5 Commonly Overlooked Interview Tips That Will Help You Succeed

In both my work and interview experience, I see many interviewees make some of the most thoughtless mistakes when gunning for a job. 

The interview is your first impression to someone you would hope to be your future employer so you need to treat it seriously, and sometimes there are obvious factors that you overlook that end up ruining your chances of landing the job.  

Here are 5 commonly overlooked interview tips that will help you succeed. 

Dress Properly

You need to dress properly for an interview. Now, before you start thinking about suit and tie, you should know this. The best tactic for dressing for a role is to create your outfit based on research and not tradition.

Anyone could put on a suit and pull up to the office, but you need to think more outside the box.

Head to the company website and see how they dress. Is it casual? Then you might need to go with something a little more in vein with what they are currently wearing.

Companies want people that fit in with their culture, and the faster you can show that you do, the better chance you’ll have at landing the gig. 

Arrive on Time 

Arriving on time is essential because it shows that you’re a diligent person who takes their schedule seriously.

Also, do not show up to an interview too early. This could be a sign of anxiousness or desperation to the employer and might end up irritating them more than anything else.

I personally recommend arriving 15 minutes before your scheduled time since it will show that you can healthily stick to a schedule and also respect the boundaries of your potential future employer. 

Send a Thank You Note

After every interview you should send a thank you note via email. If you don’t have their email, ask the human resources person for it. This will help you stand out from the bunch.

It also shows that you have good communication skills and can help you continue any conversation started during the actual interview.

Giving interviews can be a time consuming and grueling process so managers enjoy it when gratitude is shown.

Don’t Fold your Arms

Folding my arms is just a comfortable position for me when sitting in a chair, but it can be a sign of being closed off to a future employer. You always want to look attentive during an interview and your body language should be more inviting.

Folding your arms could make you look bothered, bored or even irritated since this is something parents usually do when they are angry with their children. 

Prepare Questions Based off Research 

You should always be prepared with questions for a future employer.

However, the best kind of questions come when you do adequate research on a company beforehand and ask things that apply directly to your role.

Use the company website and other job sites like Glassdoor to collect more information on a future employer.

Fire away questions at them to show how much you care about the company and your position until you are well over the time limit of the interview. This should increase your chances at landing the role, or at the very least help you learn more about the industry and company.