Applying for jobs
can be stressful, especially if you consider the number of people vying for the
same position. The competition is tough and that is
why it is important to be able to sell yourself to potential employees. This
could be daunting. You don’t want to come across as arrogant or desperate.
However, there are 5 easy ways that you can show off your skills and prove that
you are the best candidate for the job!
1. Understand the job requirements
It is important to
know what the position you are applying for entails. This ensures that you
understand the role and are sure that you have the relevant skills and
experience to apply. You can then tweak your CV to highlight the specific
skills that are relevant to the job you want.
You should also do
your research on the company you are applying to. You need to make sure that
the company and its policies align with what is important to you. Being able to
demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the position and company to the
interviewer will show how serious you are.
2. Look the part
Many potential
employers will form their first impression of you based on how you look. A good
image will set the right tone for the interview. Dressing appropriately and
looking neat and presentable will show that you are serious about clinching the
position. Charlotte Quenet-Meintjes, General Manager at Workaway International
South Africa says, “You should avoid bright colors and patterned clothes – try
sticking to colours like grey, white and blue as these are more professional
and show sophistication and maturity. She also recommends not wearing excessive
jewellery, ensuring your hair and nails are clean and neat.
Looking good will
also make you feel good and this will help you project confidence. Pay
attention to your body language which sometimes speaks louder than words. Eye
contact, hand motions, posture and tone of voice—are critical when selling
yourself.
3. Identify your strengths and weaknesses
This question is
guaranteed to come up in an interview. This is also one of the most difficult
questions to answer. Most people don’t want to admit to their weaknesses, as
this might undermine their standing. And most people shy away from talking
about their strengths, for fear of coming across as conceited. This is,
however, the perfect opportunity to define yourself!
An employee would
prefer to hire someone who knows what they bring to the table and can recognize
what they need to work on. They need to see that you are capable of
self-reflection and can understand and leverage your strengths and acknowledge
and learn from your weaknesses.
Coming up with a
list of strengths and weaknesses ahead of the interview is crucial. Consider
where you shine in the workplace, tasks that you perform well and get the most
compliments on. These will all assist you in defining what your strengths are.
Consider illustrating how that strength would be relevant in the particular
position. Then look at the areas where you struggled previously and the steps
you took to work on them. Look at how you have grown and what you have done to
learn from it.
When you are in the
interview, keep your list short and to the point. Focus only on the points that
are relevant to the position.
4. Develop a script to show your experience
It is always in
your best interest to identify your skills and experiences so that you can
illustrate how suited you are for the position you are applying for. Look at
the list of jobs you have had before and identify what you have learned from
each of them.
Once you have
listed your experience, look at how your experience accommodates the position
you are applying for. Make sure that you rearrange them from the most relevant
and create explanations for each example. Use this as guidelines so that you
are clear in the interview.
5. Using scenarios or anecdotes when talking about your skills
In your interview,
you can expect to be asked behavioural questions. These are posed as questions
about what you would do in certain scenarios. These questions are essential for
the interviewer to determine how you would react in certain situations and
whether you can think on your feet. Examples include how you would handle a
difficult customer or co-worker, what would you do if there is a delay in the
food service, etc.
Be sure to explain what you
would do and support it with examples of how this worked in the past. Do not
forget to share the feedback you received from managers and fellow staff and
how your solutions or recommendations benefited the business.
