An article explaining how to improve your performance when attending an interview, and how to increase your chances of being offered the job.

During today's current economic climate where there so few jobs, but many applicants; it is more important than ever to ensure that you stand head and shoulders above your rivals.

Below you will find a few simple suggestions that will dramatically increase your chances of being offered the employment.

First Impressions

This is crucial so pay attention! The first impression that you give a potential employer can make or break your chances of success within the first few minutes.

Be punctual. Ensure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to your interview appointment, allowing extra time for any unforeseen circumstances （road traffic accident/flat tyre etc）. It is far better to turn up twenty minutes early （immediate good impression）, than to go running in red faced and flustered with seconds to spare, or even worse – turn up late. If you are not organized enough to turn up on time for an interview, you immediately give the impression of poor time keeping, and are not likely to be offered a place of employment. By turning up early, gives you the opportunity to compose yourself, steady your nerves and mentally prepare yourself for your interview.

Attire. Remember you are trying to stand out from other candidates. Ensure you are nicely presented. Make sure your suit/outfit is smart and clean including your shoes as well. Body hygiene is vital! Remember to wear deodorant, clean your teeth, brush your hair and make sure your hands and fingernails are clean. If you smoke, and your hair and clothes smell of tobacco, or your fingers are nicotine stained – this can be immediately off putting. Try not to use overpowering perfume or cologne, as this can be just as off putting.

Body language. When you first meet your Interviewer, remember to smile and shake their hand, to promote an air of confidence. Limp handshakes do not go down very well, neither do vice tight grips. Stand straight and try to avoid slouching. Do not fiddle with objects such as jewellery, your hair or pens – this signifies nervousness.

Preparation

As soon as you have secured an interview date, you must start to make preparations so you are fully equipped to deliver an outstanding interview.

Research - do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the Company you would like to work for. Most opening questions will be "what do you know about our business?" Providing some facts and figures about your potential employer is always impressive. Try to find out details about what their business entails, have they launched any new products/developments, what were their profits were during the last 12 months, have they expanded and opened a new branch/office/store etc.

Take additional copies of your resume/CV with you – a copy for yourself, and other copies should there be a panel of Interviewers. If you have worked for several companies, or it's been a while since you have attended school/college/university – it can be difficult to remember dates/times/grades. If you are not able to remember these details when questioned, it can sometimes give the impression that you are manipulating the truth – so keep your own copy at hand so you can refer to it.

Competency based questions. More and more employers are using competency, based questions as an interviewing technique. The Interviewer will ask you a question and you will have to give an example of your previous experiences as an answer. A few examples of competency-based questions are shown below, but the questions will vary dependant upon the position you are applying e.g. customer service focused/middle management/upper management:

Give an example of a time when you showed integrity and professionalism.

Give an example of a time when you had to deal with a conflict within your team.

Give an example of a time where you had to deal with an angry customer. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?

By researching on the Internet, you can find a vast range of competency-based questions, so you will be able to collate plenty of your own examples in preparation. Once you have a list of example answers, write them out neatly on small, pocket-sized flash cards, and take them to your interview to act as prompts. You can even be so bold as to advise your Interviewer that you have taken the liberty of preparing some answers in advance.

Listen very carefully to the question that you are being asked before you give your response. Try to establish what your Interviewer is looking for as an answer. What skill are they trying to establish you possess? When replying to competency-based questions, give relevant examples, and try not to deviate or over elaborate, as your interviewer will be looking for specific criteria （how adaptable you are/how good at communicating/leadership skills/innovation etc）.

Take notes. During your interview, your Interviewer will provide you with information about what the job entails, benefits, wages, holidays etc. Jot down this information, as at some point in your interview you will normally be asked, "do you have any further questions". There is nothing more embarrassing than to ask for information, which has already been provided – it gives the appearance that you have not been paying attention.

Closing an interview. Once all the questions have been asked and answered, leave your interview in the same manner as you arrived. Be confident and stand straight. Thank the Interviewer（s） for their time, shake hands and advise, "I look forward to hearing from you shortly".

After your interview, make notes again on how you think you performed, and if there are any areas you could have improved on （in case you require a second interview）.

Follow these simple instructions, and see the difference it will make in your next interview. Good luck!

