it jobs

How to Prove You’re the STAR Candidate for IT Jobs in an Interview

it jobs

Prepare to Impress

Being invited to interview for IT jobs is an exciting milestone. It means you’ve already given employers a reason to believe you’d be a good fit for the role. Now the hard work really begins!

Hiring managers are competing fiercely for the most talented candidates during an IT skills shortage. With the average cost of hiring someone estimated to be just over $4,000, interviewers will work hard to discover as much as they can to ensure they’re investing in the right person.

How can you make yourself easily identifiable as the star candidate for the job?

Here, you’ll learn how to give them every reason to consider you as the perfect match.

What Are the Top Skills Employers Want?

The tech industry needs candidates with strong technical ability and understanding. Employers will have already identified your hard skills in your resume. They may also have seen potential – and this is critical to employers. This is where soft skills play a major part in your value as a candidate and, indeed, an employee.

You see, technical ability – hard skills – can be taught. But soft skills are often engrained, and it’s these skills employers really want. Soft skills are the foundation that allows both you and an organization to carve a great future in your employment within the business. The most important soft skills interviewers desire include:

  • Communication
  • Creativity
  • Determination
  • Resilience
  • Flexibility
  • Adaptability
  • Leadership
  • Negotiation
  • Presentation

Think about which soft skills are among your strongest, and provide evidence in your prepared answers.

Show an Understanding of the Company and Its Culture

Before the interview, make sure you understand the company. Investigate previous achievements and future goals. What is it that makes you feel connected to them? Is it their diversity? Their values, or mission? Find that connection. Let interviewers see how you’ll slot right in.

Show Commitment and Value

Change and development are crucial elements in business today, most critically in the tech industry. Make it clear you’re not afraid of change, and that you’re committed to continuous improvement that will enhance the company’s future as well as yours, and add value to your application.

During your job hunt, why not participate in extra learning in your spare time? There are plenty of online courses to help you develop, and doing so proves to employers your self-starting attitude to development.

Demonstrate Your Skills with STAR

The questions asked in interview will be specifically designed to identify the skills and abilities you have and don’t have. When you’re nervous, it can be difficult to stay on track with your answer, leading you to indirect responses that don’t really answer the question. That’s wasted opportunity.

You’ll undoubtedly be asked questions that will start with openings like ‘Tell us about a time when…’. Consider the skills the hiring company requested in the job description. Think about past work experiences or professional development projects you’ve completed, and how they could showcase your ability or a skill they’ll be looking for. Then compose some flexible answers with the STAR method:

·      S – Situation

Briefly outline the scene so the interviewer can envision a clear picture.

·      T – Task

What was the issue that needed resolving? A target, or an unexpected roadblock?

·      A – Action

What action did you take? Was it your responsibility, or did you go beyond what was expected?

·      R – Results

The outcome. Your moment to dazzle. The difference your action made to the result. Always end on a positive.

For each point, keep to around one or two sentences, and eliminate unnecessary details that could lose the interviewer’s attention. This process will help you piece together your answers ahead of the interview. You’ll be fully prepared to give succinct, meaningful answers without sounding over-rehearsed, scripted, or false.

Find the Best IT Jobs and Showcase Your Skills

These tips will help you understand the importance and relevance of interview questions, and help you compose answers that will place you head and shoulders above your competition.

Here at Everest, we pride ourselves in matching people to jobs that suit them. We understand who you are and what you need to enjoy a successful and rewarding IT career. We will support you in optimizing your resume to get you an interview, proudly present you to employers, and help with your interview technique. Get started today. Get in touch today with Everest Recruiting and kickstart your career.