The Importance of Your Personal Skills When Interviewing for a Job

Most people ready to interview for a job worry about putting together a good resume and wondering how they will do on an interview.

There are endless books and articles on resume writing and interview skills. In a job interview, it is obviously important to communicate your experience and skills, particularly in reference to the job you are applying for.

However, one of the most important aspects of being successful in interviews is how employers view your personal traits and skills.

When an employer interviews a job candidate, the employer not only focuses on the resume and your skills and talents, but also all of the personal characteristics you bring to the interview:

• your perceived personality,
• your dress and deportment,
• your communication skills, and
• perceived judgment and work ethic.

When you prepare for an interview, it is therefore just as important to look at your “work image” as it is to write a resume. You need to examine how you will communicate your skills and talents, pay attention to what you will wear, remember to sit up straight and be confidence in your communications.

People get nervous when they go on a job interview because they realize they are “on the spot.” They know the interviewer is studying them and their background very carefully to see if they will be a fit for the job and the organization.

Job candidates will relax when they realize they have the skills the employer wants. If candidates remember that they have the skills, they will go into the interview more relaxed and give a better impression.

So, if you are getting ready to interview for a job, examine your personal skills as well as your resume…

Remember that you need to be viewed as “put together” with a good personality, good communication skills, and good work ethic.

Walk into the interview with confidence, dressed appropriately – with clean, pressed clothes, look the interviewer in the eye, have a firm handshake and sit up straight.

Once again, remember that you have something to sell the employer – your skills and talents – and that the employer needs you. View the interview as a place where you have a chance to speak about yourself in a positive light, and you will go into the interview more relaxed and confident.

With more information about interviewing skills, check out:

• Workplace Skills to Win at the Job Game
• Improving Your Social Skills…
• Honing Good Communication Skills
• www.quintcareers.com

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Photo by AUP Academy–flickr.com.