Our recruiter shares her top secrets for making a great impression. Find out how to maximize your chances for success with a potential employer.
Looking for a job? Here’s how to maximize your chances of success during an interview.
Job seekers often ask the MPi team, “How can I increase my chances of landing a job?”
Whether you are currently working but thinking of moving on, or actively looking for your next role, there are always things that you can do to stand out from the crowd — in a good way!
In this article our long-time mining recruiters here have outlined six need-to-know tips that will help you impress at your next interview.
Related: 8 interview attitude tips to help you get the mining job you want
- Do your research
Before you go to your interview, you will be far more prepared if you know something about the company. We don’t mean you need to write a 10-page essay on the company’s entire history – just check out their website and see what they’re about (i.e. what sites they work on, some of their key services and their company values).
Your knowledge (or lack thereof) is likely to reveal itself during your conversation. Doing your research demonstrates to the person interviewing you that you care about the opportunity and are interested in the company.
- Dress appropriately
Okay guys, we know that choosing what to wear is the last thing on your mind, but what you wear to an interview will make an impression (and you don’t want to make a bad one).
The general rule is to “dress for the role”. So, for workforce roles, it’s okay to wear work gear, just make sure it's not yesterday’s grotty work clothes.
- Put your phone away
Didn’t your mother ever tell you, “no texting at the table”?
When meeting with your next potential boss, make sure you give them 100% of your attention. This shows you are serious about the job and respect the time of the person interviewing you. Texting, Facebooking, or checking out the latest footy results on your phone in an interview is a big no-no!
- Ask questions
You will seriously stand out by firing off a few questions to your interviewer. Why? Again, it is a way to show that you are genuinely interested in the company and in the position.
However, make sure you do this at the right time (usually towards the end of the interview). Specific questions about the job itself are always good, or if you really want to be an A+ interviewee, ask them something like: “as an employee in your company, how can I go beyond your expectations?”
- Pay attention to your body language
Your non-verbal communication during an interview is just as important as what you say.
Eye contact is always a good thing. If you avoid looking in the interviewer’s eyes, you will come across as untrustworthy. Even if you’re not totally comfortable with it, at least look in the general direction of the interviewer — roaming eyes is just about as off-putting as stinky clothes.
You’ll also want to avoid things like crossing your arms (which communicates a negative attitude), fiddling (which signals boredom), or sitting sideways in your chair (which doesn’t look professional).
- Follow up
The most important thing at the end of your interview is to get an idea of how the process will go from here. If they say they’ll get back to you, ask when you should expect their call or if it’s okay to contact them in a few days if you’ve not heard back.
We hope our top six interview tips will help you in your next interview.
No matter what your mining skill set, MPI is likely to have the perfect job for you. Register with us here and find your next opportunity. We have been mining industry recruitment specialists for more than 28 years.