19 Feb 09 Enhance Your Chance Of Interview Domination
If you are preparing to go to an job interview, then one of the greatest bits of interview advice I can share with you is to prepare the visual aspects of your presentation as well as you would for a date.
Studies suggest that the feeling made by interview skills panel members in the initial 4-16 seconds correlates exceedingly powerfully with the overall conclusion made at the end of the job interview.
Ensure that you spend a substantial amount of your job interview planning on tweaking how you look.
Here are some tips to help guide you:
- Don\’t smell too strong! Overpowering perfume or cologne will distract the interview panel from the messages that you are trying to impart. Similarly, ensure that you are clean and don\’t smell of sweat, cigarettes or garlic!
- Look at your teeth. If they are not sparkling white, then consider using some of the whitening products on offer at the shops or online.
- For women, don\’t flaunt it – even if you\’ve got it! It\’s not a date. If you detract the male members of the interview panels\’ attention, then your messages wont be received as seriously as they deserve. Also, you risk alienating any female members of the panel. Thirdly, if you are successful in getting the post, there may well be some banter going around the department about you that you may not welcome.
- Keep jewellery, tattoos, make up and nail polish in the background. They should not be detracting the attention of the interviewer. You need to maintain the interview panel\’s attention on your sales pitch
You should also ensure that you get lots of sleep the night before the interview. It might appear tempting to stay up much of the night to finish off some eleventh hour revision – in case this comes up, or they ask that question.
It is imperitive that you are fresh and rested. For one, your thinking will be clearer if you are more alert. But you also need to appear to be a vibrant employee, who will bring liveliness and get-up-and-go to the department, rather than tiredness and sickness.
You have to make certain that you arrive on time. I would propose that you arrive approximately 10-15 minutes ahead of your alloted time. This will give you the right amount of “wiggle time” should anything slow you down, without requiring you to wait around for ages, during which time you may psyche yourself out of your optimal mental state.
It will also deliver the right impression of you being an effective and prompt employee, who is determined and keen to obtain the post.
If you follow the advice in this short article and continue improving, you will find your interview success. Take care of the effect that you deliver – with your appearance, your voice and your words.
Best of luck in your interviews!
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