Interviews can be intimidating and nerve-wracking, even for the most experienced finance professional. Being well prepared is the best way to reduce stress and increase your chances of getting hired.
Our team of experts share 7 tips to help you during your next job interview.
1. Do your homework
As a finance professional it is important that you do the necessary research before the interview. The question is often asked: “What do you already know about us?” Candidates who have taken the time to prepare can really stand out from those who don't.
The company's website is the most valuable source of information here. Go through important information such as the annual accounts, open vacancies and the most recent news items.
Also check out the Linkedin profile of the person you are about to meet. Who knows, you might find some commonalities that you can touch on during the conversation. It also immediately helps you to estimate the person you will have in front of you and to know what to expect.
2. Go through the job description
To make a project intake successful, the greatest work lies in the preparation. Going through the job description also plays an important part. View the job description in the vacancy and try to apply a concrete example for each task.
Put you in the place of the person interviewing you. They are looking for a certain experience, respond to it in order to convince the person. Going through your entire CV is often not necessary.
3. First impressions count
Did you know that the first 90 seconds determine the success of your job interview for 90%?
Fortunately there are very simple ways to tackle this. The basis of any conversation is smiling and making eye contact. Because someone who is greeted with a smile is more likely to return the favor. Ultimately, you ensure that you not only make a good impression, but also that you immediately feel a bit more at ease.
In these current COVID times, we were of course forced to switch to remote job interviews. Making a good impression via Zoom or Teams requires a different approach than a live interview. Make sure your webcam is properly positioned and you are right in front of it. Also make sure that you always have a neutral background, otherwise this can cause distraction during the conversation.
4. Use the STAR method
Applying the STAR methodology is the ideal way to explain your experience in a concise way. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result.
- Describe the Situation
- Explain the Task you had to do
- Describe the specific Actions you took to complete the task
- End it by sharing the Result of your effort
This method will help you to present concrete and concise examples during the conversation.
5. Share your enthousiasm
In addition to having the right experience and qualifications, the person you are interviewing is often looking for a connection with the person he or she has in front of them.
So make sure you come across as enthusiastic. This can simply be done by sharing how you're feeling in a number of sentences throughout the conversation, such as “I am very enthusiastic about this” or “I really enjoyed doing this”.
6. Ask the right questions
And don't wait until the end of the interview to ask them. Try asking questions during the interview.
Go back to information you found during your preparation. “What has contributed to an annual growth of 10% in the past 3 years?” and “Why did sales fall last year?” Or start the dialogue again by asking the following questions: “Do you have any questions about that?” or “Is that something you find you need?”
Evaluating questions are best left until the end of the conversation:
“Everything is clear to me, but are there still things that give you doubts?” or “What did you think of the conversation we had?”
Finally, it is best to ask about the further course of the application process. This way you can also get an idea of when you can receive feedback.
7. Stay in touch
After the conversation, thank them again for the investment made by sending an appropriate and concluding email. And emphasize your interest in the job again.
Are you eager to apply these tips in real life?
Go check out our latest vacancies and apply now: hyphen.be/en/jobs
