One of the most common questions in any job interview is “Why did you choose/apply for this job?” As an interviewee, it can throw you off-guard if you didn’t prepare beforehand. It's important to be strategic while answering this question as it can be a make-or-break situation when it comes to securing the job. Here’s how you should go about it.  Why Do Recruiters Ask “Why Did You Choose this Job?”  The two main reasons why recruiters ask this question are your motivation and organizational fit. Recruiters want to know whether you are motivated enough for the specific role. They also want to understand whether your ideas and values align with the organization's.  The question also allows them to assess your long-term career goals, skills, and preparedness for the position. It provides an insight into your character, vision, and suitability for the organization in the long run.  Read more: How to Make a Video Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide How Do You Justify the Choice?  Now, if you’re in an interview and asked this question, you will need to justify why you chose or applied for the job. It's granted that you cannot say stuff like you like the salary or the designation. While these certainly can be motivating factors, recruiters want to know the in-job aspects that interest you or align with your skills and aspirations. Keep the following points in mind while justifying your choice.  - Highlight your research on the company and the position - Show opportunities for growth - Highlight your potential impact and contribution to the organization - Personal connection - Show eagerness, enthusiasm, and commitment to the role. Read more: What to Wear for a Job Interview

What’s your desired salary? It’s a question that will sweat out even the most confident applicant. The question will eventually pop up at one stage or the other during the recruitment process. What you need to do is be strategic about it. If you lowball the number, you will have to settle for less. If you go for the high, you might not be considered anymore. So how do you answer this? Let’s find out.  What is Desired Salary?  A desired salary is pretty much self-explanatory. It refers to the amount you expect in exchange for your service. A desired salary is useful both for the employer and the potential employee. It allows the employer to understand the expectations of the potential recruit and assess whether it fits within their budget or not.  On the other hand, a potential candidate can determine a desired salary based on their experience and skills for a position. However, it is important to research the market rate for similar positions and be prepared to negotiate to reach a mutually satisfactory salary package. Read more: How to Make a Video Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide How to Determine the Appropriate Desired Salary  From the perspective of Bangladesh, the concept of desired salary holds little value in most hiring cases. Unless you are applying for a highly technical position or a mid-career switch, the negotiations hardly work in favor of a candidate. Still, there are several ways to determine the appropriate salary. Here’s how.  Understand the Industry Standards  Research what the industry standard is for the role you’re applying to. Consider location, required skills, and level of experience in this regard. Bdjobs, Chakri, and CareerJet can be good starting points for the research.  Match Your Skills and Experience Be realistic about where you are skills and experience-wise. For example, if you apply for a position requiring 2-3 years of experience as a fresher, chances are you won’t even make it to the preliminary screening let alone salary negotiations.  Read more: Empower Your Tech Career in 2024: Master These In-Demand Skills for Success The best approach would be to again research what other companies are paying for your skills and experience level to get an estimate.  Factor in the Benefits  Many organizations offer benefits and perks like commute allowance, mobile allowance, rent subsidy, and high bonuses. Consider all the benefits you will be getting before estimating a number.  Consider Future Growth Potential  Another thing to consider is the future growth potential of the company. In the case of a company with a robust growth and promotion structure, an initial low salary can be offset by long-term career earnings.  Read more: What to Wear for a Job Interview

Selecting the right attire for a job interview is pivotal. It demonstrates professionalism and respect for the company's culture. It profoundly influences the initial impression, making it crucial to present yourself appropriately. It underscores the significance of making a positive and lasting impact. Tips to Choose the Perfect Attire for a Job Interview An interviewer's initial assessment often centres on appearance, forming a swift judgement. A carefully chosen attire helps to create a good impression, as it conveys confidence and competence.  Consider the Industry Type Understanding the nuances of workplace culture significantly aids in selecting the appropriate dress code. In creative industries, a more relaxed dress code might prevail, encouraging individual expression. And corporate settings often demand formal wear to align with the professional environment. Opting for professional attire tailored to the job role is imperative. For conservative fields, such as finance or law, a tailored suit or formal business attire denotes a serious, business-oriented approach. The attire should not only fit well but also resonate with the company's ethos. Reead more: Antifragile Career: 10 ways to make your profession sustainable Review Guidelines A proactive approach involves reviewing any guidelines furnished by the company regarding dress code expectations. This act showcases meticulous attention to detail and a genuine respect for the company's policies. It also sets a positive tone even before the interview commences.  