How to Stand Out During In-Person Interviews

How to Stand Out During In-Person Interviews pixabay.com Give off good energy   While interviewers can certainly pick-up your personality over the phone or over a Skype interview, in-person interviews allow them to study you very closely. The tone of your voice and tone, movement, and facial expressions all tie in together to make the interviewers impression of you. That being said, you need to be aware of how you are reacting to the interviewer and what your body language could possibly say about you. If you know that your natural facial expression tends to come off as bored or annoyed, make an effort to look more engaged throughout the interview. Show that you are interested by nodding along and smiling when its applicable and wont seem forced. At the same time, you do not want to come off as overly excited or happy and appear as if you are trying too hard to kiss up or fake a personality that you really dont have. Dont slouch in your chair or lean your head on your hand as you would if you were bored in class, as these are signs that can tell your interviewer that you are disinterested or not taking the interview seriously. Prepare yourself for some hard or strange questions With interviews conducted over the phone, you can get by with notes on the company or your experience by your side, referring to them when you start drawing up blanks when asking questions. However, in in-person interviews, taking out a piece of paper when asked a question you cant answer isnt exactly acceptable. Instead, try to prepare yourself before going into the interview. This preparation can be going through your application and resume again or doing research on the company and position you are applying for. They can ask you why you wanted to apply with this specific company or why you think you would fit this company specifically. If youre improvising, youll most likely answer with something general like you wanted to take the opportunity to improve your skills or you wanted a job in that particular field. Do your research beforehand, learn the company values and their mission statement, their current projects, etc. Bringing these up in the interviews as points of interest shows the interviewer that you are interested in the company, even before you are properly involved with them. Employers will want employees that take a  genuine interest in the company and it will make you stand out among other applicants that just want a job, rather than a place in the company. Many interviews also include one or two strange questions. These questions are designed to test your creativity when it comes to problem-solving and planning. They can range from listing out uses for a pencil other than as a writing instrument or trying to advertise a common object on the spot. They are meant to be curveballs, and when you are asked you may find yourself stumbling through an answer. First, know that its okay to take time to process the question and articulate your answer. Let the interviewer know you need a few moments by saying something along the lines of Is it okay if I take a minute to articulate my answer? By taking that moment to think over your answer, youre saving both you and the interviewers time that would be wasted from you thinking out your answer out loud and getting both of you confused.