I’ve interviewed thousands in my career and I usually know my decision in the first 10 minutes. Most people go into an interview room with the wrong mindset. You have one goal, and it’s not about your skills, it’s not about your qualifications and it’s not about proving your worth.
Arguably, those listed are also important but they don’t distinguish you from the rest of the interviewees. The one goal you should always have in mind is BEING MEMORABLE!
Here are 5 tips that will separate you from the crowd:
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Master the art of telling your story
This is first because it is the most important. You will be remembered by the interviewing panel once you tell your story in an interesting and relatable way. This will greatly increase your chances of being chosen for the job, simply because of memorability.
Study storytelling and practice stories in the mirror. Your question is, why will it work?
Literally, everyone who shows up for an interview talks about their experience, but few people can communicate it memorably. Improve this one thing, and you will outperform 80% of your competition.
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Become an investigator
Scour the internet to learn everything you can about the company. Some of the best sources of information about the company can be obtained from LinkedIn, their Webpage, and Google. But this will only benefit you if you know what to do with the information.
Other than studying the company to get more informed answers, you study them to show that you are truly interested in that company and the job position. ‘
Hiring managers love a candidate who talks about the research they have done on the company. Tell them at least 3 favorite things that you read about them while conducting your research.
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Know how to answer the final question
Every interview ends in the same way… “Tell me why you’re the best candidate for this position?” or a question closely related to that. This is the most important question of the interview.
This is how you ace it, each time you come across it.
To respond to such a question, it’s all about uniqueness. All candidates say they are self-driven, hard-working and a team player. These are boring to the hiring team and not unique hence no memorability there.
Share exactly what it is that makes you unique, different and legendary. It would be even better to cook up an answer than give an ordinary casual response. This answer should become second nature to you.
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Ask killer questions
At the end of an interview, you will be asked if you have any questions regarding the company or whatever you have in mind. Most people blow it by not asking any questions at all. And if they do ask questions, the stone doesn’t fall very far from salary, training and turnaround time. These do not help you as much as you would have imagined.
Instead, ask these 3 killer questions (Just as an example of questions you can ask):
- What’s the biggest challenge facing the team today?
- What does greatness look like in this role?
- What has your career looked like at this company?
The first and second question lets them know you are committed and willing to go the extra mile, rather than just being an ordinary team player. The third question gets them to talk about themselves, which ironically and psychologically makes the panel remember you.
If you’re feeling bold and cheeky, and you notice the panelists are very happy with your progress so far in the interview, you can throw in the question ‘When do I start the job?’
11 Most Common Interview Questions
However, this does not work every time and you need to be very careful how you lay out this question as it can cause everything you’ve worked on in that interview to tumble down.
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Communicate your passions
When talking about why you want the job, don’t be like everyone else. Everybody wants more money, promotions and opportunities.
If you want to do better, blend in by saying what you want to grow your career into. For that to happen, you need to openly tell them your passions
Managers love candidates who know what they are passionate about. So tell them how this position aligns with your passions and how you will gain fulfillment from the position. This sends a message that you will work hard because you love what you’re doing.