The ONE Thing You Do To Make A Great Impression At Your Interview
Landing your dream job out of the land comes down to planning and preparation. It’s what separates the good and the great.
The best candidates are those that have done their homework. They will have asked around, looked at the website, talked with current workers or checked out the farm’s Facebook page.
So what do you do if you really want to stand out from the crowd?
You ask intelligent questions.
“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” is a well-known phrase and research reinforces this. Scientific studies that scan the brain shows that we make our mind up about people subconsciously in the first 90 seconds of meeting them. Our old cave-man brains either see them as a friend or foe. Either we flight or freeze or we rest and digest.
However research also shows us that we not remember the start of events and experiences but also the end. They call it “peak end effect”. This is why you see your best band playing their top hit at the end of the concert. They want you to leave on a high and rave about it to all your friends.
You can apply this same psychology and science to your success at your interview.
The single best way for you to impress your interviewer at ease is to ask them great questions when the good ones ask you “Have you got any questions for me?”.
This is your opportunity to show them how you’ve done your homework. The quality of your questions reflects on the quality of you as a candidate. This is where you can impress rather than be impressive.
Ask yourself before you ask your questions:
– are my questions self-serving or do they serve them? (eg. “what is the single biggest challenge your farming operation has right now?)
– can they qualify things further for them and you (eg. “can you tell me about your experience working with people similar to me, what have your experiences been and what did you like and not like that I can be aware of?”)
– how can you help them (eg. “what could I do as a potential candidate to reach your goals quicker?”)
– how can you show respect for them and the role (“what would you be looking for from me most in the first 30 days and how would we measure this?”
Remember that all interviews are a 2-way street, not a 1-way meeting. You have a right to ask the right questions.
For the good farmer employers out there these questions will qualify and create a great impression at your next interview. It will also help increase your confidence and performance as a candidate.
Give them a go and good luck!