一篇解读当你面试时如何提高表现效果以及如何增加工作机会的文章。

在当今求职者繁多而工作机会稀少的经济环境下，保证自身在竞争者中能稳住地位相较以前更为重要。

从以下简短建议中，你会发现它会戏剧般地提升你受雇佣的机率。

第一印象

请注意这最关键的一点！你给未来雇主的第一印象会在短短的几分钟内获取或丢失成功工作的机会。

要准时。去接受面试时要保证为自己留出大量的时间，留出处理意料之外的情况时要花费的额外时间（交通事故/轮胎问题等）.提前20分钟远远好于在腾出的几分钟内满脸通红地赶到，甚至是迟到。如果你赴约面试时没有安排好准时到达，那么你会立即留下一个时间观念差的印象，而且很有可能得不到工作的一席之地。通过早一点到达能为面试带来镇定自我，稳定紧张气氛并且完善自我的机会。

态度。铭记你是要尝试比其他应聘者突出。自我肯定目前你是最好的。确保你的服装/所有装备包括你的鞋都是干净利落的。身体卫生这个很关键，记得要穿上无臭的衣服，清洗牙齿，梳好头发并且要确保你的手和指甲都要干净。如果你吸烟导致头发，衣服都有烟草气味，或者手指有尼古丁印痕，这会让你立即淘汰。尽量不要使用浓郁的香水，这也会导致淘汰。

肢体语言。当你第一次与面试官见面时，铭记要用微笑并和主动握手来增加自信的氛围。有气无力的握手不会受人欣赏，但也不能使劲握得太紧。笔直地走路，尽量不要有气无力。不要乱动饰品，头发或者是笔之类的东西，这往往是紧张的表现。

准备

一旦你确定了面试日期，就要开始为完善的突出面试做准备。

调查-完成家庭作业。尽你所能的了解你所想去工作的那家公司。大多数的开场白问题就是："你是如何了解我们公司的？"对你的面试官有一些有理有据的了解通常也是令人欣赏的。尽量获悉企业单位的讯息，他们是否挖掘出了新产品/开发，在过去的1年内获得了多少利润，他们是否开发并且创立了新的分支/办公室/连锁店等……

携带备份的简历复印件--一一份留给自己，需要提供给面试官其它的复印件。如果你已经在几家公司工作过，或者离开学校/学院/大学已经有一段时间，那么就有可能记不起日期/学期/年级。要是你被问及这些问题时记不起，有时候会给人留下控制事实的印象，所以保留一份复印件在手以便查阅。

职能是建立在有问必答的基础上。越来越多的应聘者将问及职能时有问必答作为一个面试技巧。面试官通常会问问题，你要以从前的经验举例来回答。以下是一些职能性问题，但是问题一般会因应聘的职位不同而不同，例如：客户服务是以中级管理人员为中心还是高层管理人员：

举例说明你曾经如何展现你的正直和专业：

举例说明你曾经如何处理与团队的冲突：

举例说明你曾经在哪里调解过怒气冲冲的客户，你是如何处理的？结果如何？

你可以在网上找到大量的职能性问题，所以你可以提前收集许多自己的实例来做好准备。一旦你列出了实例答案的清单，就将它们简短地写在口袋大小的卡片上以便去面试时能及时回答。你甚至可以大胆的告诉面试官你已经提前准备好了一些答案。

在你对所问及的问题做出任何回应前要非常仔细地听。尽量捕捉面试官想要的答案。他们期待你拥有什么样的技能？当他们提及到职能性的问题是，要给出相关的例子，不要跑题或说得过细。你的面试官会找寻专业性的标准（有多适合/交流如何/领导技能如何/创新想法如何等）

做笔记。面试时，你的面试官会对工作事项、保险金、薪资、假期等提供一些讯息。有时候在面试时通常会问及到"你还有没有其他的问题？"当你再重复那些已经说过的问题时，你会很尴尬，这会留下不专心的印象。所以你要这些信息。

结束面试。 当你回答完所有的问题后，你要以进来时相同的方式离开。要充满自信并且笔直站立。感谢面试官的面试，向他握手并说："我期待您尽快的答复。"

面试完成后，再次总结你做的如何，是否存在着一些本该提升的细节（以防复试）.

遵循以上简短地说明，在下次面试后找寻不同之处。祝你好运！