Taking a proactive stance in understanding the industry's norms, adhering to company guidelines, and selecting an appropriate attire that resonates with the role and company culture enhances the candidate's chances of leaving a positive impression during the crucial job interview process. Moderate Accessories and Mild Fragrance Accessorising should be approached with restraint. It is recommended to practise minimalism while wearing jewellery to complement the applicant’s professional look.  Read more: 10 Ways to Boost Team Productivity in Workplace Opting for subtlety in choosing a light, neutral fragrance, if any, ensures a more comfortable and focused environment during the interview. Grooming Grooming plays an equally vital role. Neatly styled hair, well-groomed nails, and subtle accessories contribute to an overall polished appearance. It reinforces the impression of professionalism and attention to detail. These aspects collectively create a cohesive and impactful visual presentation that aligns with the company's expectations. Tidy Footwear Furthermore, shoes play a significant role in completing the professional ensemble. Clean and appropriate footwear that aligns with the dress code is crucial.  Professional Look Maintaining a professional appearance during a job interview is integral to directing the focus towards one's qualifications and capabilities. Adhering to dress codes, ensuring well-fitted and tidy attire, opting for subtle accessories and fragrances, and choosing appropriate footwear collectively contribute to a polished and professional image. They align with the expectations of the interview setting. Read more: 10 Best Programming Languages for 2024

Finding a new job is a part of career growth for both young and experienced professionals. However, nowadays, every vacancy attracts a multitude of applicants. Sometimes educational qualifications, skills and experiences are not enough to convince the employers. So how can a candidate showcase his or her eligibility for the job? Mastering the art of self-marketing can be the key  to improving their career. Let’s find out how self-marketing can help job seekers to get hired. What is Self-marketing? Why is it Important for Career Growth Self-marketing is the practice of promoting one’s skills, experience, and personal brand to potential employers. It's about showcasing what makes a job seeker unique and prove why he or she is the best fit for a particular job.  In today's competitive job market, effective self-marketing is vital. It helps a job candidate stand out amid a sea of candidates, emphasizing his or her strengths and achievements. Beyond impressing employers, self-marketing boosts the job seeker’s confidence. It makes a difference in interviews and negotiations. Read more: 10 Ways You Can Improve Your English Pronunciation Crafting a strong personal brand aligns with an individual’s career goals. It simplifies the attraction of suitable opportunities and valuable connections through networking. In a fast-paced job market, effective self-marketing can be a critical asset for career success, as it showcases both the skills and adaptability of young professionals who are looking for suitable employment scopes . 10 Tips for Marketing Yourself as a Job Candidate Craft an Outstanding Resume Crafting an outstanding resume is the cornerstone of successful self-marketing. It involves creating a well-structured document that highlights one’s qualifications, experience, and achievements concisely.  Tailoring your resume to the specific job you are applying for is important. Try to use clear language, quantify your accomplishments with numbers where possible, and ensure it's error-free. Your resume is your first impression on potential employers, so it must captivate their attention and make them eager to learn more about you. Read more: Recession-Proof Your Career With Tech Skills Nowadays, video resumes are both popular and trendy. Therefore, you can submit video resumes besides the traditional resumes while applying for jobs. Develop an Elevator Pitch Developing an elevator pitch is about crafting a brief, compelling introduction of yourself and your skills, like a verbal business card. It should be concise, engaging, and memorable, typically lasting about 30 seconds – the time it takes for an elevator ride.  Your elevator pitch should encapsulate your key qualifications, experience, and what sets you apart from others in your field. It's a powerful tool for networking events, job interviews, or any situation where you need to make a quick and impactful impression. Read more: Making a Perfect Video Resume: Tips and Tricks Similar strategies are applicable while you prepare a video resume for any job application process. Know the Potential Employer Understanding your potential employer is crucial when marketing yourself as a job candidate. Research the company thoroughly to gain insights into its culture, values, and goals. This knowledge allows you to tailor your application and interview responses to align with what the company is seeking. 

