Normally, no one would even care to look back and think about anything that won’t help before an interview.
But what if I tell you that there is a long list of mind blowing things to add in your thought process if you are preparing for an interview.
No one would have ever thought that such things as which may seem silly to an ordinary frightened applicant can be of so much use.
So other than the usual necessary preparation for an interview, there are a few easy hacks, tricks or facts about interviews to help you through the process that you hardly knew existed.
Now if you are keen to get a quick edge over others, read on for the basic yet mysterious little known facts about job interviews:
Interesting Facts about Interviews:
1. Interviewers make up their mind within minutes into the interview:
One interesting fact about any interview is that the interviewers decide if they want you working for them in the first few minutes itself.
It may seem unfair but it is a really simple and grounded psychology that determines the outcome.
Initially it is very normal for you to feel scared but on giving it a little thought you will see that it is nothing that you or any of us have not done before.
It is in human nature to take a liking to somebody if things hit off, the instant people start talking or as soon as they see you. The opposite that is taking against somebody is just as natural, although it is not right or strictly professional.
It is just about the feeling some people get around others and come to a decision whether they want them on a regular basis or not.
2. You are allowed to ask who would be seeing you at the interview:
What most people do not know is that as applicants they are allowed to phone the company for details on the members of the interview board.
It is a rule in more or less all companies to provide any possible help to the prospective applicants as long as it is not breaching the company’s regulations.
But companies are instructed on giving any non-secretive details to interviewee callers just to help them do their best on the interview.
So as potential employees you have every right to ask them who you would be seeing on your interview day. This is done to deliberately provide help by making it easier for the candidates to know more about the people they would have to face at the interview.
3. Being Street smart has its own perks:
Many of us would give a sigh of relief to know everything in an interview and most importantly the final selection do not depend on your knowledge of books applicable to the tasks of the company.
Your final selection would be based on how smart you are and how effectively you are able to make good of a situation in distress.
Hence it is a big news for those of us who are capable of effectively implementing our smartness but are too frightened to think that our lack of knowledge of books is going to keep us from making our dream comes true.
Those of you who are lacking the confidence to speak up and losing one opportunity after another should know that as human beings it is not possible for anybody to know everything.
But having the instant wit and spirited enthusiasm to find a way out of problems is the kind of talent big companies are really looking for.
4. Your career practically depends on the ATS:
The Applicant Tracking System is the machine that decides for or against your resume in the selection process. You must have noticed that the first thing companies want from you while they are recruiting is the resume.
But do not fool yourself hoping to get drawn in if you pour the Tolstoy in you on your resume. The ATS works to select resumes that best fit the criteria of the company.
So the easiest trick to get past it is to stick to keywords. Since it is a machine there is every possible chance that it may overlook you even if you are the most deserving candidate.
Hence repeating the skills what you think the company must be looking for in their employees is the best route to take. You cannot simply leave something like this to your fate or better still a system that can very well be faulty.
What you need to set your mind on is that if so many candidates can make it through the ATS then there is no possible reason why you cannot.
5. The forty seconds rule:
Normally people expect that you are putting a lot of effort in writing a cover letter then it demands to be read with patience.
But it is exactly the opposite, the interview selection process has to be completed as quickly as possible since employers would not want too many days wasted on granting employment and keeping work on stand-by.
Due to this reason and the innumerable number of applications, employers have set a golden rule of forty seconds to make things more convenient.
According to this rule no application has to be given any more than forty seconds which means that members of the selection committee would only have enough time to glance through the applications before rounding up the final bunch.
6. Smiling brings about a positive outcome:
While it is true that you have to show good skill at the work you have been called for to get the job there are other things that have a big role to play. One of these things is smiling. Smiling is positively contagious for all those around you.
So while you are talking to the members of the interviewing committee do not forget to smile. Even though it is simple psychology of returning the courtesy at play, people consider it a good habit to smile unless the topic of discussion is grave.
