Interview tips: 7 ways to 'Stand Out' as a candidate for all the best reasons

Interview tips: 7 ways to stand out as a candidate for all the best reasons

You’ve passed the first hurdle. Your job application has been plucked from a multitude of applications and added to the ‘yes’ pile. Of course, that’s only an initial yes. The next step is to prove that you’re the best candidate during a job interview. No pressure.

So how can you leave a lasting, positive impression when an employer interviews you?

Do plenty of research

One of the easiest ways to stand out in an interview is to do lots of research beforehand. That means researching:

• the job
• the employer
• the industry
• what the employer needs from you before the interview
• what will happen on the day of the interview

This may seem excessive, but it actually works in your favour. First, it shows that you’re enthusiastic about the job and the company. Second, it provides you with answers and discussion points for the questions you’ll face.

Knowing what the employer needs from you, for instance, proof that you can legally work in the country, removes any obstacles to your application. Equally, knowing what will happen on the day, such as the time and location of your interview, helps you to show your professionalism and enthusiasm for the opportunity.

Match your skills and experience to the job description

It’s important to know how good a fit you are for the job and the value you can bring to the employer. This will build your confidence and inform your answers to interview questions.

The best way to do this is to compare your skills, work experience, and qualifications to the job description, for instance:

• Do you have the qualifications listed as essential?
• Do you have the number of years of work experience mentioned?
• Do you have the hard and soft skills listed?

If you’re a great match for the essentials but missing a number of the desired requirements, don’t worry. Any job description is only a wish list and starting point.

Practice how you will answer interview questions

Improve your chances of standing out for all the best reasons by practicing how you will answer interview questions. The first step is to think of the common questions you may face and then add other questions that are relevant to the job and the employer. Common questions might include, “Why do you want to work here?” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”.
Next, take the time to think up relevant examples of past performance that you can include in your answers. These examples don’t have to be restricted to your work life. Hobbies or lessons learned at school or university can be just as useful.

The STAR method is perfect for structuring answers to interview questions. STAR stands for:

• Situation – what challenge did you face?
• Task – what did you do to overcome the challenge or what was your goal?
• Action – what steps did you take or what skills did you use to complete the task?
• Result – what was the outcome or impact of your actions?

For example, if you are asked to describe a situation where you used your leadership skills to settle a team dispute, a suitable STAR response would be:

Situation: In my role as project manager, our team was working on a critical project with a tight deadline. Two key team members disagreed over the approach to a significant part of the project, resulting in delays and tension.

Task: My goal was to resolve the conflict to keep the project on track.

Action: I arranged a meeting and listened to both sides. I then guided them to a compromise.

Result: The conflict was resolved, and the team members felt more valued and understood. The project met its deadline, and team harmony was improved.

Make a list of questions to ask

A job interview isn’t just about the employer interviewing you. It also provides a chance for you to interview them. Asking your own questions also works to your advantage. Here’s why:

• It shows that you are interested in the job.
• It flags you up as a proactive individual who goes that one step further.
• It demonstrates that you’ve done your research.

Asking the right questions during your job interview will make you a memorable candidate in a good way.

For more information, read What questions should you ask at your interview?

Consider how each interview question is relevant to the job

When you understand why an interview question is being asked, you can answer in a way that demonstrates your suitability for the job and the employer. Here’s the type of questions you may face:

• behavioural questions: designed to assess how you’ve handled situations in the past and how you may behave in the new job
• technical questions: these are specific to the skills needed to do the job and test your knowledge in the relevant areas
• situational questions: these questions assess how you would handle potential challenges in the new job

Align your answer with the new role by highlighting your relevant skills and experience.

Remain positive and upbeat

You may feel nervous during the interview but try to be optimistic and upbeat. What does that look like?

• ·open body language and comfortable eye contact
• expressing enthusiasm in the job and the company
• talking about lessons learned, rather than past failures
• ·not criticising your current or past employers
• letting your personality shine through

A candidate with an optimistic approach is more likely to be remembered.

Follow up after your interview

Finally, the impression you leave with the employer doesn’t have to end with the interview. Don’t forget to follow up with an email or phone call to say, ‘thank you’.

For more on how and when to do this, read How to follow up after a job interview and why it’s a good idea.

Wrapping it up

It may sometimes feel that you’re just one candidate in a sea of similarly qualified candidates. But being a memorable candidate in a good way is fully within your grasp. The seven steps in this blog post:

• pre interview research
• matching your skills and experience to the job
• practicing your answers
• asking your own questions
• considering why the interviewer is asking each question
• staying positive and upbeat
• following up after the interview