Job recruiters have offered applicants a plethora of tips to help them nail interviews. Networking site Glassdoor identifies Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. as being the best time to schedule interviews, since employers won’t be winding down or gearing up for the weekends, nor will they be too tired from their lunches to focus.
No matter what day and time your interview is, be sure to dress the part. One study even found that dressing professionally could be crucial, as it helped 65% of participating recruiters choose between two equally qualified candidates.
Now, there’s a sort of mathematical formula for the perfect interview, which looks like [ 3+(30-2) x 50/50].
This formula is based on three rules: the three second rule, the 30-2 rule, and the 50/50 rule.
The three second rule involves taking three seconds to think before answering any question in order to avoid rushing any answer. If the applicant doesn’t take enough time to craft an eloquent answer — to think before they speak — they may trip over their own words, adding unprofessional “umm”s to their answer.
The 30-2 rule helps applicants measure the length of their responses. An adequate answer should take anywhere between 30 seconds to two minutes to give. That’s enough time to properly answer, and to adequately express the applicant’s perspective without rambling. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but short, clipped answers may come across terse, or may make the applicant seem like he or she doesn’t know how to respond. If the interviewer wants the applicant to elaborate or provide more details about a specific part of the answer, they’ll ask.
The 50/50 rule allows applicants to keep the interview conversational. The employer has to have a position filled, has read the applicant’s resume, and has come to believe that the individual is qualified. The applicant has researched the company and the job, and believes he or she can do the job. The interview is meant to confirm what each believes to be true about the other. To follow the 50/50 rule, applicants must speak for only about half of the time. If the applicant does all the talking in the interview, he or she might seem narcissistic, or anxious. The 50/50 rule allows applicants to create the opportunity to listen, which creates a better impression.
Nailing an interview is naturally easier said than done. However, these tips can help. By taking the time to think before speaking, offering a well articulated response, and keeping things conversational, any applicant will surely do great.