Moreover, people naturally opt to work with people having a good and friendly nature. And in an interview a smile speaks for itself. It will make the interviewers feel that you are simply happy to be there regardless of the decision that comes.
7. Your attire to a great degree determines your chances:
The old saying that how a man carries himself guides him to success holds true here. Your success story depends largely on what you are wearing to the interview.
You have to keep in mind that after the virtual selection and before you even say a word to any of the interviewers, that first thing they will notice is how you have dressed up. In a word, your attire may either shatter or build the career of your dreams.
Most of the time applicants do not think it is important to choose something to wear that will be deemed suitable for the interview.
They think that having the right attitude and being able to answer all the question is going to open doors for them but what they overlook is that what they wear is the most essential part of their attitude. It guides their body language in interviews.
8. Men can at times be more considerate than women:
You must have grown up forming a very motherly and kind idea of how women are in general.
But working women have very high standards and their expectations can sometimes trump the expectations of men. And due to this very reason you would be very mistaken to think that having a woman on the interview board is going to make things easy for you.
Firstly it is difficult due to this very stereotyping that women tend to be unprofessional at work and are most likely to develop a soft corner for the candidates.
Secondly due to their high standards their expectations of applicants are likely to be a number of times higher than their male counterparts.
So do not in any way get off on the wrong foot thinking that you ought to pay more attention to the male interviewers if you do not want your hopes to fall into pieces.
9. Why maintaining an equal amount of attention on all members is essential:
You cannot simply hope to get into the interviewers’ good books by ruling out the need to pay equal amount of attention to all members taking the interview.
You are not to decide for yourself who you ought to try and impress more in an interview. Everybody present in an interview have to be given equal importance since they are there to judge you on different aspects of attitude and the set of skills required to get a vote of confidence.
Therefore you cannot single out the most important person, impressing whom you think is going enough to get the job. Such an attitude from an applicant will not be taken lightly and will unanimously result in your immediate elimination.
10. Posture plays a determining role in an interview:
Even how you sit and talk has a lot to say in any decision on the part of the interviewers. To some people this factor may not even strike as anything important but all those who have experience of how important a role posture plays in interviews.
Do not let yourself go in the chair, try to sit as straight as possible while you are talking to the interviewers.
Look straight into their eyes without trying to stare them down while answering their questions. Do no bend your head down or look up in the middle of your answers because that will probably make them think that you are unprepared.
The best way to overcome the problem of getting lost in words is think what you are going to say even before you start to say anything.
11. Having a diplomatic approach helps:
People nowadays have become so self-obsessed and self-centered that they have forgotten all about the middle ground.
People now always fight for what they want, nobody even thinks about settling things in ways that do not involve violence.
But you cannot let such selfish behaviour take the best of your behaviour especially if you want to answer questions asked at interviews without hurting anyone’s sentiment or belief.
While it is undoubtedly good to have an opinion about things but it does not mean people are going to overlook your arrogance for the skills you have to offer. So basically being on neutral grounds or having a diplomatic approach in every matter helps.
Moreover, these days communication has taken over so far and wide that it is impossible to move a step without being on good terms with your neighbour.
12. Information is power:
Most of us would not even thought about this but it is for a fact that one’s chances of getting selected on an interview increases by leaps and bounds if one shows unwavering interest in the host company’s achievements and plans for the future.
It won’t be quite wrong to say that whoever does their research on the company they are applying to have more chances of grasping the positive attention of the employers than others.
And it is also quite normal to think that a company would have an easier time dealing with colleagues who already know much about the company as opposed to those who are yet to be fed sufficient information on the company terms and ideologies.
So, if you desire to always remain one step ahead of your competitors then dig up as much data possible on the company you are planning to join.
To Wrap Up:
Although hard work and dedication is what will ultimately lead you through to your goal, the above given lesser known facts about the interview process will undeniably give an edge to whoever is willing to use some help.
