Finding a job in today’s economy is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Good job
opportunities are few and the competition for them is fierce. In this short report you will find
Six Interview Tips that you should immediately put into practice. These six tips will increase
your chances of landing your dream job.

Tip # 1


Handshake: Give the interviewers a firm handshake. This will show them that you are
confident of yourself. Make sure your hands are free of sweat (usually caused by being
nervous). Not everyone likes to shake hands (for various reasons), so always let the employer
take the initiative.
In one interview we actually gave a small bow to the (female) interviewers instead of shaking
their hands (and left them half flustered). This tactic might not work all the time and needs to
be done with humour. It is better to stick with the handshake unless you are confident that the
bowing will go down well.


Tip # 2


Negativity: Whatever you do, never say anything negative about yourself. You are trying to
impress the employer so they give you the job, so don’t give them an excuse to pass you over
by talking about your flaws and failures.
At one interview we attended, there was a smartly dressed guy who had managerial level
experience. He made two vital mistakes. When he answered questions, he hardly looked at
the interviewers and directed most of his answers to thin air. Secondly, he talked about his
past failures. These two simple practices got him eliminated.
Of course, everyone has failed in the past. But there is no need to mention it. Look at it this
way. Let’s say you are running a catering business. You tell a potential client (who needs
catering for his wedding) that there was a time when you accidently got orders mixed up.
What will the potential client think of you?


Tip # 3


Company: Do your background research on the company, its industry and culture. It will
only take about 10-20 minutes of your time. At the interview stage you will be given the
opportunity to ask questions. You need to demonstrate that you have knowledge about the
company by asking smart questions.
Ask questions about the industry the company is in. For example, if the company is in the
agriculture industry, maybe there are new laws and regulations coming into force that could
impact the company.
A question could be: ‘I was reading up on the new regulations (state them) which are due to
come into force. How will these affect the company?’
The question shows that you are intelligent, know current events and care about your future
with the company (you have long term goals to be with the company). Interviewers will
admire you for your sharp insight.
You can then ask basic questions about company culture and job (shift patterns, training etc).
You need to keep questions relevant to the position, and leave questions about pay, holiday
and bonuses until the end.


Tip # 4


Professionalism: You need to remain professional at all times. This applies to dress code and
the way you conduct yourself. Do not use slang terms or language that could easily be seen as
inappropriate. For example, referring to an interviewer as ‘boss’, ‘gaffa’, ‘darling’ etc is not
acceptable. In a professional setting these terms are not tolerated. You need to be mature at
all times.


Tip # 5


Interviewer Check: Most of the time you don’t know who will interview you. But in some
cases a name(s) is mentioned. If you know who the interviewer(s) is, it is a good idea to go
online and do a quick check on them.
LinkedIn would be a good place to start. Check out the interviewer(s) profile, see what
interests they have, and then try to relate to them in the interview.
For example, maybe you both share a passion about cars? Bring it up in your interview (as an
interest). People are attracted to those who share similar interests. This practice will go in
your favour.


Tip # 6


Who you Know: Years ago, if you had a family or friend working for a particular company,
they could get you inside easily by recommending you. In this day and age it is harder as
many companies have stricter recruitment policies. But the practice is still common.
If you know people on the ‘inside’ tell them to put in a good word for you. We have seen
people get recruited because of this. The company would be looking to fill positions quickly
and if a loyal employee knows someone who can do the job, the recruiters are prone to listen.
So make use of this tactic because it still works. In companies where there are stricter
policies, it will not get you an instant job. But the recruiters will look out for your application.
They will become biased towards you.


Conclusion


Those six tips will put you ahead of your competitors. So start applying them in your job
hunting and don’t let that perfect opportunity pass!