In a construction job interview, it’s equally important to make a good impression and form a connection with the interviewer as it is to demonstrate your qualifications. The goal is to show the employer you can succeed in the role, which ultimately has a lot to with your personality and your potential to work well on a team. These steps will help you have the best interview possible.

Small Talk, Chemistry, and Connections

Small talk at the start of the interview can help build rapport between you and the interviewer. It’s important to build chemistry. If you can build a personal connection with the interviewer, they are more likely to remember you. This will help you stand out if there are many other candidates. It ultimately comes down to likability. A company is much more inclined to hire you if they like you. While small talk is important, don’t talk too much. If you start to ramble, you’ll come across as nervous.

Find Out What They Are Looking For

Before you start talking about everything that’s not important to the hiring manager, find out what he is looking for. Ask him… “Can you tell me exactly what you are looking for?” Then based on what he tells you, give example of your background where you have been successful with what he’s looking for you to do. Bottom line, past performances is a good indicator of future performance. There’s a much better chance that Lebron James would be successful moving to another NBA team than someone that hasn’t been in the NBA. This also keeps you away from talking about everything in the world that’s not important to the hiring manager. Learn more about the company’s objectives and values; discover their hot buttons and form a story around these hot buttons. Demonstrate how your past experiences will allow you to succeed by giving explicit examples.

Ask Great Questions

You want to ask questions that will give you a better idea about what the position entails and questions that will allow the hiring manager to see your strengths. The question portion of the interview is both your chance to vet the employer and to sell yourself to them. Once you ask the questions, you can then speak directly to those points. Examples of great questions include: “If I make a change it will be with a company, I feel I can be with until I retire. That said, where do you see the company in 3, 5, years from now?” Then ask, “If I did a great job where could I be with your company?” The answers to these two questions are the most important areas to consider when making a job change. You want to feel comfortable with their answers. Ideally by asking those questions, the hiring manger will paint a picture of a very stable position where if you do a great job, there’s a tremendous amount of growth opportunities for you. On the other hand, just by the sheer fact that you’re asking these questions, you’re setting yourself apart from most other candidates.

Even with a talent shortage, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. You need to make the best first impression you can. If you can show the hiring manager that you have the personality and experience to succeed in the position, ask great questions, and create rapport with them, you will increase your shot at receiving a call back.

 

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