Regardless of the level of education and professional knowledge, interviews are stressful experiences for most job seekers. Stressed candidates often discover that they cannot articulate their responses to the interview questions properly despite having extensive knowledge or training. Though advanced preparation can make you confident, some tips can help you overcome interview anxieties. Reasons behind Severe Interview Anxiety Humans have ventured their way up from a lowly dull-headed origin to the pinnacle of civilization. But when people strip away their sophisticated technology and trendy clothing, they reveal a fragile, insecure creature that still lies dormant beneath. These creatures are still driven by crude animal instincts that determine how they behave. When considering stressful circumstances, giving in to those impulses is tempting and allowing them to run the show. A job interview may bring forth the most robust stream of emotions, throwing the most level-headed people off balance. Read Best Job Searching Websites in Bangladesh It is the brain's approach to strengthening the body for defense against unexpected occurrences. The adrenaline produced by the nerve raises the body's blood pressure. While preparing for an uncertain event, this might seem like nervousness. Feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, worry and fear might leave you with the impression that you will botch the whole situation. Knowing the fundamental reasons your nerves take over enables you to regain control and use your nerves as positive and productive energy. The trick to easing your pre-interview anxiety is approaching the interview with a confident attitude. Practical Interview Anxiety Tips to Deal with the Fear of Interviews Prepare Yourself for the Worst-Case Scenario Whatever your scariest fear is, there must be a solution.  Before the interview, silly fears might appear in your mind, such as, "do I have lettuce in your teeth?" To avoid such stress, you can carry a tiny mirror and dental floss in your bag. Read Considering a Career Change? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Are you afraid of not having a solid answer to a challenging question? It can happen to anybody. Learn how to conceal your discomfort and reply smartly when you do not know the answer. By planning, you can be confident that even if the worst-case scenario occurs, you are more than equipped to manage it. Be More Organized Studying is pointless if you arrive too late to take the exam. Therefore, one of the most straightforward and efficient strategies to reduce anxiety is to be organized. Read Perfect Resume: 12 Effective Tips for writing a professional CV Being organized means doing some necessary actions to ensure that your interview goes successfully. These actions include preparing your suitcase or certificate file, arranging your attire for attaining the interview, knowing your precise route to the interview place, obtaining sufficient sleep the night before, getting up early on the interview day, eating a decent meal, and reaching the place on time. Rehearse Yourself Find a place in your home or room, where you won't be disturbed by anybody. Now, conduct an interview with yourself. While rehearsing for the interview, you may come across subjects or questions you can’t remember. In this situation, don’t get anxious, keep notes and study later. Thus, with the cooperation of your physical self, you can get mentally prepared for an interview. If the area where you practice includes a mirror, then stand in front of it to notice your own expressions. Try to notice your facial expressions carefully in order to identify any expressions that are out of place. Some expressions might give the interviewer the impression that you are not maintaining your composure.  Read Effective tips for hunting jobs during pandemic Eat Properly You can hardly provide convincing replies during an interview with an empty stomach. Therefore, make sure you have eaten properly before attaining the interview.  A good meal is a perfect way to kick off a successful interview. It would be wise to choose the healthier options, which are often high in antioxidants known to enhance energy levels. However, some people may indulge in their favorite comfort foods.  All that matters is finding one that works for you. Try to avoid oily and spicy foods. Avoid drinking too much water or beverages before entering the interview room.  Read How to be a Confident English Speaker? Train Your Mind to Handle Stress Not all aspects of human nerves are negative. The spike of adrenaline you experience when you are frightened before a job interview might assist you in being aware and engaged throughout the process. When you feel nervous during or before an interview, you should tell yourself that you are excited rather than telling yourself that you need to calm down. This is because telling yourself that you must calm down only worsens your nerves. Try to channel all that extra adrenaline towards getting you excited and bringing out your passion for the character you're playing. Watch Your Body Language You may display more tension than you would want to express during a job interview. Now, how to prevent it?  Read How to ace a Job Interview? It is essential to ensure that you will be able to finish the interview without unnatural movement. Try to convey an impression of self-assurance and vitality by sitting in a way that is both comfortable and attentive.  During the interview, it is not acceptable to sit in a reclined position, nor should you perch on the edge of your seat. Instead, it would be the most effective if you work toward striking a balance between the two places by maintaining an upright and engaged posture while avoiding the appearance of being flighty. Conclusion The people conducting the interview are aware that job seekers stay nervous during the interviews. Still, you need to learn to minimize interview stress. Severe anxieties during the interview can hamper your power of thinking clearly and make you forget many known answers. To avoid such situations, prepare your mind, body, and nerves to handle the stress. Read Psychometric Tests in Recruitment: How to prepare for it So far, we have discussed some efficient and practical tips to handle your pre-interview anxiety and stay calm during the interview session. Hope it helps!

