Business Perspective:Best practices when attending a job interview

My thirteen year old daughter shocked me one day when she asked me the basics of going for an interview. So in this case who is going for an interview here? I asked her, it is the mother of a friend of mine she told me. So she has never gone for a job interview before? No, that was the response I got, and according to my daughter she had promised her friend to find out from me all the information needed. First and foremost, when one is preparing for a job interview it is best advised if one could do a little research on the organisation before the interview day. Chances are that one of the interviewers would ask if you know anything about the organisation. An affirmative answer and short background on the organisation will go a long way in giving you marks. Any piece of information that one has regarding the organisation will also tell the interviewers that you are sincerely interested in working for the organisation. Put your papers in order at all times and make sure that you carry some copies and original certificates just in case you are asked to produce them. First impression is always the last. Interviews have common rule, dress smartly and look neat. I once interviewed some young ladies and all except one was decently dressed. One particular girl came in jean shorts and as she was being interviewed I kept on wondering whether she was mistaking an office job interview and a dancing audition; she was totally out of place. In this case jewellery should also be minimal, chunky and heavy jewellery is a no-no when attending an interview because all the attention will be shifted from you to what you are wearing. Hair for a man should be clean and newly shaven because it is important to show some grooming. A simple hairstyle for women will do for an interview. When it comes to wearing make up for an interview less is more, instead of wearing too much make you’d rather be plain Jane than shouting Eunice. Show some etiquette immediately you enter the interview room. Never sit down before you are asked to. Remember to sit properly and do not touch or move anything as the interview is going on. Stay alert and focused so that no question is repeated to you twice. Proper use of language is also of great importance. Forget about the estate slang for a few days when preparing for an interview, so that when you go for that interview you give responses to the questions in proper language. It is good to show some self confidence when attending an interview, an employer will always want to associate themselves with confident people, because eighty percent of confident people know what they are doing and what is expected of them. One should also not go overboard in showering praises to themselves least they look or sound boastful. It is one thing to be confident but quite another to sound boastful. Do not try to please every one in the room; instead give them a reason to hire you by stating as to why you are good at what you do. Most employers want continuous improvement and better results, and not the status quo. Last but not least; make sure you show up for an interview fifteen to twenty minutes earlier, you should be the one to wait and not for you to be waited upon. Also when an interview has come to an end you will hear a thank you note from the panel, in this case you stand to go but not before you respond by a thank you note as well. Close the door behind you with some courtesy - go away quietly, continue doing what you need to do for the rest of the day with a prayer said in earnest to your creator for help. kayitesius@yahoo.com