An article explaining how to improve your performance when attending an interview, and how to increase your chances of being offered the job.

    During today's current economic climate where there so few jobs, but many applicants; it is more important than ever to ensure that you stand head and shoulders above your rivals.

    Below you will find a few simple suggestions that will dramatically increase your chances of being offered the employment.

    First Impressions

    This is crucial so pay attention! The first impression that you give a potential employer can make or break your chances of success within the first few minutes.

    Be punctual. Ensure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to your interview appointment, allowing extra time for any unforeseen circumstances （road traffic accident/flat tyre etc）. It is far better to turn up twenty minutes early （immediate good impression）, than to go running in red faced and flustered with seconds to spare, or even worse – turn up late. If you are not organized enough to turn up on time for an interview, you immediately give the impression of poor time keeping, and are not likely to be offered a place of employment. By turning up early, gives you the opportunity to compose yourself, steady your nerves and mentally prepare yourself for your interview.

    Attire. Remember you are trying to stand out from other candidates. Ensure you are nicely presented. Make sure your suit/outfit is smart and clean including your shoes as well. Body hygiene is vital! Remember to wear deodorant, clean your teeth, brush your hair and make sure your hands and fingernails are clean. If you smoke, and your hair and clothes smell of tobacco, or your fingers are nicotine stained – this can be immediately off putting. Try not to use overpowering perfume or cologne, as this can be just as off putting.

    Body language. When you first meet your Interviewer, remember to smile and shake their hand, to promote an air of confidence. Limp handshakes do not go down very well, neither do vice tight grips. Stand straight and try to avoid slouching. Do not fiddle with objects such as jewellery, your hair or pens – this signifies nervousness.

    Preparation

    As soon as you have secured an interview date, you must start to make preparations so you are fully equipped to deliver an outstanding interview.

    Research - do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the Company you would like to work for. Most opening questions will be "what do you know about our business?" Providing some facts and figures about your potential employer is always impressive. Try to find out details about what their business entails, have they launched any new products/developments, what were their profits were during the last 12 months, have they expanded and opened a new branch/office/store etc.

    Take additional copies of your resume/CV with you – a copy for yourself, and other copies should there be a panel of Interviewers. If you have worked for several companies, or it's been a while since you have attended school/college/university – it can be difficult to remember dates/times/grades. If you are not able to remember these details when questioned, it can sometimes give the impression that you are manipulating the truth – so keep your own copy at hand so you can refer to it.

    Competency based questions. More and more employers are using competency, based questions as an interviewing technique. The Interviewer will ask you a question and you will have to give an example of your previous experiences as an answer. A few examples of competency-based questions are shown below, but the questions will vary dependant upon the position you are applying e.g. customer service focused/middle management/upper management:

    Give an example of a time when you showed integrity and professionalism.

    Give an example of a time when you had to deal with a conflict within your team.

    Give an example of a time where you had to deal with an angry customer. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?

    By researching on the Internet, you can find a vast range of competency-based questions, so you will be able to collate plenty of your own examples in preparation. Once you have a list of example answers, write them out neatly on small, pocket-sized flash cards, and take them to your interview to act as prompts. You can even be so bold as to advise your Interviewer that you have taken the liberty of preparing some answers in advance.

    Listen very carefully to the question that you are being asked before you give your response. Try to establish what your Interviewer is looking for as an answer. What skill are they trying to establish you possess? When replying to competency-based questions, give relevant examples, and try not to deviate or over elaborate, as your interviewer will be looking for specific criteria （how adaptable you are/how good at communicating/leadership skills/innovation etc）.

    Take notes. During your interview, your Interviewer will provide you with information about what the job entails, benefits, wages, holidays etc. Jot down this information, as at some point in your interview you will normally be asked, "do you have any further questions". There is nothing more embarrassing than to ask for information, which has already been provided – it gives the appearance that you have not been paying attention.

    Closing an interview. Once all the questions have been asked and answered, leave your interview in the same manner as you arrived. Be confident and stand straight. Thank the Interviewer（s） for their time, shake hands and advise, "I look forward to hearing from you shortly".

    After your interview, make notes again on how you think you performed, and if there are any areas you could have improved on （in case you require a second interview）.

    Follow these simple instructions, and see the difference it will make in your next interview. Good luck!

