5 Ways To Make A Great First Impression In Your Job Interview

Interview

Remember these 5 key details to help you make a great first impression in your job interview.

1. Dress For The Role

Wear professional or other work-appropriate clothing to your interview.

Try to match your clothing to the job and work environment that you are hoping to get. If the job is an office role, then something professional or even business casual can help present an image of you as a potential employee there. Even for roles with more casual dress codes or that include uniforms, you should be dressed neatly, and your hair and makeup (if you choose to wear any) should match the work environment.

If you don’t know what the workplace expects in terms of formality, try to see if there are any official photos online of the business’s staff that you can reference.

Even if your interview is conducted over a video call, it is helpful to avoid dressing too casually or informally where you can be seen. Even a clean, plain shirt will look more professional than a hoodie!

Although this might not be relevant if you’re doing a phone interview, it can still help you get into the right mindset if you dress up anyway.

2. Research The Business You're Applying To

If you’ve made it past the application stage, then this is the stage where you should start doing some more in-depth research into the business you’re applying to.

This shows the interviewers that you are genuinely interested in working with them.

Don’t know where to start?

Make a list of questions that you can apply to all the businesses you apply to. For example:

Where are they located?
What are their company values or objectives?
What kind of audience or customer base are they targeting?

So if you’re applying for a barista position in a cafe, then see if you can find their menu online (or in person) so that you’re familiar with what they offer to customers, particularly any specialty drinks they may have. Similarly, if you’re trying to get a job as a waiter or cook, the menu is also a good place to start your research! There are many ways that you can do this, such as checking their business listing on Google Maps, checking for review websites like Yelp or TripAdviser, or food delivery apps like UberEats or DoorDash.

If you’re going for a more corporate role, such as project management, then you should see if there are any case studies or client names available on their company website. For roles in marketing or design agencies and other consultancy-related businesses, it is good to take a look at any available information on past projects.

Other businesses will be more focused on what product or service they are selling. Some are about software and apps, some are about construction work, etc.

3. Prepare Your Own Questions For Them

In most job interviews, the interviewer will ask before the end if you have any questions for them. This is so that everyone is on the same page about expectations for the role. It also shows the interviewer what you are interested in, and if you pick an interesting question to ask, it might help you stand out among other candidates as well.

Pick questions that show you are interested in the role without making it seem like you did no research.

Keep track to see if any of your questions have already been answered during the interview or in the job listing, so you know not to ask about information that has already been given to you. If all of your questions have already been answered earlier in the interview, you can mention that too! You can directly say, “I was going to ask about this and this, but since you’ve just answered it, then I have no more questions left!” This shows that you were prepared to ask questions and that you were paying attention when they were speaking to you.

4. Be Punctual

Show up to the interview on time. Or better yet, show up early!

It’s better to arrive early than to arrive late. If you’re too early, you can always wait until they are ready to start. They will call you in when it is time.

If this is an in-person interview, you can use the extra time to practice your answers or go to the bathroom. But you must not arrive later than the interviewer if you want to avoid giving a poor first impression.

5. Use Friendly Body Language

It’s easy to forget to smile and make eye contact when you’re incredibly nervous. But to make a great first impression, being friendly is so important!

You need to show your interviewer that you will be a great employee and co-worker, that you would be a complementary addition to their existing team.

This applies even to video and phone interviews. Keep the tone of your voice warm, remember to respond in more than short words and sentences, and even nodding or making sounds of acknowledgement helps to keep the interview from feeling too stilted or unnatural. Don’t be afraid to use hand gestures when you speak, especially in video interviews where you are limited in how you can express yourself.

The best way to keep yourself from clamming up and forgetting to act naturally is to practice! Practice your answers. Practice speaking aloud. Practice smiling. Once its all muscle memory, you won’t need to think about it during your interview, and you can focus more on giving great answers instead.