May 30th, 2017 by iMindMap
Congratulations, you got the
interview! But how do you make it a triumph? It’s crucial that you walk into
every interview with a well thought out plan for selling yourself if you want
to land the job. Unfortunately, too many well-qualified candidates don’t do the
groundwork and lose out on great job offers. Using a Mind Map to
prepare for your interview will help you to explore every topic in detail and
create strong answers for anything the interviewer may throw your way. Apply
our 8 tips for interview success using the Mind Mapping technique to help you
land your ideal career.
Begin by creating the central
idea on your Mind Map. Use single keywords on the radiant branches to trigger
natural associations in the brain and spark further ideas. This will help you
to build on and explore every topic that could arise in your interview while
keeping your Mind Map concise and clear. Plus, keywords are proven to boost
your recall ability, helping you to avoid a mind-blank during the interview.
Tip #1:
Knowledge is power
First, you’ll need to research
the company that is interviewing you. Create a main branch on your Mind Map for
research and draw radiating child branches to show the key points. Knowledge of
the company and how you would fit into their ethos and philosophy is important
not only for the employer, but also for you to determine if you are right for
the role. Go through the company’s website, editorials and annual reports. Read
up on their ongoing projects, future plans and goals. When did the company
start? Who are their competitors? Has the industry been in the news for any
reason recently?
Tip #2:
Prove that you want the job
Why do you want this job? This
is a common interview question, so it is a good idea to prepare your answer
ahead of time. Think about what attracted you to apply for the position in the
first place. Was it the growth potential? The varied role? Or was it the
opportunity to work for a reputable company? When you’re answering this
question, you want to show that you have researched the company, and prove that
you are a good fit for the job. Your Mind Map’s top-down view makes it easy to
see your research (from Tip #1) and use it to feed your answer for this
question.
Tip #3:
Always come prepared
Prepare for the most common
interview questions that you will encounter and use Mind Mappingto plan
your answers. These could include:
- Tell
me about yourself?
- What
are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Where
do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Stick to one keyword per branch
and your brain will remember this more easily, enabling you to reel off
impressive answers to a huge range of questions during the interview.
Tip #4:
Remember your selling points
This is where you need to sell
yourself to the employer, so your qualifications, training and experience
should come across simply and clearly. By filling this in on your Mind Map, you
will capture what the company is looking for in a candidate and can then map it
back to how your experience and skill set fulfils their requirements. The
blanks in your Mind Map will clearly show where your weaknesses lie. Don’t shy
away from discussing these and how you will overcome them. Show how
enthusiastic and keen you are for this position as this will be the key to
interview success.
Tip #5:
Know the rules of interview etiquette
It is very easy to make a
mistake at an interview. Some are obvious whereas others may not be so clear.
Common mistakes include being apathetic towards the interviewer, avoiding
answering the question, dressing inappropriately, making a bad first impression
and not researching the company (See Tip #2). These are often the biggest
mistakes that job seekers encounter and are common reasons why many don’t get
the job they desire. Use your Mind Map to capture how you want to come across
and what you will do to make a good impression.
An exercise that would benefit
your preparation is to map out your worst fears for the interview on a separate
Mind Map. These could include, not knowing how to answer a question, being late
to the interview or your mobile going off in the middle of the interview. This
allows you to confront your fears and you can then map out how you would
resolve or prevent these fears from occurring.
Tip #6:
Stand out from the crowd
You must be able to
differentiate yourself from your competition with what you can offer them that
others cannot. Employers want someone who is able to contribute to the
organisation in more ways than one. Furthermore, your interests such as sport,
culture and music, can help you to portray your soft skills to the interviewer.
For example, if sport is an interest of yours, this will help to show the
employer that you are a team player and a clear communicator. Make sub-branches
off of your main branch to explain your interests and what additional key
skills you can contribute to the company. After all, these soft skills may be
the deciding factor of you getting the job.
Tip #7:
Become the interviewer…
The interview is as much an
opportunity for you to determine whether the job is right for you as it is
for the employer to know what you are about. Having nothing to ask may
show a lack of interest and could reflect badly on you. Prepare some simple
questions to ask the interviewer. For example:
- ‘If
this is not a new role, what were the best traits of the previous employee
that would be needed to succeed in the job?’
- ‘What
is a common characteristic or quality that the organisation looks for in
all of its employees?’
Additionally, make sure you do
background research on the company to avoid asking questions that you can find
the answer to on their website (See Tip #2).
Useful
hint: Never ask about the pay or potential benefits at this
stage. It shows a focus on material gains as opposed to a passion for the role;
not to mention a lack of tact!
Tip #8:
Stay calm on the day
Finally, the big day has arrived! You are probably nervous, but your
Mind Maps will ensure you’re well prepared, so there is no need to panic. Make
sure you turn up at least 15 minutes before the interview. This will calm your
nerves and give you an opportunity to think over some of your answers and
review your Mind Map before the meeting. After using the Mind Mapping
technique, you will have a clear, structured and memorable Mind Map of
everything you need to know for the interview. So, relax – you have given yourself
the best possible chance to wow the recruiter and nail the interview!
If you are preparing for an interview, then Mind Mapping will give you a
fantastic chance of landing your dream job.
: @smart_nasirkhan
: @nasirkhanlive
:9612016722
https://thinknasir.blogspot.in
Md. Nasir Khan
Director
Central Academic Research & Development
(CARD), Manipur Creative School
ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor
MindMap, iMindMap, MemorySkills,
SpeedReading & CreativeTeaching
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