Get Hired: Tips for your most Successful Job Interview Yet

By Shirley Velásquez for Las Fabulosas

Despite upbeat reports about the country’s economic improvement, employers have remained cautious when it comes to hiring and job interviews. That’s why making a lasting impression during a brief in-person interview is especially important. But hitting the right notes requires properly preparing for a job interview. Las Fabulosas speaks to three experts who share simple and surprising techniques to help you ace your next interview.

Use Social Media: According to Shay Olivarria, author of 10 Things College Students Need to Know About Money, understanding what your prospective employer does will give you an idea if the job and environment are a good fit. “Use Google, LinkedIn and Facebook to look up the company and the person” that will be interviewing you if possible,” says Olivarria. “Find out any professional history about the person,” and the company’s clients.

Ask Critical Questions: Before you show up to job interviews, come prepared with at least two thoughtful, researched questions to ask. “The interviewer wants to know that you will able to contribute something to the company,” says Olivarria, founder of BiggerThanYourBlock.com. “Asking thoughtful questions shows that you understand how your job will contribute to the overall well-being of the company.

Know Your Personal Brand: “Articulate your capabilities and skill-sets succinctly and how your personality traits will add-value to the workplace,” says Annette Prieto-Llopis, director of the Center for Hispanic Leadership. Prieto-Llopis also suggests being specific with your techniques and approach to your work.

Draft Talking Points: Olivarria emphasizes going to job interviews with a game plan. Write down at least three things, such as previous experience, that you want to get across before an interview is over, she says. This is an opportunity to “showcase your ability to see the big picture and that your interest in contributing to the organization is well beyond the job you are interviewing for,” says Prieto-Llopis.  

Dress to Impress: “Know what you are wearing the night before,” says Andres Gutierrez, a financial expert and speaker whose website, andresgutierrez.com, offers tips and products to improve financial literacy. “Plan on what time you are leaving the office so no matter what, you’ll be there on time.”

Get Excited: Get pumped by reviewing the positive aspects of the job opportunity and “stand tall” during the entrevista. Gutierrez adds, “If you are not excited about working there, they won’t be excited about hiring you. Shake hands firmly, look people in the eye and have a good posture during the interview.”

Shirley Velásquez  

is an editor and writer at ELLE magazine. She has contributed to Woman’s Day, Glamour, InStyle, Latina, The New York Sun, and Border-line Personalities, an anthology of essays written by Latina writers. She is a frequent contributor to Las Fabulosas.