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15 Interview Philosophies That Attract Job Offers

Philosophy and recruiting? Why not.

One of the philosophies that our recruiters adhere to is that if, as a candidate, you’re going to attend an interview, you might as well perform at 110% during the meeting. Regardless of the individuals whom you’re interviewing with or the level of job you’re pursuing, the recruiting team at KAS Placement has formulated 15 interviewing tips that, when implemented, should convert to a job offer.

  1. Come across in the interview as someone who wants to be there:  Be someone who is confident that you are the right person for the position and as someone candid and fully invested in the conversation.
  2. Go into the interview with an end-goal of getting the job offer: That’s all you need to focus on. Many times, when we take a moment to envision success and the rewards it brings, we are a lot more likely to do well.
  3. Talk in terms of what the interviewer wants: Too often, we think only about what we want and don’t realize that the best way to get what we want is to meet the needs of the interviewer, and only then expect the interviewer to give us what we want, not the other way around.
  4. Know where you want to be in 1, 3, and 5 years: To achieve maximum career results, we have to set firm goals and relentless pursue them.
  5. Be positive: Regardless of position, interviewers are going to hire people who are self-confident, optimistic, energetic, passionate and engaging people.
  6. Learn how to focus: Through concentration a person is able to collect his or her mental and physical energies into the interview. This is as opposed to the individual who lets his or her brain wander from topic to topic. When your brain is 100% engaged, you can’t be nervous or self-critical – both of which severely hurt your ability to persuade a hiring manager or recruitment professional.
  7. People want to hire leaders: Leaders are described as those who are problem solvers, who are selfless, who put the company first, who want to grow others, who are team players, and who are able to predict everyday hurdles and overcome them.
  8. Interviewers are just as prone to feeling badly about rejection as the interviewee is: Show the interviewer that you care and you’re more than 50% there.
  9. Be aware of your body language: In a job interview setting, when an employer is making a decision about competency and fit within an organization, the most successful candidates displayed consistent vocal tone and maintained fluid body movements.
  10. When giving answers, don’t second guess yourself: Rather, explain things in a thorough, honest and positive manner. It’s the best we can do. We can’t control what an interviewer does, but we can control how we act.
  11. Adapt to the interviewer’s style: Don’t ever expect an interviewer do adapt to your personality. Some interviewers will just want the answers and that’s what you should give them. Others will want to have a casual conversation, so schoomze with them.
  12. Never take the way an interviewer conducts an interview personally: Rather, consider it to be their sense of interviewing style and have faith that the interviewer is smart enough to pass you through to the next round.
  13. People like to hear their names: It’s like music to our ears. We come across as more assertive and personalized when we address people by their first names.
  14. Thank the interviewer for their time: Too often, we think about how important our time is, but don’t realize that everyone thinks that way. Always make sure to follow up with an email thanking the person and including notes on some of the takeaways and thoughts you have from the interview.
  15. People love sincere compliments: Find something that you like about the firm.

In the End:

Accomplished interviewers are never satisfied with their current knowledge and continually seek every opportunity available to gain new, pertinent knowledge. They understand that the secret of success is to try to always improve yourself no matter where you are or what your current position is and future aspirations are.

By Ken Sundheim

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement, a sales and marketing executive search firm based out of New York City. He is also a writer for Forbes. Follow Ken on Twitter @Ken_Sundheim.