How to: Nail job interviews

Photo: jburwen

With the crappy economy circumscribing our day-to-day lives, the concentration of job seekers rises higher and higher with each passing month. Many of us are on the rarely-rewarding, often-frustrating job hunt that ultimately leaves us feeling like we are participating in one giant, perpetual and perpetually-draining job interview.

And damn if we don’t want to get off this ride.

Matador feels your pain. We really do. And we want to help. So to start off our Tips for Your Every Day series, I am sharing what hopefully will help catapult job seekers out of the interview spectrum and straight into the rapture of being gainfully employed.

Tip: Say my name.

Our brain activity heightens when we hear our own names. We like it and we perk up. Saying your interviewer’s name occasionally throughout the interview will not only actively engage him or her in your responses, but also foster positive feelings between the two of you.

Tip: Tell a story.

Put yourself in the shiny, employed shoes of the interviewer. Chances are, you’re not the only person they’re interviewing (shocking, I know). A good story that not only entertains, but also showcases your talents will be way more memorable than those standard, fill-in-the-blank answers everybody else is giving.

Photo by slushpup

Tip: Stay within a 20 second – 2 minute time frame.

Interviewees have been statistically more successful in landing jobs when they kept their answers within this time frame during their interview. Practice with your friends, family, or household plants to make sure your answers are not only complete, but also at least 20 seconds in length. Do not exceed the two minute time limit.

Tip: Finish your response with, “I’d love to discuss this further.”

This is for those that are finding it difficult to contain all their sophistication and glory in a mere two minutes. If your interviewer is practically begging you for more, please, do indulge their curiosity, but again, respect the two minute mark. And don’t extend an interview answer more than once. Remember, you want to leave them wanting more, you saucy thing.

Feature Photo by Brymo

Community Connection:

Loving your job will go a long way in loving your life, find out how- One Week Job: New Web Show About Finding Your Passion
Love to travel? Make traveling your career- 10 Travel Jobs Within Your Reach
An excellent resource for finding travel jobs is the website Transitions Abroad.