8 Job Interview Tips

You’ve gotten the call, done your job interview preparation, stuffed yourself into a new suit, and arrived at the office.  Now what?  Here’s what to do…

1. Greet Confidently – Smile, look your interviewer directly in the eyes, and shake their hand firmly.
2. Find Common Ground – Find some way to connect to your interviewer, be it through a common hobby, somebody you know in common, a favorite sports team, whatever.  Don’t just make things up, though.  Your interviewer may ask questions.
3. Everything On Your Resume Is Fair Game – During an interview, everything on your resume is fair game.  Just because an obscure skill you listed doesn’t have anything to do with the current job opportunity doesn’t mean you won’t be asked about it.  Many interviewers will drill you on irrelevant resume items to keep you honest.
4. Remain Calm And Confident – A basic fact of human psychology is that if you remain calm and project a confident exterior, people will assume you have reason to be calm and confident and rate your competency-level higher.  However, if you are flustered or nervous your interviewer may begin to think you don’t consider yourself fully qualified for the job.
5. If You Don’t Know The Answer To A Question, Say So – Do not attempt to BS your interviewer.  If asked a technical question you don’t know the answer to, state so and then qualify your response with a confident follow-up.  For example, “I haven’t had experience with that particular software package before, but I’m confident I can learn it quickly.”  Alternately if it’s something you’ve listed on your resume as having experience with but it’s been a while and you can’t recall exact details on the spot, “I haven’t had the opportunity to work with that technology for a while so I can’t quote the exact syntax off the top of my head, but I am well-grounded in the principles of Object Oriented Design” will also work.  Most interviewers won’t expect you to know everything off the top of your head, even for very senior positions.
6. Ask For Clarification – Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification when asked a question you don’t completely understand.
7. Maintain Eye Contact – This is very important.  It’s easy to let your eyes wander when you are deep in thought trying to respond to difficult questions but lack of eye contact shows lack of confidence and assertiveness.  You might have to practice this before getting it right.
8. Emphasize Your Skills And Experience – The goal is to relate everything you say back to your relevant skills and experience.  When asked about past accomplishments, for instance, try to relate only accomplishments that apply to what the company is looking for.