News

“Make sure you give a firm shake hand.”, it was one of the tips that always been kept in mind by our Talent Acquisition Manager, Nena Raharjo whenever she went to an interview. That one tip has brought her to where she is right now. Imagine yourself shopping at a huge clothing store when everything is on sale, it was crowded and you just don’t know where to start looking. What kind of clothes that your hand will reach out to first? What kind of clothes are you going to be attracted to? A clothes that stand out. You need to make a ‘differentiation’ among hundreds or thousands of candidates that are going for the same interview. The firm shake hand shows that Nena was confident and it leaves an impression to the interviewer which differentiate her with other candidates. How can you differentiate yourself with other candidates?

1. Do the research

Even if you are applying to different positions in different companies, make sure that you know what position you are applying for. Interviewer does not have the whole day to listen to all of your stories, so you need to tailor your resume to what they are looking for. If they are looking for someone who was actively involved in extracurricular activities, then you should focus in telling your experiences where you were actively involved in extracurricular activities, instead of telling the interviewer about your family. Knowing the company is as important as the position you are applying for because it can be your conversation starter.

2. Dress for Success

First impression is created the moment the interviewer sees you. You can brand yourself through the way you dress up. How much effort you put to dress up shows how much the interview means to you. Some even say that by dressing up professionally, it actually gives them confidence. On the other hand, coming in looking casual might give the impression of immaturity or even laziness. Of course, different companies have different dress code, but it will still be better to overdress than underdress. Not saying that you should overdress though, dressing up professionally simply means neat and appropriate.

3. Be Confident

Remember the firm shake? that is one way to show that you are confident. Other than firm shake, maintaining eye contact is another way to show that you are confident. If you think you easily get nervous, don’t worry because you are not alone. One great practical tips from Amy Cuddy during her talk about “Body language shapes who you are” on TedTalk is to do a power pose. Power pose is basically poses that people with power usually did, such as putting both your hand on your waist. Amy’s research shows that power poses can change your body chemistry, or simply making you feel more powerful. One thing to remember though, confident does not mean arrogant.

4. Prepare smart question

Our talent acquisition specialist encounters that many candidates let go of the opportunity to ask questions. By asking question, you can actually shows how much you are interested to the company or the position you are applying for. At the end of the day, we want to hire someone who is interested at the company as much as the company is interested at them. This is where having knowledge about the company becomes really important. You can ask questions about the company vision, the business or industry challenges, or the company culture.

5. Always provide example to explain your statement

Give example not just statement. Interviewers need you to be able to give them a proven record every time you give a statement that shows your strength. Your example should show 3 things: the problem you encounter, theaction that you took to address the problem, and the result that you achieve.

So, good luck!