ResumeWeAssist Enterprise

Before starting to do something, most of us will want to make sure it is safe to do so. No doubt, there are some “crazy” people out there who have the guts to try out some dangerous activities, but I’m sure they too will take some precaution actions to minimize the risk.

The same goes with attending an interview. A jobseeker has to be prepared mentally & physically before, during & after an interview. In today’s article, I would like to share some tips on how to make an interview safe and effective for you to generate job offers.

In my previous articles about leveraging Crucial Conversation tools into interview success, I’ve share the first 2 tools which are: “Start with Heart” & “Learn to Look – Part 1 & Part 2”.  “Make it safe” is the 3^rd tool used in Crucial Conversation. The tips that I will be sharing below are leveraged from this tool.

Make it safe – Before interview

Once received an interview appointment, the first 2 important things that you must do to ensure your success are:

• Planning – plan your preparation before, during & after interview. I’ll be sharing how to get yourself prepared as listed below.
• Visualize success – leverage the power of “Law of Attraction”. In the bestseller book “The Secrets” introduced to the world about “Law of Attraction”. In short, “Law of Attraction” is actually a simple mental practise to visualize success and from there it will automatically build up the motivation to try the best to ensure whatever that was visualized as a success will become true.

Planning before an interview:

• Must know when & where is the interview appointment is. Plan how to get there and if you are not familiar with the venue, get there early. Also plan the travelling time and also get yourself ready with Plan B for a contingency backup plan.
• Do some reading about the company’s profile in the internet. Get a rough idea on what the company is currently doing. No need to go into details but as long you get surface information will be sufficient. At the same time read your resume and focus on your strength including what you can provide to your future employer. Write them down as a note for your reference during the interview. Also write down the questions that you need to ask at the end of the interview.
• Practise the common asked questions during the interview. Just search in the internet, I’m sure you will find loads of sample questions. If possible do a role play with a friend or a family member. He/She is the interviewer & you become the interviewee. Imagine that you are really in an interview session.
• Arrange all your certificates in a clear folder and in sequence. Your resume should be placed at the front and followed by your latest received certificates. Make copies of your resume & certificates. Usually during interview, the interviewer will ask to see your certificate and may request a copy for future reference when he/she is finalizing the hiring decision.
• Get yourself a make over but don’t over do it. For man, get a hair cut & a shave if you need it. Go for cloths shopping if you don’t have any decent office wear. Get yourself a formal long sleeve shirt with dark colour trousers, a formal tie and a decent pair of office shoes. For ladies, wear anything decent and never too sexy. Don’t wear too much make up, a natural look with be good enough. 
• A day before the interview, get enough rest & eat healthy food. Avoid late nights, risky activities & oily food. You must try your very best to ensure you are not sick before the interview. 

Make it safe – During an interview

• Arrive early as least ½ an hour before the scheduled interview time. Being there early will give you some time to settle down before the interview starts. Relax with some deep breath and walk toward the receptionist.
• Once arrived at the reception counter, greet politely with a warm smile to the receptionist. Introduce yourself and the purpose you are there.
• Wait patiently for the interviewer to meet up with you even though you have to wait for a long time. Once the interviewer approach you, smile with a firm handshake (ladies, in Malaysia it is okay to nod with a smile if you are not comfortable with a handshake) and thank the interviewer for having you in for an interview. Request the interviewer name or business card.
• Follow the interviewer to the interview room. While walking, the interviewer might start an informal chat by asking how do you get there & etc. Answer the questions asked briefly and at the same time it is okay for you to compliment the office area if the environment is nice. During this short chat, you will need to be friendly and cheerful.
• There are many ways to start an interview. Once you settle down in the interview room, the interviewer can start by asking to describe yourself or start by giving you some IQ test or personality test. In technical field, most likely you will be given some technical test. Just try your best to answer as many as possible, you may be given 20-30 minutes or less to answer all these questions.
• There are 8 characters to excel in an interview and also sort after by your future employers. The characters are: confident, organized, personable, conscientious, efficient, creative, goal oriented & problem solving. Hence during the interview, make sure you have these characters to increase your chance to secure the job. It is okay to refer to your notes that you have prepared before the interview.
• At the end of the interview, the interviewer will open up for you to ask questions. Take this opportunity to ask questions based on your notes or anything worth to ask that comes to your mind. In average, a typical interview will last in between ½ hour to 1 hour. If less than that, most likely your success rate is slim and usually if it last longer than 1 hr, your success rate will be higher. But take note, the duration of your interview does not 100% indicate your success rate. There are many other factors that can change your success rate even though how short or long the duration of your interview.
• End your interview by thanking your interviewer. If you don’t get the interviewer business card, request for his/her contact details (e-mail or phone #). Some interviewer may be reluctant to provide their contact details but usually they will provide the contact details of the HR representative. As long you get someone’s contact details in the company, you still have the chance to follow up on your job request status. Worst case, call up the general phone # and request for contact details of the interviewer as long you still have his/her name.

Make it safe – After interview

• Nearly 99% of jobseekers do not send a thank you note after an interview. If you send a thank you note after the interview, you have the advantage of being different in the competition. Recommended to send the thank note 2-3 days after your interview. It usually will take in between 1-3 weeks after an interview before a hiring decision can be made. Hence, during this time frame, it is wise to follow up via e-mail or phone call. If after 3 weeks you have not received any reply, then most likely your application is either rejected or kept in view (KIV).

The tips above is just a brief sharing on how to “Make it safe” during an interview. From time to time, I’ll share more tips for you to win in an interview.

Hopefully this sharing will make your interview safe.

Good luck!

If you have your own experience to share, feel free to drop them in the comment below.

Regards

Yusoff