Seasoned interviewers such as HR Manager normally can tell a fresh graduate straight away. Frankly, if the fresh graduates are applying for entry level job like management trainee, the interviewers would be more forgiving when the fresh graduates stumped during the interview.
However, if the fresh graduate is gaming for a non entry level job and the competition is very stiff, he or she better be more prepared as the opportunity would only be granted to the best among the interviewees. It pays to read on job interview tips for fresh graduates.
Submitting a polished CV is a far easier task than getting prepared for a face to face interview. Every fresh graduate soon learn this truth after receiving the first invitation for interview. Many scary thoughts can race through your mind and soon anxiety sets in. You are not alone. Read on for more tips on how to prepare for that great challenge after school.
You have the right qualification for the job. But many graduates have the same qualification. So what can distinguish you from other candidates? Your personality or rather the first impression you give the interviewers
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You must dress professional, look professional and sound professional. What is professional in more tangible form?
Dress Right
You might be used to t-shirt, jeans and sneakers in school. But in the working world, you need to dress very different to command respect and be accepted by fellow colleagues.
First step, invest in good business attire like a business suit in black, navy or dark brown and a few shirts in white or light colours. Lady can consider purchasing a jacket that has matching pants and skirt to stretch the dollar. And man should have at least 2 easy to match formal ties. Always iron these cloths properly before wearing them for interviews.
Second step, buy a good pair of leather shoes or court shoes for lady. Choose safe colours like black or dark brown. Make sure these shoes are polished before wearing them for interviews.
Look Right
Hair style can be tricky. In school, you might have style and/or colour your hair in the latest trend or even allow it to be untidy to look cool. Now, you need to keep it neat and tidy, i.e. no loud colour or shocking style.
Choose accessories like cuff pins, scarf and brooch carefully. A fast and easy way to enhance the professional image of a lady is a string of pearl necklace and matching pair of pearl earrings. Be selective and limit yourself to put on only a few matching items. Bear in mind that accessories should enhance your professional look but not be the focus point of the interviews when they first met you.
Make-up for lady should be nature and easy on the eyes. Lipstick and shaped eyebrows are the bare minimum. Piercing should be removed and tattoos and covered up before meeting the interviewers. Bring along a professional brief case or handbag in good condition instead of a backpack should complete the look.
Sound Right
Have you notice how you talk to your friends in school. Very causal and easy should describe you well. Now, you must be more control and guarded about what you say during interviews. First, make sure you have no bad breath. Second, maintain constant speed and volume of speech. Third, have a good vocabulary. But most importantly read between the lines of questions asked and remarks made before replying to them.
Most interviewers look for candidates who are high energy, mature and show potential to be groomed. You need to use active words instead of passives ones and have general idea of social and business etiquette
Bear in mind, no one owes you a job. You need to fight and win to get it. Do not let things such as poor body language, unprofessional attire or even nervousness get in the way between you and that dream job.
As fresh graduate, you have 2 things to your advantage – high energy and eagerness to land a job. Besides knowing what you ought to do, you should also be mindful of the pitfalls to avoid.
A List of Items to Avoid During the Interview
1) Poorly coordinated attire such as tie and shirt mismatch
2) Untidy hair like just woken from sleep
3) Sport bag instead of briefcase
4) Poor hand shake
5) Poor sitting posture
6) Pale complexion (lady should put on at least lipstick or lip gloss)
7) Poor eye contact
8) Body odour
9) Playing with fingers throughout the interview
10) Sweaty palms
11) Stare blankly at interviewers
12) Display immaturity
13) Show great anxiety
14) Behave too casually with interviewers
15) Lack of self-confident or over-confident
16) Give very short answer even after prompting by interviewers
17) Talk too much and not answering the question posted
18) Unable to read between the lines of question posted
19) Not forthcoming in replying to questions posted
20) Focus too much on self gain then desire to contribute to Company
21) Unable to post smart questions to gain more insight into job, work team and Company
22) Fail to research on Company and projects
23) Give contradicting replies to questions posted
24) Unable to convince interviewers why the job is a good fit
Always give it your best shoot at interview. Never let the golden opportunity slip away because of reasons you can overcome with some effort. Prepare a checklist such as items to bring or things to do before the interview like research on the Company for yourself so that you can be well prepared for the interview.
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