10 Essential Interviewing Skills You Need To Know

Be prepared for every type of interview

Interviewing is an art that is constantly evolving, adapting to the latest trends in the job market and the different needs of different employers. While there are some constants when it comes to the format of interviews, there are also many different types of interviews that make up the hiring process. Knowing the differences between these different types of interviews can help prepare candidates to face the challenges of each type appropriately.

– Screening interviews: This type of interview serves as a preliminary round in the hiring process. Employers may use this type of interview as a way to narrow down their list of applicants to just a few candidates they want to interview face-to-face. While the employer doesn’t have to hire anyone yet, they want to make sure they spend some time with each candidate to get a feel for their personality and what they can offer the company.

– Informational interviews: This type of interview is usually used to gain more information about a candidate, either because the existing staff has very little knowledge about a certain area or for large companies with a decentralized organization, a few key stakeholders have little to no knowledge about the company’s inner workings. With a informational interview, the goal is to get an interviewee to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle and provide an overall impression of their competence and knowledge.

– Skills-based interviews: These interviews tend to be more structured than the others and are often used to hire outside consultants and experts. As part of the hiring process, the employer will work with the hiring manager to identify the specific skills and experiences that they’d like to see out of the new hire. These types of interviews can also be used to determine whether an existing employee is a good fit for the role they’ve been given and will likely be used more in the future.

– Functional interviews: This interview style is most likely to appear in technology companies where the hiring manager is looking for a specific job function. This can also happen in organizations that have a decentralized structure such as marketing or sales where the hiring manager has a specific role they’d like to fill and will choose an individual who can fill that role.

Ask yourself why you’re there

When you show up to an interview, you’re already at a disadvantage. You may be nervous, you may have only taken a peek at the job description and you may have only talked to one person about the job before showing up. All of this can create a situation where you have no idea why you’re there. Before you walk into an interview, take a few minutes to write out a list of why you want this job. While you may be nervous, you don’t have to worry about speaking too quickly or forgetting what you want to say. Instead of worrying about how you’re going to explain yourself, write down what you want to say. The more you write down, the easier it will be to explain the things that you want to talk about in the interview, such as why you’d be a great addition to their team and why you’d be an important part of the future of the company. You may be surprised at how much you’re able to write down in such a short space of time and how much more confident you will feel.

Show your personality and make the conversation natural

One of the toughest things about interviewing is trying to be someone that you’re not when you’re at your interview. If you show up to an interview with your CV in hand, ready to get the job done, you may not be showing your personality as much as you think. Take a quick look at your CV and make sure that everything is as it should be. Make sure that any spelling and grammar mistakes are corrected, that you have everything included in your CV (such as volunteer positions or any extra-curricular activities you’ve done), and that your work experience is at least somewhat relevant to the job you’re applying for. When it comes to making the conversation more natural, you may be surprised at how many ways there are to do this.

Be confident, but don’t be cocky

While confidence is a great thing in almost every situation, it doesn’t mean that you need to be arrogant to be successful. Don’t try to come across as more confident than you actually are; instead, try to apply a balance between being confident and not being too cocky. For example, let’s say that your interview is with an HR manager. As you walk into the room, you may feel a bit nervous, but as soon as you meet the person, you feel like you have a good connection with them. This may happen because you’re not trying to act like you know everything, you’re not trying to come off as too confident, and you’re not trying to be too “on-brand” for the company.

Stay flexible and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback

One of the most important things that you can do to make an interview better is to ask for feedback on your skills. This can be done in two ways; with a specific question like “What do you like best about my work experience in resorts?” or with a more general question like “What do you think is the most important thing I need to work on to be successful in this position?” When asking for feedback, remember that the interviewer may not be able to provide as much feedback on your personality or fit as they would on your skills, so don’t worry too much about how you come off in this situation. Instead, work towards making the best impression possible on the things that the interviewer can help you fix. One of the best things that you can do to make a better impression is to stay focused on the goals of the interview. If you stay focused on the goals of the interview, you won’t have time to worry about how you come off in the interview.

Don’t forget to thank your interviewer at the end

Even if you know that you should end every interview with a thank-you, you may forget. This is okay, and it’s not a big deal if you forget at first. Instead, when the interviewer asks you to say something, focus on the goals of the interview, the things that you want to say and how you want to say them. Once you’ve said what you want to say, end the interview by thanking your interviewer for their time and consideration. This may seem like a small thing, but it can go a long way towards reducing the awkwardness that sometimes comes with the end of an interview.

Conclusion

Now that you know everything about how to get better at interviews and land your next job or internship faster than you ever thought possible, you’re ready to practice your interviewing skills. Start by gathering some interview questions, practicing your answers and creating a hiring timeline. Once you’ve got everything ready to go, you’ll be ready to show off your skills in no time.

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