Interview Tips : Leaving honest impressions for better job quality

Getting a job as a fresh graduate can be tough. With information gathered from companies and fresh graduates themselves, having little to no experience in working and not having practiced professionalism in the years of education can really put us in an uncomfortable situation as we are looking for a job.

Here in Forward School, we value professionalism in our students and we strive to train them to not just equip themselves with the latest relevant skills for the industry, but also to carry themselves professionally whether it is in speech or writing.

Feeling anxious is a common feature that most will face before any interviews. However, here are some tips that might help you to be prepared to answer questions professionally from a truthful and effective perspective. 

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1. Always be truthful about yourself

Nobody knows you as well as yourself. An interviewer who wants to know who you are as a person is asking the perfect candidate which is you. For example, an interviewer will pose questions such as “How would you deal with disagreements with your colleagues?” which your response will most likely indicate your personality and attitude, whether it is a strength that they admire, or a weakness that can be worked on. In any case, being honest makes the interview and job genuine as you will be working within your capabilities and provide space for the company to develop you according to your professional needs.

2. Know your goals and your expectations

Before even considering joining a company, you need to sit down and think thoroughly about the end goal of your job in this company whether this is the best choice of company to excel your skills and grow out your potential development in the professional field in the future. Understanding your goals will help you better in identifying the compatibility and objectives between yourself and the company which sets you up on the right path for success. Also, it will give you a huge boost in confidence as you already know your value and capabilities. 

3.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions

In order to know that your goals and expectations are aligned with the company vision, you have to ask the necessary questions to further understand the job that you are getting into. Questions like “What is the company’s vision & mission?”, “What does the company focus on?”, “What will be my role and duties if I am hired?” are good starters to point out if it matches yours.  You should ask these questions to better understand the company in terms of aim, objectives and roles so that you are able to see a bigger picture of your job as a whole from suitability to sustainability working in the company that is going to set you up for success.

4. Carry yourself positively in hard situations

There are many questions that might prompt you on your problem solving skills such as : “How would you handle difficult clients or customers?” “Describe your experience from a failure in your previous company and how you dealt with the situation”. These are the head scratching and oftentimes off guard questions that surprises all of us during interviews. In these scenarios, most interviewers want to hear specific steps that you will or have taken in solving the issues in the company. It is good to remember that negativity or slandering of colleagues and company is never the way to go, keep in mind that being positive in providing clear steps to solving the issue is the main objective.

Summary

A job interview is not an interrogation, it should never feel like one either. So long as you are prepared in knowing your capabilities, and being truthful about your goals and objectives, a company will know if you are the suitable candidate for the job and vice versa, you will know whether you will benefit and grow professionally in the company with the goals and objectives that you have set for yourself to achieve.

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