How not to mess up at the first job interview?
Guest post by Neal Davis
If you ask any working professional living in London how their first interview was, they will narrate how nervous they were. Almost everyone gets nervous when attending a job interview. But, what matters most is how you overcome that nervousness and then ace the interview even if you have no experience. It’s normal to doubt yourself if you have no experience, but that doesn’t mean you should lose hope. A thorough preparation is key to getting your first job against the odds.
We light herein the best tips to pass a job interview for the first time. No special ingredients needed other than preparing yourself beforehand.
Say you are excited about getting a real estate job in London. How do you make sure you certainly get that job by beating your competition? No matter how tough your college degree was, your key to getting the best job is a mastery of the interview. Your competitors put more efforts into cover letters. If you are not feeling comfortable writing the cover letter yourself, you should consider to use a buy essay service that relates to your job application.
Below we highlight the best tips to pass a job interview with no experience.
#1 | Do your homework about the company
With the age of technology, virtually everything is accessible online. Research about the company you’re invited to. In addition, you may research about the hiring managers. Your interviewers will be impressed by the knowledge you have about the company.
Large corporations may have the “careers”, “news” and “about us” section. Familiarise yourself with their work culture, current trends, their achievements, and even their management structure. Also noteworthy is to know about their industry, stakeholders and competitors. Mention their products or services when given a chance during the interview.
#2 | Familiarise yourself with the job requirements
You might be asked that what you know about the job description. Assess your skills and know why you think you are the best fit for the job. If you know someone who holds the same position in the company or a different company you can ask them how it feels and how to work faster. Ask them how was their interviews. This will give you an overview of what to expect in the interview. But, remember that you have to demonstrate your unique value proposition.
#3 | Simulate an interview session
To cut the nervousness you might have in the interview, we reckon you simulate the interview session. Rehearse the challenging common questions that interviewers are most likely to ask. There’s plenty of them on the internet.
You may also ask your former teacher or any friend living in London to help you rehearse the interview. This will help you get a model of the answers. How you should answer and how you shouldn’t. Take note of open-ended and close-ended questions.
As you rehearse, you expect a wide range of questions pertaining to previous work experience, achievements, how to cope in stressful environments, conflict resolution, leadership qualities, what motivates you, and many more. When asked about the experience, do not lie. Simply elaborate how you will excel and learn fast relating to your educational background.
#4 | Pose questions
As an inexperienced candidate, the hirers would expect many questions about the job. Asking questions convinces the HR specialist that you are interested in the job and you’ve done enough research. Remember, they want to see if you can fit into the work culture in addition to your achievements.
When asking questions, however, make sure you ask relevant ones. Avoid generic questions such as the places to visit in London for free, etc. Also, the question of salary should be asked when triggered. Typical questions to ask include the following:
- What are the challenges one can expect in the position?
- What are career developments within the company?
- What is the company’s direction in the next coming 5 years?
- How did the previous employee excel in the position? Etc.
#5 | Dress Appropriately
Many people know how to dress fashionably but seldom know how to dress appropriately for the interview. Research about the interview dress codes. Whatever color you choose, the attire should be formal. You may ask the interview that which dress code they expect. Irrespective of the company, formal dress code is a generic requirement in most interviews. While busy researching about how to move to London, familiarise yourself with the trending interview dress codes in the city.
#6 | Arrive on time
Arriving late even if it’s a minute late can jeopardise your chance to grab that lucrative position you got via the best job apps. At least arrive a few minutes, such as 5 minutes, before the interview starts. Arrive early but not too early. Rushing to the interview can affect your preparedness. You might arrive sweating and breathing heavily. If you arrive on time you will be able to take a short break before the session starts.
Pic taken from Pixabay
#7 | Brush up your communication skills
English may not be your first language but that shouldn’t mess your communication skills. Learn how to converse clearly. Again, take a look at your non-verbal communication. Upon arrival, give the interviewer(s) a firm handshake that shows confidence. Greet all and then sit down.
#8 | Thank the interviewer
After the session has been completed, thank everyone for their time. Then do follow-ups within 24 hours if you haven’t been told when to expect the feedback.
Wrap up!
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to excel in interviews. The absence of work experience shouldn’t discourage you to excel. The level of preparedness, instead, can land you the job over someone with great experience but poor interview skills. These tips can help you ace your first ever interview.
