If you are preparing for an interview for your next career move, we have some useful tips for you. We have compiled a few top interview skills for your upcoming career move.
Owing to the current COVID pandemic, a lot of industries have been impacted leading to a huge number of job cuts.
This pandemic has particularly impacted the hospitality and tourism industry. A lot of employed professionals are back to the pool of job hunters.
There are different types of job interviews? Different interviews need different skills and strategies. Some of these skills are particularly required to negotiate the tough interviews. Some of these are also the top career skills employer look for.
Let’s get started by pointing out a few of them.
1. Being Flexible and adaptable – In all situations
COVID-19 pandemic has tested the flexibility and adaptability of one and all. The workplace is no different and in the uncertain times ahead, flexibility and adaptability are top skills to succeed in a career.
And it all starts with the interview.
It is important to display flexibility and adaptability during your job interview.
So, if you are asked about adaptability, always remember that its all about your flexibility to manage change.
It is crucial to be able to explain how you can be flexible and how you can manage change.
The below video would explain you in a better way about adaptability at the workplace. Have a look!
2. Communication Skills
Communication skills are crucial to your success in an interview.
It is important to be an effective communicator to be able to convey messages properly.
Moreover, all employees are brand ambassadors of the company.
Good communicators are better at sales and business development. Communication skills are also crucial for becoming a better manager and leader.
Thus interviewers and hiring managers judge communication skills to ensure the prospective employee is a perfect fit as an employee and brand ambassador.
Communication skills can be judged through some of the tenets of communication as given below:
- Clarity of speech
- Tone
- Grammatical accuracy
- Fluency
- Selection of words
- A balance between listening and speaking
and so on.
Be prepared to start getting judged right from your first interaction at your prospective office even before you meet the hiring manager.
3. Connection
Even more important than great communication is an effective connection.
There is a great book by John Maxwell titled ‘ Everyone communicates, few connect’. That’s exactly why connection skills are crucial.
During interviews, you can’t expect to be selected if you don’t quickly set up a positive rapport with the interviewer.
Effective connection skills include some of these:
- Eye contact
- Being an engaged listener
- Understanding the personality of the other person
- Connecting on a personal level without being intrusive
- Communicating freely and confidently
- Being respectful
- Utilising emotions and expressions effectively
4. Tech Skills
This is a no brainer certainly.
Technology is crucial in the current era. Automation is everywhere.
Without embracing technology, you can’t expect to move forward in your career.
So, work on your technology-related skills.
You would be judged on your tech skills during your interview. So come prepared.
Crucial areas would be data management, analytics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
5. Team Work / Team Management
You would be judged on your team working skills during your interview.
Workplace success depends heavily on how you perform as a team and within a team.
Be prepared for a lot of questions on how you performed as a team worker or how you managed a team.
Some of the crucial tips for becoming an effective team worker are:
- Active listening
- Effective communication
- Compassion
- Helping others
- Collaborate with others
- Spread positivity
- Work on emotional intelligence
- focus on team goals
- Always motivate others
6. Interview Etiquette
We should have started with this. However, the skills or basic etiquette are not something that would win you a job. It is rather considered something basic and fundamental.
However, a lot of people fail to give enough time to prepare for an interview by working on etiquettes.
As displayed in the below image, some of the basic interview etiquettes are:
- Have all the documents ready and handy
- Arrive on time
- Dress smartly based on company culture
- Speak clearly
- Sit comfortably with correct posture
- Listen before you speak
- Follow instructions
7. Persuasive Skills
Competition is only increasing in the workplace. Whether it’s about selling a product or about asking for a pay raise, it all depends on your persuasive skills.
Even during a job interview, you might be a choice out of a dozen similar profiles.
So, your skills related to persuasion come into play to help you get through the last obstacle between you and your job.
You would need to persuade your hiring manager on why you will make a great addition to the team.
Be prepared for questions like ‘why should we hire you?’ and ‘what do you bring to the table?’.
8. Project Management / Client Management skills
This is related to persuasive and connection skills. Rather this set of skills sum you up as a potential leader in the firm.
So, you would be judged during an interview on your project management skills.
Be ready with a few examples on how you managed a project at one of your past assignment.
Also, be ready with examples of how you managed clients, got new businesses or handled complaints.
By these examples, you would be able to prove that you can handle big projects and that you can be a long term asset for the company.
9. Effective use of Body Language
Now, this is an extension of your communication and connection skills.
You must understand and utilise the body language secrets for a successful career.
So, you must begin displaying this skill right from your interview.
- Use your smile effectively
- A firm and a warm handshake is a must at interview
- Use your hand gestures effectively while speaking
- Facial expressions speak a lot about your personality
- Be aware of how you sit, stand, enter the room or exit the interview room. You are being observed.
- Most importantly be yourself and be positive.
10. Storytelling Skills
If you develop storytelling skills, you would reap the benefits right from your first interview.
Your storytelling skills give a visual and imaginative angle to all your responses.
The interviewer can visualise your answers making your answers more vivid for hiring managers.
Storytelling skills would give you that X factor during your interview which you can carry with you to your next job assignment.
Conclusion
These interview skills would help you immensely in your next job interview.
Some of these tips for interview are simple while a few are advanced.
It is crucial to be natural and truthful during your job interview.
Be yourself and stay confident. The upcoming interview might not be your first one and definitely not the last one. So, relax and breathe easy. Work on some of these skills mentioned here that would add to your existing skillset.
