Recruitment interview – how to behave during a job interview and how best to sell your person?

Many people even experience heart palpitations in a fit of great fear accompanying the upcoming recruitment interview. It would seem that a programmer never has such stress - after all, anyone can hire him because he is a programmer. It turns out that even he has a lot of stress if he applies to a company where he always wanted to work and is aware that he will face a difficult technical verification with the CTO himself. In fact, however, the well-known "there is nothing to be afraid of!" and the devil is not as terrible as he is painted. It all depends on the preparation and strategy - there are certain elements that, if properly met, will increase the chances of your application being considered positively, and will also allow you to avoid a large dose of unnecessary stress. There are many components of an effective and effective recruitment interview, in this article I will try to list the ones that, in my opinion, are the most important.

1. First, your body language

Just entering the office, a firm handshake with the person/people who will recruit you must prove your self-confidence and unwavering attitude. You have to stand firmly on the ground and hold your head up high, be upright and smile. Body language, i.e. our non-verbal communication, is the element that should be emphasized the most. As a rule, it is so that confident, smiling people are more willing to listen, and they sell themselves better - also themselves. Have a lot of refinement in yourself - behave calmly, be composed, lower your tone of voice, and then raise it if you emphasize important matters. Thank you and say "please" or "sorry" every time you need to.

2. "Clothes don't make the man…

… but it does its job.” One of the elements of a successful job interview is the first impression. If you take care of the right body language - most likely everything will go much better for you. However, you can't forget about how you look and what you're wearing. Shorts (even if it's hot outside) won't be the right choice - just like an old and faded T-shirt. A white shirt, dark trousers and good leather shoes will be perfect for this. The whole set will be perfectly complemented by a classic jacket. Also take care of the right hairstyle, don't forget to shave the three-day beard and pay attention to fresh perfumes.

3. What makes you different?

One of the first questions in a standard job interview is to describe yourself. It is worth preparing for non-standard questions about your passions, commitment to work or interests. You have to approach the matter in an unconventional way, your potential employer must see you as a future business partner they can rely on. So if you are interested in business, reading books and personal development - this will be an additional advantage for him. It's nice if, apart from your own affairs, you also see social issues and get involved in public life, e.g. by helping those in need. This will make the view of you in the eyes of the employer even more interesting.

4. References and competences

Every job interview requires the candidate to talk about what they are good at and what they can do. Before the interview, prepare a list of questions and answer them as best as you can. Also, take references with you if you have any, it will increase the credibility of your statements. Write down your entire career on a piece of paper, choose the most interesting and desirable aspects of it and learn to tell it in a simple and understandable way. Make sure that the description of your competences relates as much as possible to the potential expectations of the company you are applying for, make your profile match the company as much as possible. What does it mean? For example, if a company largely works on huge data sets, the ability to think analytically and work with numbers will be a nice asset. Additional knowledge of cybersecurity or security in general will make you more helpful to the employer. Of course, in your stories, beware of lies (even the small, innocent ones) - if someone is lying, it can be seen, and recruiters are very sensitive to it. Everything you say must be true.

5. Stress

Stress will make you blush and behave unnaturally - this is not advisable. The employer may think that you are incapable of dealing with difficult situations, and your statements are largely made up. If you can't do otherwise, do a simple exercise just before entering the meeting. Think about what you are good at, what you do best. Bring back to your imagination moments from your life how you deal with something very difficult, think about the satisfaction that accompanied it. Recall how you were praised by others for doing a specific thing well. Also, tell yourself that a job interview is the same as any other interview. Someone invited you to a meeting, so you are a potentially valuable person for them. You don't have to be afraid of anything - the employer needs you and you need him. It's a clean layout.

6. Your weaknesses

Don't be ashamed to talk about your weaknesses, don't cheat just to "color" your candidacy. The employer highly values loyalty and reliability. You must be able to cope with the tasks entrusted to him in his eyes, so if he asks you about a specific skill, tell him if you really mastered it to perfection. You can also use the answer that you do not fully know the case, but you are able to assimilate it by devoting extra hours to this purpose. Ambition is highly valued today - most people care mainly about money. Be original.

Good luck on the interview!