Interview Tips: Make A Great First Impression

When it was time to hire new employees for our GFY Good For You Carwash we posted a Now Hiring banner in front of our carwash, then I set up a hiring ad on several online job posting sites.  I was thrilled with the online responses and quickly set up interview dates and times for the applicants.  After conducting a few interviews with the carwash applicants, I decided to write a post on interview tips.

Interview Tips:

Once you have applied for a job and have left your contact information with a business, make sure to check your email regularly and keep your phone handy.  If you are working another job where you cannot always answer your phone, make sure that your voicemail box has room for messages and make sure to check your messages regularly.  Once you receive an email or phone message, make sure to check back in quickly so that they employer will know that you are interested.  If you wait too long to respond, you could lose that opportunity since employers may only be hiring a few people and may need to get hiring done and wrapped up so training can begin.

• Turn off your cell phone before entering the interview.
• Always use a firm handshake when entering your interview and make sure to use eye contact as you speak throughout your interview.
• Make sure to sell yourself by using statements such as:

“I would be an asset to your company because……..”

“I feel that I am the perfect fit for your team because……….”

“My background experience is a perfect match for this position because……”

“I am very excited about this job opportunity because….”

“I found this job opportunity on…. and knew it was perfect for me because…….”

• When answering an interview question, answer the interviewer directly making sure to avoid noises like “uhm” while you are thinking of the best response.  If you do not know the answer, be honest and give a response such as “I do not know that answer, but I am open to learning new things.
• Dress to impress, from head to toe.  Make sure your clothing is clean, smells nice and doesn’t show any holes.
• Once your interview is over, shake hands with the interviewer and thank them for their time.  Make sure to monitor emails and phone calls then respond back to any voicemails or emails quickly.

Good luck with your interviews, remember to sell yourself.  You only get one chance at making your first impression, so be sure to make it great!