The final hurdle for securing any job is always the interview. Depending on the organization, the interview can be one of those make-or-break things that might decide whether you're getting the appointment or not. Needless to say, you need to prepare yourself before you sit for an interview. But knowing about yourself and the job alone isn’t going to cut it. Here are our thoughts on how you can ace any job interview. How to Prepare for Your Next Interview and Ace it? Do proper research. To stand out from the rest candidates and appear with your best presentable self, it is essential to do proper research on several aspects regarding the company and some of its key people. It needs to be understood that interviews mostly relate to situational awareness and confidence.  The depth of your knowledge in your field may not solely enable you to get the job. In simple words, an interview is the combination of knowledge and other additional factors that makes you qualified for a position. Read Earning with Mobile Phones: Know the Best and Worst Ways The things you need to research before appearing for an interview include: - Skills and experience the company is looking for? - Key people within the organization. - Up to date information about the company. - Some details about the company, including the core values, mission, vision, and future goals. - Detailed information about the client base and the services offered by the company. - Finding out some professional details about the interviewers. Read How to Earn Money from Mobile Photography? Be ready for questions about skillset. What makes you qualified for this position? This is probably the most common question asked in a job interview. And, many people fail to answer this question in a proper way. An interviewer always looks for the situational and self-awareness of a candidate to determine whether he or she is the right pick for the position. Questions about skillsets give them a great hand to assess your knowledge about yourself as well as the technical aspects of your skills. To ace questions about your skillset, we suggest you maintain the following ways. - Be candid about your skillset. - Assess whether they strategically align with the job description. - Prepare to speak about how they can add value to the company. - Review the basic technical aspects of your mentioned skill. - Be eloquent. Practice speaking clearly and fluently. - Have the demonstrative ability of your skills. Read Quarantine Income Opportunities: How to Earn Money during Lockdown Period? Follow proper dress code. There is a saying that the first impression is the last impression. This thought is highly relevant when it comes to interviews. An interview is essentially the company’s way of judging you and your outlook on the job. Needless to say, it's important to dress crisp and appropriately. A lot depends on the situation as well as the nature of the job you are applying for. Traditionally, a job interview attire should be professional and business level. This might include a tucked-in formal shirt with trousers and formal shoes topped with a suit jacket. For women, it ranges from suit pants to statement dresses as appropriate. However, from the context of Bangladesh, the dress code doesn't necessarily have to be that. Considering the humidity of our country, a simple tucked-in formal attire without a suit jacket can be worn. For females, it typically ranges from Saree to Salwar Kameez, but if you are comfortable with suit pants, you can opt for that as well. Read Top Job Searching apps in Bangladesh Follow etiquettes. An interview isn’t necessarily the assessment of your intellect and skills only, rather it's an assessment of your overall demeanor and how you present yourself. Your body language, presentation, oration, and confidence make an overall impact on the assessment procedure. There are etiquettes you should follow during an interview. - Always be on time - Dress crisply - Know about your interviewers - Ask before you enter the interview room - Practice a firm handshake - Take the drink if offered - Be confident. Even if you don’t know the answer to a question, decline in a graceful manner. - Show your gratitude after the interview ends. Typically, with a thank you for their time, or wish them a good day. Read Best Job Searching Websites in Bangladesh Stay prepared to attend online interviews. The pandemic has reshaped everything in our daily life. As most offices moved to work from home, the recruitment and interviews are also being held online. While most of the etiquettes and technicalities that we mentioned above apply for online interviews as well, there are some additional things you should keep in mind. - Have a stable internet connection. - Make sure you are properly visible or are in a sufficiently lighted environment. - Have a clean background. If that is not possible, use virtual backgrounds. - Join at least 5 to 10 minutes before your interview time. - Use a headphone with a proper mic. Read Passive Income Ideas in Bangladesh in 2021 Know some basic questions of job interviews. With all of that said, you should now have a decent idea about what to expect and how to approach a job interview. However, there are still some basic questions that you should familiarize yourself with. Let's look at some of them – - Tell us about yourself - What makes you qualified for this position? - Why should we hire you? - What motivates you? - Tell us about a negative aspect of you - If you were given this position, what changes would you make? - What aspect of our company interests you? Bottom Line An interview is all about being confident enough regardless of the situation. The key here is to maintain calm and give it your best shot so that you can leave a lasting impression. We hope this article helps you better understand how to nail your next job interview and win lke a pro. Read What Is Passive Income? Pros and Cons of Passive Earning