*This post was originally published on Fashion Journal. In light of COVID-19, we’re republishing career-related content we’ve previously written for Fashion Journal to help those whose jobs and businesses have been affected.
Ah, January. Every year you gift us a clean slate, a fresh start. You fill us with hope about health kicks and travel plans and savings accounts and dream jobs. Especially dream jobs.Â
This month, more people will be job-hunting than any other month in the year. Recent graduates are planning their foray into the real world and employees are getting re-enthused about finally making that long-awaited career change. Some of us just canât bear the thought of going back to our job after the Christmas break. That was 2019 us, and weâre different now.
If youâre hoping to land a new job in 2020, you might need these genius interview tips to help you stand out from the crowd.
Outsmart scanning softwareÂ
Thereâs a fine line between Iâm-the-employee-of-your-dreams and I-once-read-that-companies-scan-resumes-for-keywords. Found an advertised job that sharpens your pencil? Great. Print it out, then physically highlight the skills and requirements that are frequently used or seem very important. Once you have 5-10 keywords, weave these into your CV â but donât be too obvious. Thereâs a precise balance between finessing your CV so it is exactly what the company is looking for and blatant plagiarism.Â
Schedule your interview on the luckiest day and time
Got an opening in your diary for Wednesday at 11:45am? Your interviewer is probably hungry AF, and isnât listening to a word you say because theyâre deciding whether to order the chicken schnitzel sandwich they always get for lunch, or maybe theyâll try the new sushi place everyone is talking about. The point is, theyâre preoccupied. Same goes for after lunch (food coma), Mondays in general (long to-do list) and Friday afternoons (drink oâclock). Experts agree the âluckiestâ day and time to interview is a Tuesday mid-morning because thatâs when employees are most productive.
Set up a voicemailÂ
When an unknown number calls, our human instinct is to scream and throw our phone over the closest fence. But we also donât like having a voicemail â we donât like our own voice and we also donât like calling people back â so it makes it near impossible for people to reach us. In fact, thereâs probably no point in having a phone at all. If youâre job-hunting, suck it up and set up a voicemail that is clear (no public transport background noise) and professional (i.e. not your DJ name). If you havenât changed phone providers since high school, maybe look into changing your message recording. Since you never call yourself, who knows what your 2009 message bank says.
Game face on, earphones out
Letâs make one thing clear: the interview starts when you leave your house â not when you enter the boardroom. Give your outfit one final check, say a few positive affirmations to your reflection and put your game face on. Please donât approach reception with earphones in your ears and an iced coffee in your hand. Itâll appear you arenât taking the interview seriously and youâre not great at time management.
Being too early is just as bad as being lateÂ
Controversial? Maybe. True? 100 per cent. Ask any interviewer and they will say this is one of their biggest pet peeves. While itâs very important to be punctual, being more than a few minutes early can be considered rude. If you arrive 30 minutes before the meeting, your interviewer probably isnât prepared. This will annoy them and makes it very hard to claw your way back. If youâre too early, sit outside and rehearse your answers.
Donât be a jerk to the receptionistÂ
Itâs a common scenario: the interviewee is rude or dismissive to the receptionist, then a pure joy to the manager. The problem is the manager will often ask the receptionist what they thought of you, and itâs not going to be pretty. In fact, itâs highly likely thereâll be some swear words involved. The moral of the story? Be nice to everyone you come in contact with, from the courier in the lift to the intern bringing you your coffee.
Create a personal elevator pitch
Thereâs an ice-breaker coming and itâll look something like this: âSo, tell us a little about yourselfâ. If youâve spent all of your time researching the companyâs values, identifying your strengths and weaknesses and thinking of impressive things youâve done, chances are you have nothing prepared for this little gem. Think of it as your personal elevator pitch and practise it until you can say it in your sleep.
Phone interview? Get dressed, stand up and smile
A phone interview doesnât mean you can stay in bed, and a Skype interview is not a licence to wear a blazer with pyjama pants. Regardless of whether itâs a face-to-face, phone or video catch-up, get dressed in your favourite outfit (with shoes) â this will make you feel more confident. Stand or sit up straight. Smile as you speak. The phone interviewer will be able to tell if youâre lying on the couch covered in Doritos dust.
Come prepared with a list of ideas
It goes without saying that most people being interviewed are going to research the company, prepare their answers and turn up on time. But will most people go above and beyond by bringing a list of curated ideas relevant to the role theyâre applying for? Doubt it. If itâs a sales position, this could be a handful of sales leads. If itâs a writing job, it might be a list of pitches.
Nail the âwhatâs your biggest weakness?â questionÂ
Donât think youâre being cute by choosing a weakness thatâs not really a weakness. Interviewers can see right through it, and youâll come off as sneaky and not at all self-aware. Instead of claiming to be a perfectionist or someone that just works too hard, opt for a real trait that doesnât negatively impact the role too much. Be honest in explaining the trait, and follow up with how youâre actively working on it.
Think in reverse for every questionÂ
Whether itâs a cover letter, CV or interview, we all have a really bad habit of explaining why the role would be really great for our career progression. Itâll give us a chance to spread our wings, allow us to explore other industries or help to boost our experience. But does the company really care about our wings? Avoid answering questions with how the job will help your career, instead focus on how your skills and experience will better the company.
Answer with the STAR methodÂ
Experts say the ideal length of time to wait before answering a job interview question is three seconds. If you answer too quickly, you probably havenât thought about it hard enough and might miss something vital. If you wait too long, they will think youâre weird and ask if youâre okay. This three seconds is really key to crafting the perfect answer, which should always follow the STAR method: first you explain the Situation you faced, then you detail the Tasks that were involved, followed by the Actions you took and finally reveal the Results you achieved.
Have a damn good question to ask at the endÂ
You know that part at the end of the interview when theyâre packing up their notes and thanking you for your time and you think youâre off the hook? They ask, âSo, do you have any questions for us?â It sounds like theyâre just being polite but theyâre actually tossing one last grenade in your direction. Donât blow up in their faces. This your chance to leave a lasting impression, so have something prepared. Be genuine and ask something youâre actually interested in learning, such as what the culture of the business is like, what they personally like about working there, or what an average day looks like for a person in the role youâre going for.
