I always compare job interviews to concerts, the more you do the more you keep being nervous at the beginning, and that is because job interviews offer you the opportunity to demonstrate your talent. Therefore in my opinion there are key aspects for starting well a job interview that must be taken into account.

First and most important is to have ready all technical issues, not to lose time on the internet Skype connections and telephone lines. It is recommended you test your internet connection before in case of Skype. Same applicable to multi-conference numbers. I have been in situations that interviews were delayed fifteen minutes and there are two immediate consequences, interviewer gets nervous and loses concentration and negative image from candidate is given. It is always more appreciated that candidate requests a phone or personal interview in those cases.

Secondly, at the start, Find the middle term between showing motivation and show off. I think these days everybody expects that a candidate knows by heart the future company website, and more elaborated questions are expected from candidates than the “I have gone through the website, I think I understand your company”. Motivation can be shown by small remarks or questions on company growth, division classifications or product level. All interviewers (and I can confirm) appreciate that. But one must be careful not to make complicated questions or questions that need much time to be answered that afterwards reduce interview time. One must never forget that the interview is a period of one hour to understand candidate for a position, not a market conversation. Therefore, specific questions about position, organigam or reporting that does not affect the interview shall be kept for the end of interview. I always appreciate candidates that express their interest but refer to resume it at the end and at the same level, I try to keep in my mental agenda 5 minutes at the end for their extra questions. But as a general statement can be done questions are always appreciated by interviewers. They show motivation and motivation is the key.

One of the most typical mistakes in jobs interviews is not listening to your interviewer at the presentation. Not all interviewers have the time or consider necessary to introduce the company or the position to the candidates. But in case that happens it is a gift for the candidate. It will require all the attention of the candidate to that moment. Because not only the interview will be around all that information but also it would give you the real profile of the company/position. Most of us tend to imagine a position or a company mentally in our imaginations; but reality would be slightly different. So one must be ready to listen carefully, mentally re-organize and update experience examples and profile to the information received. That is very difficult but could be the key to success an interview.

These points mentioned about are key to perform an interview, because in the end when one is having important meetings in a company, there is always a preparation, but it is key to introduce the meeting topic, agenda, etc..; and the attitude of the listener is always important for continuing for the meeting. The rest is for the candidate to show the profile and interviewer to make the right questions to get the best of the candidate in order to obtain a full picture of his/her profile.