Score Your Job Interview Performance

November 10, 2017
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Walk out with confidence, knowing you checked these seven boxes.

Congratulations! You just got the call from the hiring manager and your job interview is next week. Like most candidates, you will walk in feeling excited about the possibilities, yet apprehensive about what to say during your interview. If you could only know the impressions your interviewer has already formed based on researching you online, and if you could only know the questions the interviewer will ask, your apprehension would melt away.

Though you will never know the inner workings of any individual interviewer’s thought process, you can account for what most hiring managers want to find out during a job interview. By preparing yourself well and scoring your performance against these criteria during the interview, you can interview with confidence and walk out feeling optimistic about your chances of getting hired. After your interview, use the point system below to determine your total score.

Score between 80-89 and you will earn a B, which may or may not be strong enough to get you a second interview. Score between 90-100 for an A or A+ performance and you can celebrate a performance worthy of advancement through the interview process.

  1. Dress for success 10 Points

Research the standard industry attire and your potential employer’s dress code. In a conservative industry like finance or law, men should wear a solid color suit with a white long sleeve shirt, dark socks, professional shoes, and an understated tie. Women should have a neat, professional hairstyle, tan or light hosiery, coordinated blouse, and manicured nails. Both men and women should carry a classic portfolio or briefcase. If you are interviewing in a more fashionable industry, carefully research its unique standards, as well as those of the company. It usually makes sense to err on the side of caution, even at the expense of expressing your individuality.

  1. Be natural and conversational 10 Points

Many candidates make the mistake of overthinking what it takes to impress an interviewer. Be yourself and allow the interviewer to make an honest assessment of your fitness for the position and your compatibility with the company culture. Knowing that you can act naturally reduces your tension and enables you to speak conversationally, rather than in a stilted tone. Experienced interviewers have highly refined instincts for detecting when a candidate is not being authentic, and the likelihood of success plunges once that red flag is triggered.

  1. Display positive body language 10 Points

Understanding the rules of positive body language as they apply to job interviews can make all the difference in helping or hurting your candidacy. The moment of truth happens when you meet your interviewer. Greet him or her with a confidence-inspiring handshake and a genuine smile. By doing this, you’re sending a signal of confidence and setting a positive tone for the rest of the interview. As you engage, relax your muscles, maintain a confident posture, make positive and steady eye contact, and keep your vocal tone within a controlled range. A deeper tone sounds more substantive.

  1. Know your own history 15 Points

This may come as a surprise, but job candidates often get stumped about details in their own resume. Some even contradict their written history. Study your resume well, and glance at it before your interview to refresh your memory. Know your dates of employment for recent employers. Be prepared to expound on the achievements and skills you have listed. Many inauthentic and dishonest candidates are revealed by interviewers’ probing resume questions, for good reason.

  1. Be original, not trite 15 Points

Trite answers to questions are a dead giveaway of inauthenticity. Your answers must be believable, which means they must be original and unique to you. For example, if you are asked about your weaknesses, don’t claim that you are a perfectionist or that you work too many hours. Interviewers have heard it hundreds of times before, if not thousands. If you are asked about your strengths, don’t say that you are extremely organized. Be specific. Avoid clichés like “I am passionate about…,” “I see myself doing this a long time from now,” or “This is my dream job.” Candidates who say what they think hiring managers want to hear rarely get hired.

  1. Convey knowledge in the job and in the company 20 Points

The winning candidate is often not the best qualified, but the best prepared candidate. With the Internet, you have access to a wealth of knowledge about your potential employer. Read the company’s website, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. Subscribe to a news feed about the organization and learn about recent developments, competitors, the company culture, and philanthropic work. One caveat is to avoid quoting from the About Us page; this is seen as a rehearsed shortcut. Real preparation for an interview demonstrates that you will be diligent once hired.

  1. Show that the interest is mutual 20 Points

So you know the company and your know yourself. Now the interviewer wants to know, from your perspective, whether you see a compatible fit. Demonstrate your interest by revealing why you would rather work for this employer than a competitor. Talk about what makes the role especially appealing to you, and how it fits with your particular skill set, interests, and ambitions. Express your interest in contributing to the company’s objectives and growth. Most job candidates are interested in job security and a paycheck; showing mutual interest is the way to demonstrate your admirable intentions.

We would love to hear about your job interview experiences, before and after you apply these concepts. Feel free to share your stories with us on Facebook!