1. Knowing yourself is key
Only one or two out of every 10 people invited to an interview are really prepared for it. Many applicants do not even know what their skills are.
"What are your strengths?", "What do you do best?", "How would you define yourself?" are some of the most common questions. These questions can knock you out of the running if you haven't prepared the answers. If a recruiter asks you one of these questions, just take it easy, there's no catch. Just make sure you're ready to answer them.
You can ask people you know (or people you trust) what they think of you. This will help you get ready for the next step: matching your strengths and skills to the position you are applying for.
2. Match your strengths with the job
Most experts agree that it is essential to match the candidate's skills to the job. If you are applying for a sales position, some of the skills to focus on are the ability to influence other people's opinions, sales experience or strong public relations skills.
Make a list of skills and tailor them to each interview. Prepare for each job interview by completing the following 3 tasks:
- Review the profiles and education of the people in the position you are applying for
- Look at the company's profile, its image and values
- Select 3-4 skills to highlight during the interview
3. Relax and be prepared
One of the biggest mistakes to make during a job interview is to focus only on getting the job no matter what.
Getting too obsessed leads automatically to stress and negative feelings, such as closed-mindedness or lack of creativity during the interview. This results in leaving out a lot of things that they could bring out if they were relaxed.
Staying relaxed and well-prepared for an interview is key to success.
4. Demonstrate your strengths with real-life examples
Speaking about your skills and strengths is not enough, you need to justify them. Your body language and the way you talk can give a lot of information to an experienced recruiter. Control your gestures and avoid going too far in what you say or you might regret it.
Ideally, you need to provide examples for each strength you present and explain how you achieved it. For some roles, a personal blog or portfolio showcasing some of your projects will be helpful.
It is also a good idea to be ready to talk about one or two challenging moments in your career or education and show how you have sought ways to help overcome them. Knowing your weaknesses and highlighting them in an interview is a tough thing to do, but it can give you some extra points.
5. Persuade the interviewer by showcasing your personality
Writing a compelling CV helps in getting interviews. However, often the candidate who has the best education or more experience may not be selected. That's because personality plays a major role in the final decision. No matter how inexperienced you are, don't be afraid to show who you really are, your enthusiasm and your commitment.
Your personality can contribute to your success and be valued more than your academic or professional skills. Developing professional skills is easy. Instead, you need to promote your personal skills, so-called "soft skills."
6. Be neither too humble nor too confident
A recruiter values balance: be neither too humble, nor too confident. No extremes will be well received.
Usually, excessive modesty is related to shyness or stress and may prevent the candidate from presenting him/herself properly.
On the other hand, a candidate who is overly aggressive does not score points either. Rather, recruiters will assume that you will end up causing problems for the organization. Avoid lying and making up large numbers or achievements, as well as avoiding looking overconfident.
7.Take your time and don't be afraid of silence
Silence can be extremely awkward for a candidate during a job interview. The idea is that if they remain silent for a few seconds before answering, they are either lying or trying to say something the recruiter wants to hear.
Most recruiters, though, don't agree. Typically, a candidate who takes their time answering a question only shows that he or she is thoughtful.
A rule of thumb is that the recruiter should speak 20% of the time and the interviewee 80%. Someone who exceeds these limits is not well perceived either. So don't be overly talky. The person in front of you is the one who runs the interview.
8. Extra tip - get help from a recruitment agency like Fed Supply
Even if you are well prepared for an interview and present a strong candidacy, there can be several obstacles to hiring you. Lack of network, lack of experience, strong competition, scarcity of job offers in your field... Finding a solution may require the help of recruitment experts.
In Fed Supply, our team has years of experience in recruiting in Quebec. Although we specialize in logistics, the majority of our team members know how to spot potential areas for improvement to make your candidacy more powerful. And if you're searching for a position in logistics in the Montreal area, we are sure we can help you find the job of your dreams.
Submit your CV or contact us now to make the most of your chances!
