You’ve spent a considerable amount of time job searching, and now a potential employer has set up an interview. This is a ‘make it or break it’ moment. An interview that goes smoothly and impresses the individual conducting it is critical to you getting the job. How can you accomplish this? Here are 5 tips to prepare for a successful interview.

1. Don’t Overdo Your Appearance

The first thing a potential employer notices is how you look. While you want to be well-dressed, you should avoid dizzying patterns or wild clothing styles. A moderate amount of cosmetics can complement your skin-tone, but wearing excessive makeup will be distracting. Avoid crazy hair colors or styles. Showing off body piercings, tattoos, or gaudy jewelry can also detract from the image you want to convey. It’s essential you show the interviewer you are a serious candidate. They should be focused on your qualifications and not distracted by how you look.

2. Show Potential Employers You Respect Professionalism

During your interview, you may be asked when you could hypothetically start. Resist the urge to say ‘immediately’ if you are currently employed. While a manager wants to fill positions asap, they may have doubts about you if you’re not concerned about leaving a proper notice with your current employer. To them, this means you could leave their company without warning as well.

While many jobs accept a two-week notice, for certain positions the amount of time considered sufficient is significantly longer. For instance, medical providers are often expected to give several weeks to a few months notice. Giving proper notice is not only important because it’s professional, but this can also keep you on favorable terms with previous employers. This, in turn, will assist you with any future job searching when you need references.

3. Show Potential Employers You Are a Loyal Employee

Having a high turnover rate is a valid concern for many hiring managers. You can make a good impression if you convince them you are looking to stay long-term during an interview. While a good salary is important, you also want to come across as genuinely caring about the company, not just money. In their mind, if you can be bought, you will eventually leave them somewhere with higher pay.

Potential employers also need to know they can trust you to keep certain information confidential. When possible, you should show hiring managers examples of work you did with previous employers. However, you want to make sure you respect the confidentiality of any projects or data you agreed to keep private with prior positions you held. If your interviewer figures out you are revealing privileged information, this will reflect negatively on you.

4. Show a Potential Employer You Are Focused on Their Company

Hiring managers recognize many applicants will simultaneously be looking for jobs elsewhere. However, you can severely damage your prospects by mentioning that you are actively applying at other companies. During your interview, you need to show you are focused on them. They don’t want to choose an applicant who has better places to be. Potential employers want an individual willing to commit to the open position. If you seriously want the job, let them know and explain why.

5. Keep Your Resume Looking Nice

Of course, you want to bring your resume with you to your interview. However, you don’t want it folded up in your pocket or stuffed in a small purse. Keeping it safe and looking crisp in a folder or briefcase is a small thing you can do to appear more professional.

Find More Interview Tips

These are just a handful of ways you can prepare for a successful interview. Feel free to browse through our other articles for more helpful tips on this topic. At Bishop & Company, we can assist you with your Hawaii job search by connecting you with prospective employers offering positions that suit your career goals and experience. Please contact us for more information, or check out this blog post for more interview tips.