    一篇解讀當你面試時如何提高表現效果以及如何增加工作機會的文章。

    在當今求職者繁多而工作機會稀少的經濟環境下，保證自身在競爭者中能穩住地位相較以前更為重要。

    從以下簡短建議中，你會發現它會戲劇般地提升你受雇傭的機率。

    第一印象

    請注意這最關鍵的一點！你給未來雇主的第一印象會在短短的幾分鐘內獲取或丟失成功工作的機會。

    要準時。去接受面試時要保證為自己留出大量的時間，留出處理意料之外的情況時要花費的額外時間（交通事故/輪胎問題等）.提前20分鐘遠遠好于在騰出的幾分鐘內滿臉通紅地趕到，甚至是遲到。如果你赴約面試時沒有安排好準時到達，那么你會立即留下一個時間觀念差的印象，而且很有可能得不到工作的一席之地。通過早一點到達能為面試帶來鎮定自我，穩定緊張氣氛并且完善自我的機會。

    態度。銘記你是要嘗試比其他應聘者突出。自我肯定目前你是最好的。確保你的服裝/所有裝備包括你的鞋都是干凈利落的。身體衛生這個很關鍵，記得要穿上無臭的衣服，清洗牙齒，梳好頭發并且要確保你的手和指甲都要干凈。如果你吸煙導致頭發，衣服都有煙草氣味，或者手指有尼古丁印痕，這會讓你立即淘汰。盡量不要使用濃郁的香水，這也會導致淘汰。

    肢體語言。當你第一次與面試官見面時，銘記要用微笑并和主動握手來增加自信的氛圍。有氣無力的握手不會受人欣賞，但也不能使勁握得太緊。筆直地走路，盡量不要有氣無力。不要亂動飾品，頭發或者是筆之類的東西，這往往是緊張的表現。

    準備

    一旦你確定了面試日期，就要開始為完善的突出面試做準備。

    調查-完成家庭作業。盡你所能的了解你所想去工作的那家公司。大多數的開場白問題就是："你是如何了解我們公司的？"對你的面試官有一些有理有據的了解通常也是令人欣賞的。盡量獲悉企業單位的訊息，他們是否挖掘出了新產品/開發，在過去的1年內獲得了多少利潤，他們是否開發并且創立了新的分支/辦公室/連鎖店等……

    攜帶備份的簡歷復印件--一一份留給自己，需要提供給面試官其它的復印件。如果你已經在幾家公司工作過，或者離開學校/學院/大學已經有一段時間，那么就有可能記不起日期/學期/年級。要是你被問及這些問題時記不起，有時候會給人留下控制事實的印象，所以保留一份復印件在手以便查閱。

    職能是建立在有問必答的基礎上。越來越多的應聘者將問及職能時有問必答作為一個面試技巧。面試官通常會問問題，你要以從前的經驗舉例來回答。以下是一些職能性問題，但是問題一般會因應聘的職位不同而不同，例如：客戶服務是以中級管理人員為中心還是高層管理人員：

    舉例說明你曾經如何展現你的正直和專業：

    舉例說明你曾經如何處理與團隊的沖突：

    舉例說明你曾經在哪里調解過怒氣沖沖的客戶，你是如何處理的？結果如何？

    你可以在網上找到大量的職能性問題，所以你可以提前收集許多自己的實例來做好準備。一旦你列出了實例答案的清單，就將它們簡短地寫在口袋大小的卡片上以便去面試時能及時回答。你甚至可以大膽的告訴面試官你已經提前準備好了一些答案。

    在你對所問及的問題做出任何回應前要非常仔細地聽。盡量捕捉面試官想要的答案。他們期待你擁有什么樣的技能？當他們提及到職能性的問題是，要給出相關的例子，不要跑題或說得過細。你的面試官會找尋專業性的標準（有多適合/交流如何/領導技能如何/創新想法如何等）

    做筆記。面試時，你的面試官會對工作事項、保險金、薪資、假期等提供一些訊息。有時候在面試時通常會問及到"你還有沒有其他的問題？"當你再重復那些已經說過的問題時，你會很尷尬，這會留下不專心的印象。所以你要這些信息。

    結束面試。 當你回答完所有的問題后，你要以進來時相同的方式離開。要充滿自信并且筆直站立。感謝面試官的面試，向他握手并說："我期待您盡快的答復。"

    面試完成后，再次總結你做的如何，是否存在著一些本該提升的細節（以防復試）.

    遵循以上簡短地說明，在下次面試后找尋不同之處。祝你好運！