10 Ways To Shine In Your Dream Job Interview

After months of research and follow-ups, you’ve finally landed your dream job interview. You are experiencing those interview jitters but you don’t want the interviewer to sense the butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You want to look all confident and nail the interview at any cost.

Although you might have impressed them with an excellent resume or aced in the tests they took, your fate solely hinges on the face-to-face interview with your potential employer. You need to impress the interviewer and convince him/her that you are the right fit for the position. You need to surprise them with your knowledge, skills, and qualities to shine in your dream job interview! That said; here are some ways that would help you calm those jitters and excel in the dream job interview to get the job you’ve been eyeing for so long. Read on…

Polish Your Online Presence
Be it the results on Google search or the posts shared on Facebook, your pictures and bio on the internet can decide whether you get hired or rejected for that dream job. Today, online presence matter more than ever and having a professional image on different online platforms would take you a step closer to your dream job. Whether it is Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, your potential employer will check everything! Tweak your privacy settings and clean up the embarrassing results to better your chances. Next up, make sure your online presence is synced in with your dream job role. The posts you share, blogs you write and even the people you are connected with should reflect your interest in the industry you have applied in.

Study The Industry
Here we are talking about the industry and not the specific company where you wish to work (that is discussed in the next point). Know the industry, its trends and its latest topics of discussion inside out. Keep a tab on the new as well as the old news related to the industry your dream organization dealing in. Whether it is IT, e-commerce, marketing or anything for that matter, perform a deep industry research and understand the trends. Connect with people of the industry and discuss your finding to get more insights on the same from a different perspective. Remember, being commercially aware, especially about your niche industry, will not only give you an edge over other applicants but also create a positive impression in your dream job interview.

Know The Company
Knowing the company where you’ve applied for the dream job is very similar to knowing the industry yet very different in understanding. Researching about the company is a homework that needs to be done before every individual interview that will take you to your dream job. Go through the company’s website; learn about its visions, journey and even the core goals that it plans to achieve in the long run. Get an insight into the company’s functioning, know the products or services it is providing, read the latest press releases, annual reports, statistics and the recent milestones achieved by the company to show that you are proactive and passionate about the job and therefore prepared beforehand for the interview.

Sharpen Your Story-Telling Skills
The story of your journey to the dream job interview can be instrumental in getting you hired. Master the art of story-telling and sharpen your skills. Remember all your stepping stones that have led you to this interview room and mold them to your advantage. Your skills and achievements should be interwoven within your story to mark them as evidence to your applicability for the dream job. Keep your story concise, add a touch of emotions, highlight your credentials, and use various real-life examples to present your story with a strong impact. Reflect on your professional journey so far and memorize some incidents that proved your expertise as a professional and transform them into compelling stories that will prove suitability for the dream job.

Dress To Impress
Here’s a piece of advice that can help you in every job interview: According to studies published in The Wall Street Journal, "Knowing you look your best for an interview creates confidence. Be sure to get that suit pressed well in advance of the big day, break in your shoes and don’t go overboard with flashy accessories or designer touches." The bitter truth is that no matter what your qualifications, credentials or experience is, you will always be judged on your appearance in a job interview; more so if it is your dream job. Keep your best foot in the front with properly cleaned, and ironed attire, whether it be pant-suit, blouse-skirt or suit-tie, after all, it is your dream job. Let your dress reflect your zeal for the job and communicate a clear message of your professionalism.

Be Mindful Of Your Body Language
Your body language should reflect the confidence and passion that you have for the dream job. Avoiding eye contact, toying with items around or something as simple as talking on the phone can cost you your dream job. Be mindful of the body language and get body language correction, if needed, to ace the dream job interview. The enthusiasm for your dream job must be visible in your body language. Don’t stoop, fiddle with things, or have a frown on your face. Instead, a firm handshake, excellent posture, confident entry, perfect amount of eye contact, interested expression with a smile, and slight nods are some of the good body postures that can get help you create a great impression on the interviewer.

Know And Show How You Can Contribute
At some point or the other during the interview, you will be asked the deadly question, “Why should we hire you?” Instead of showing off your skills, experience and other credentials here, make attempts to tailor your qualities to your dream profile. The interviewer wants to know how you can contribute to the company and its development, satisfy him with a well-researched answer, not some blabbering words. You need to know how you can contribute to the job and introspection is required for that. Research about the profile and align your skills with the development projects of the company, underscore the skills that make you stand apart or highlight untouched skills you possess that can be used for company’s progress. Just know and show how you can contribute if hired for your dream position.

Not Just The Right Answers, Learn The Right Questions Too
At some point towards the end of your interview, you will be asked, “Do you have any questions?” Instead of just nodding the head in denial, prepare yourself a list of questions that can work to your advantage in your dream job interview. Remember, it’s your dream job; here it won’t simply be the interviewer asking questions, but you also need to show your inquisitiveness by interviewing the interviewer. Your homework before the interview demands you to chalk out a list of questions that would reflect your interest and eagerness in the job profile. Use the niche keywords and phrases to show your potency for the job. These questions would not just give evidence for your credentials but also help the interviewer analyze your role better.

Send A Thank You Note
Don’t fail to appreciate the power of a ‘Thank You note’ followed up after a dream job interview. It’s not out of plain courtesy and respect that you should send a thank you not post the interview, but it also makes you stand out of as a sparkling diamond in the bunch of other gemstones. A small thank you can leave a mark in the minds of the interviewer and ramp up your chances of getting through your dream job interview. IT should be nicely written with the right choice of words to show your writing skills. Moreover, you can also summarize the points touched upon in the interview to showcase your attentiveness. Your thank you letter or email can also be a medium to bring up the points you might have forgotten to mention in the interview. All in all, a thank you note is your last attempt to selling yourself to get to your dream job.

Follow-Up
Following up with the interviewer post the interview is indispensable to convince them that you are the one and only for the job. Although critical for your dream job, following up can be an exigent task. It’s your dream job and you simply cannot sit for the busy interviewer to remember you after interviewing so many candidates. Following up is important to remind the interviewer about your eagerness for the job. You don’t want to annoy the interviewer and yet not let go of this opportunity. You will no longer remain out of mind once you follow-up with the interviewer. An email, phone call or even a letter can be used as a follow-up means. Make sure you are not hurrying up with the follow-up, be patient, wait for a week or the stipulated terminus (whichever is more) and then make your follow-up move. Be polite, optimistic and concise in your follow-up time.

While the list of different ways mentioned in this post cannot be termed exhaustive, it aptly covers all the main points you need to keep in mind to outshine in your dream job interview. All you need to do is cast such an impression on the interviewer that cannot be easily erased. So try out these ways and do let us know in the comment section about your interview experience. Also, don’t forget to share any additional tips you have that could help all the candidates preparing for their dream job interview.