HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN AN INTERVIEW IN A MULTI-NATIONAL COMPANY

By E.J Proctor 

Interviewing is a skill, which is acquired, not a skill that comes natural to everyone.

There are a number of things that an individual can do to be MORE successful in an interview than just relying on their natural talents. Some of these although seeming very mundane, are extremely important to the interviewers.

Before being interviewed, learn a little about the company that is interviewing you, so that you can speak intelligently with the interviewer about their company; and also have prepared, one or two questions to ask about the company, so that the interviewer knows that you have done some research. This simple step, shows that you are genuinely interested.

Come to the interview clean and neat. It is not necessary to go and buy new clothes or spend a lot of money, but come dressed cleanly and well groomed. A person who looks messy, will probably be messy in the workplace.

Never, never be late. If you are late for an interview, you will be late getting to work. If you have an unforeseen problem, phone ahead and either reschedule, or tell the employer you will be late for a very valid reason.

Let the interviewer ask the questions, there is not anything more frustrating to an interviewer than feeling that they are being interviewed.

If you don’t understand the question ask for clarification, and if you don’t know the answer, tell them that you don’t know, rather than making something up, and creating a problem for yourself.

Take your time, think about your answers, and answer the questions with a short concise statement but enough information to totally answer the question.   Do not ramble. If the interviewer needs more, they will ask.

You are trying to sell yourself, to the company, so bring out your strongest assets, and glorify yourself, without lying or making it feel like you are very conceited. (This is one of the hardest things to do). You want the company to feel like you are “confident and well spoken”, not that you “love yourself very much”

At the end of the interview, if there is something you think the company should know, and would help you to be a more viable candidate, tell the interviewer that you would like him/her to know this additional piece of data.

Ask your one or two questions about the company, it will impress the interviewer.

Provide a summary statement, for example, “ If I am fortunate enough to be hired by your company, you will look back in the future, and know that you made a very good choice when you hired me.” This will leave a lasting effect on the interviewer.

The above 10 items, are things which will ENHANCE your chances of being successful in an interview, it will not guarantee you a position. They are also tips that can help you in interviewing anywhere, not just in a multi-national company. One of the things that you can do to help even further is to attend “ Interview Training” and get feedback on your performance and ideas to improve without the pressure of failing at your first interview. Interview training is a small investment to make in your future.