The job interview is the moment of truth in job hunting. In addition to how the interviewer sees your qualifications and personal qualities, much will depend on how they evaluate your interview performance in general. Therefore, it is helpful to consider it a performance or a game whose goal is to sell the interviewer on the idea that you are the best person for the job.
Most people take a passive approach to an interview, answering whatever questions they are asked to the best of their ability. A better approach is to take control and give the interviewer what you want to give, not necessarily what they are trying to find out; inspire confidence--to give the interviewer every reason to believe that you can handle the job for which you are being considered and little reason to believe you can’t. You do this with more than the answers you provide. Confidence is also inspired by the way you look, the enthusiasm, energy, confidence, personal ability and ambition you show or don’t show.
The main reason most candidates do not get the job is that they don’t inspire confidence. They don’t lose out because they don’t have the qualifications to do the job but because their confidence in their ability to do the job didn’t come through in the interview. They didn’t sell themselves well enough. The reason most don’t is because they are nervous and feel too great pressure to perform. Many people feel like failures and become even more anxious if they don’t get an offer after each interview. This is unrealistic. Most people who get interviewed get turned down,
Forget about whether you are going to get the job. Just concentrate on the interview and do as many as you can. Interviewing is a skill that is learned with practice just like any sport or performance. Mentally going over what worked and what didn’t will improve your performance. Preparation is the key. Practice answering questions and sounding confident. Just like an actor rehearses, you are rehearsing your role as a job candidate. It will give you the confidence to take control when it is your turn "on stage". When you handle the interview with confidence, the job will take care of itself. As in sports, confidence comes from knowing you are prepared. Never go to any interview without doing as much research as possible about the company, institution, etc. Surveys in the US show that lack of familiarity with the company will hurt your chances in as many as 75% of the interviews.
Virtually all interviews are about the following:
Can you do the job
Will you do the job
Will you fit into the company
Regardless of the questions you are asked, the answers you give should fit into one of those three areas--I can do the job. I will do the job. I will fit into your company.
Most job hunters fail to get the job mianly because they are not______ enough.