Prepare for a job interview with our Top 10 Tips

Dear Members and Friends,

The China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) is pleased to share with you an article written by our member Gi Group:

A new great opportunity for students and young professionals in China is around the corner: the Career Day, an event gathering the best companies and the best talents on the market. Everything will start from the match of job offers and profiles, leading to professional relationship that will shape the new corporate world of 2021.

As key players emphasizing the personal and social value of work, Gi Group is by the side of the candidates giving advices on how to face the experience of entering the labor market. Following our previous recommendation on how to write a good cv, how to introduce yourself with a cover letter and how to improve your professional presence online, it’s now time to talk about the next step, the first interview.

Whether you are a fresh graduate or an experienced professional your job interview does not have to be an intimidating experience, rather an opportunity for both you and the employer to decide whether or not you are the best candidate for the job. There are no definite rules to ensure your success on a job interview, your knowledge and experience are fundamental but alone are not enough, remember that companies are as interested in your soft (people) skills as they are in your hard (quantifiable) skills. The interview, in fact, is first a human relationship between the recruiter and the candidate, also made up of subjective evaluations. To get a feel of your aptitude for a job, your interviewer is going to do his best to find out everything he needs to know about you as an employee.

However, there are good practices to follow to give a positive impression to a recruiter.

• Top 10 tips for a good job interview

1. Be informed: before your interview, take the time to learn as much as possible about the job and the company and carefully reread the job offer you have applied for. A question like “Why Do You Want This Job?” or “Why should we hire you?” will give you an opportunity to show the interviewer what you know, be specific about what makes you perfect for the position. Review the qualifications and the requirements in the job listing, so you can craft a response that aligns with what the interviewer is looking for.

2. Control your anxiety: the interview should never be seen as a time when you are judged, but as an opportunity to exchange useful information with the recruiter in order to understand whether or not the job is suitable for you. When the recruiter will ask the inevitable question “Tell me about yourself” you will be ready to tell why you're an ideal candidate for the position and the company. Try not to get too into your personal sphere, keep a discreet professional distance.

3. Keep a dynamic attitude: avoid either an aggressive or too confident attitude, that one too passive, giving the impression of undergoing the interview without actively participating in it. A professional attitude and clarity of ideas, supported by a good flexibility, are appreciated. A dynamic mindset will help you to face questions about your greater strength and weakness: discussing the attributes that qualify you for that specific job frame your answers around positive aspects of your skills and abilities and try to “show” rather than “tell” using examples.

4. Be consistent, don't lie: recruiters often ask verification questions to check unclear information; it is essential in this case not to lie and be transparent, a good recruiter will not take long to find out inconsistencies with the result for you of being considered unreliable.

5. Show your flexibility: highlight your work preferences but try not to be too strict about it, while it is important to show that you are not willing to accept "any job", on the other hand showing flexibility and openness can undoubtedly be a trump card. Show you are willing to take on challenges and learn new tasks.

6. Listen carefully and answer clearly: listen carefully to the questions you are asked, trying to grasp their meaning in depth. Answer clearly, concisely but comprehensively. Use a calm tone, rich lexicon free of dialectal expressions or slang. Avoid digressions or, on the contrary, extremely synthetic answers.

7. Be on time... but not too much: it is important to show up at the interview venue on time, try to arrive maximum 15 minutes before the scheduled time. In case of delay, always notify it; not to do so is perceived as disinterest and disrespect towards those who are waiting for you.

8. Observe: while waiting to be received, it may be useful to observe the surrounding environment to understand the context (formal, informal, etc.) and adjust your behavior to it.

9. How to dress? Clothing in general must be clean, tidy and sober since the first impact is important and can influence the progress of the interview itself. Clothing must also be adapted to the working environment as the context can be very formal, as for example in the case of banks and insurance companies, rather than more informal and creative, as the case of advertising or communication companies.

10. Be curious! In the final stage of the interview, the recruiter often asks the classic question: "Do you have any further information to ask?"  It is important to be curious, this is the time to express any doubts or request further information. At first, it is advisable not to show too much interest in pay, which is generally discussed in subsequent interviews, but in case of question about your salary expectation do your research before the meeting so that you’ll be prepared to name a salary range.
 

After every job interview find some time to follow up, send an email of appreciation for the time the interviewer spent with you and reiterate your interest in the job. It could also be a good opportunity to mention something you wish you had said during the interview but didn’t get a chance to.

The more time you spend preparing for a job interview, the more comfortable and self-confident you will feel speaking with the recruiter. The secret, always, is one: keep it positive! A job interview is a possibility of new opportunities, open yourself to it and enjoy it.

Gi Group
Gi Group is one of the world’s leading companies providing services for the development of the labour market. The Group is active in the fields of temporary and permanent staffing, search and selection, HR consulting and training, as well as in a variety of complementary activities.
 

Kind Regards,

CICC Team