Job hunting can be a long and painful process if not handled properly.  Many different factors affect your success; fortunately there are many things you can do improve your own situation.

Part of successful job hunting is having the proper mind state, it is important you never allow yourself to give up no matter how many times you fail.

Look at failure as an opportunity to learn, to better yourself and to be stronger because of it.  When you fail, take the chance to reflect and look back on what it is specifically that you need to work on.  These 3 tips are all important skills for you to develop if you want to increasing your chance at  being successful at job interviews.

You don’t speak well enough

Being able to properly convey your ideas, skills and what makes you valuable as an employee is crucial to a good interview.  During an interviews you must find your “professional voice”  – the voice that allows you to speak clearly and confidently.

To do this start by getting rid of slang in your vocabulary.  Speak with complete sentences and no slang terms or colloquialisms.  Of course this doesn’t mean using big words outside your normal vocabulary.  Just speak in your normal way without the slang to sound as natural as possible.

Avoid using filler words like “um” or “like” in sentences or to fill gaps in the conversation when you’re speaking during the interview.   This habit will make you sound unpolished and unprofessional.

Remember it is ok for you to pause briefly and think about how you are going to respond to a question.  Don’t feel obligated to spew out an answer, take the time to properly reflect on what your about to say and this will help you eliminate using filler words.

You’re not properly prepared

This part of preparing for a interview is up to you as a person and is a question of effort and laziness.  If you are willing to put in the work; by researching the company, aligning your skills with what they are looking for in an employee and learning about the company in general you will more often than not be successful.

If you go into an interview with out doing proper research you automatically put yourself in the lower tier of potential employees.  Why would a company hire someone who knows nothing about them?  Someone that won’t even take the time to find out how they can best help the company won’t get hired.  Use the internet to your advantage to research and get ready for interviews.

Put in time in advance to discover as much information as you can about the company. Spend time, as well, tapping into your network to see who you know who can help give you an interview edge  or possibly someone who has worked for/with the company before.  Use Google to search for employee reviews to see what they think about the company.

Your phone skills aren’t strong enough

It is imperative that your phone skills are strong enough to make an impression on potential employers.  It is important to speak clearly, with confidence and have direction on what your going to say.  Like anything in job hunting if you want to be successful at phone interviews you need to prepare.

If you have a phone interview, it should mean that you are properly prepared for it.  Have your notes printed and on hand to help you out.  Open the company’s website on your computer to have it out as a reference.

Answer the phone with your full name.  To avoid an awkward start to the call, take charge by answering the phone by stating your name and asking how you can help the person calling.  This lets the person on the other line know exactly who you are and saves them the trouble of asking for you.

While your on the phone be sure to smile.  It sounds a little bit silly since no one can see you however smiling changes the way your voice comes across on the phone.  Smiling when you speak brings energy and excitement to your voice, something potential employers are impressed by.

When speaking on the phone, your voice actually loses about 50% of its energy during transmission.   Use smiling as a technique to properly convey your enthusiasm over the phone.

If you have a phone interview, it should mean that you are properly prepared for it.  Have your notes printed and on hand to help you out.  Open the company’s website on your computer to have it out as a reference.

Getting a job is a combination of being prepared, confident and knowing yourself.  People think to get a job they have to be a peppy and excitable people person; this is completely incorrect.  Being yourself , getting prepared and using your words to convey your skills are the most effective ways to impress potential employers.

Follow these tips while preparing for job interview to give yourself the best chance at success and always remember that hard work will pay off.