Dear Career Advisor,

In one of your previous responses you mentioned that as job seekers we should be prepared to articulate our knowledge, skills and abilities. however, with so many very qualified applicants I fear I might not be able to stand out and get the attention of the interviewer. I would love to get an insight as to what interviewers really pay attention to during the interview. Any suggestion would be helpful as I am now completing my degree and preparing to enter the job market.

Yours truly,

Tanya

Dear Tanya:

Thank you for your very interesting question. It is our delight to bring you insights into the additional things employers report they pay attention to and wish candidates would do in an interview.

In an interview, you should…

i. Make a strong positive impression. Decide on one or two notable and impressive ways by which you would want to be remembered eg, relate how you have extended yourself to help someone succeed or a project that you used innovative strategies to complete.

ii. Have a clear understanding of the purpose of the job. While you are not expected to know every detail of the job function, an understanding of how it fits into the overarching goals of the organisation is expected.

iii. Demonstrate a great attitude and a mindset for the job. A positive attitude goes beyond an upbeat disposition during the interview. The interviewer is able to glean much about your attitude based on the content of your responses.

iv. Be likeable. The interviewer will form an opinion as to whether other employees will enjoy working with you.

v. Don’t immediately say you want the job. Allow for adequate time during the interview to find out as much as possible about the job before expressing your strong desire. Your interest will appear more credible and genuine.

vi. Avoid being negative. Do not whine, complain or bad-mouth your lecturers, former colleagues or employers. For example, instead of lamenting how you found your former supervisor to be dictatorial, speak of how you anticipate having scope to demonstrate planning and organising skills while motivating the team to achieve efficiencies.

vii. Have questions of your own. Your questions should be directly related to the job function and the organisation’s strategic direction, indicating that you want to have a clear understanding of what it takes to be an excellent performer.

viii. Avoid questions that focus on your needs. Save questions relating to job benefits until you have an offer on the table.

ix. Demonstrate that you are prepared to hit the ground running. The interviewer will want to know that there will be immediate ‘return on the investment’ in you. Be prepared to make reference to how you have demonstrated specific skills on similar projects.

x. Ask for the job and say why you are a good fit. At the end of the interview, if you want the job, ask for it and tell the recruiter why. Remember to show mutual benefit with the focus on the employer’s needs. For example, for a job in market research and sales, you might want to indicate that you enjoy travelling and the opportunity to work with multiple teams is appealing.

All the best.

Sincerely,

Career Advisor

Carolyn Marie Smith is associate vice-president, student services at Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Manchester. Submit your questions to her at careeradvisor@ncu.edu.jm