checking the candidate’s motivation, his fit to the company and to the expectations of his direct supervisor. Recruiters ask questions about the reasons for leaving the job, coping with stress, or the candidate’s positive or negative qualities. For some people, they may prove troublesome. Therefore, you should think carefully about your answers to avoid, for example, speaking negatively about your current employer.

When recruiting people with little experience, recruiters often ask about their interests. However, it turns out that due to stress, some candidates may find it difficult to even answer questions about a recently read book or a movie they have watched. Therefore, it is worth for the candidate to think about what questions about interests may be asked and how they should answer them.

Prepare a list of questions for the recruiter

A job interview is sometimes the only opportunity for a candidate to learn more about working for a company. Therefore, it is worth thinking carefully about what information he would like to obtain from the recruiter. Career path, the possibility of remote work, additional benefits, exact responsibilities in a given position are just some of the issues worth clarifying.

Asking questions is a sign of interest in the company and shows that the candidate has also prepared for the meeting. The information obtained, in the event of receiving an offer, will allow the participant of the recruitment process to make an informed decision and avoid disappointment with the responsibilities of the new position. Thus, the risk of his resignation from work, e.g. after the trial period, will also be reduced, thanks to which the employer will not have to bear the costs of another recruitment – comments Jakub Dysarz.

Following the above rules does not guarantee that you will receive a job offer, but it can certainly help you present yourself professionally during a recruitment interview. It is possible that the good impression that the candidate will make will pay off in the future and the next recruitment process to which he or she will be invited by the recruiter will end with winning the dream job.