5 Tips for Acing any Interview

Interviews can be stressful and intimidating, but with the right preparation you can ace even the toughest interview. So here are five tips for making a great first impression:

1. Research the company and the role you are interviewing for.

Before you even set foot in the interview room, you need to have done your homework on the company. It's also important that you know what they are looking for. If possible, try to find an employee who works there and can give insight into their culture and day-to-day life at work.

If it's a large organization with many departments or locations, do some research about them in general as well as the role(s) available within that department/location. It doesn't hurt anything to know what other people in similar positions make (or don't make). Find out if benefits are good or bad—you'll feel more comfortable asking questions about these topics if they come up during the interview!

2. Know how your skills fit into the role and how you will add value to the team.

• Know what you are good at.
• Know what the company needs.
• Figure out how you can help them solve those problems. If it's not obvious, ask questions to find out.
• Show that you've done research on the company and the role—but don't go overboard! Remember that this is a conversation rather than an interview essay, so don't write a novel about it and make sure to relate what you've learned from your research back to why exactly you'd be great for this job!
• Think outside the box! A lot of people forget about this part or just assume their skills will be enough, but showing creativity in thinking through solutions will set you apart from other candidates who only have one way of doing things (and it also demonstrates problem-solving skills).

3. Be honest but don't give away too much information especially if it's not requested in the interview or relevant to the topic at hand.

This is a tricky one to navigate—you don't want to overdo it, but you do want the interviewers to know what hurdles you've faced and how you overcame them. This can help them determine your level of commitment and perseverance, so if there are any events from your past that have shaped who you are today, it's best not to hide them. However, make sure they're relevant! If you had financial difficulties as a kid because your parents lost their jobs or something happened with one of your siblings or friends... maybe don't bring this up unless the interviewer asks about it specifically.

The same goes for weaknesses: if there's something that might come up in day-to-day work (or even just on this particular project), then talk about how it affects what gets done at work. This can show off how aware and conscientious you are while still being totally honest about who you are as a person (and employee).

4. Have a few questions ready to ask your interviewer.

You should have questions ready to ask your interviewer. It's important that you do, because it shows that you're curious about the position and interested in the company culture. You may also want to know more about the interviewer, which is totally fine! I've actually had an interviewee ask me how my weekend was before asking any technical questions (and she got the job).

Some sample questions could include:

• How long have you been with this company?
• What has been your favorite part of working here?
• What do you enjoy most about working at this company?

5. Smile and be friendly during your interview - this may seem like it goes without saying but you'd be surprised at how many people forget their manners during an interview due to nerves or simply because they want to sell themselves so hard that they end up forgetting common courtesy.

When you arrive at the company, smile and be friendly to everyone. This doesn't mean that you have to be overly friendly or try to kiss up to everyone. Just make sure that you are pleasant and polite to everyone in the building, including the receptionist and anyone else who greets you.

Also be aware of your body language during the interview so that it does not give off negative signals. If you find yourself folding your arms or leaning away from someone when they ask a question then adjust your posture so that it looks more open and inviting instead of closed off or defensive!

Acing interviews is all about preparation, research, focus and sometimes a little bit of luck depending on who you are interviewing with and what kind of day they're having.

Acing interviews is all about preparation, research, focus and sometimes a little bit of luck depending on who you are interviewing with and what kind of day they're having.

• Research the company and the role you are interviewing for. Do this before you even send off your CV or cover letter -- not only will this save you time later but there's also no better way to impress than by showing that you're already aware of what they do as a business and what their needs are in terms of new employees.
• Know how your skills fit into the role and how you will add value to the team, then communicate that clearly during each stage of recruitment so that everyone knows exactly why they should want to work with YOU rather than anyone else!
• Be honest but don't give away too much information especially if it's not requested in the interview or relevant to the topic at hand; keep answers short & sweet when necessary; ask questions about what excites YOU about working there - these things show enthusiasm which will help seal any deal ;)
• Have some questions ready for WHEN asked about them – nothing is worse than being unprepared so make sure these chats aren’t left hanging before heading out on dates ;)

Conclusion

I hope these tips will help you ace your next interview and nail that job!